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The
Cadillac of Walkers
By Jane Gross, the
New York Times
July
28, 2008
Connecticut nursing home resident Stephanie Mead, 87, with a state-of-the-art walker. (James Estrin/The New York Times)
More than a dozen years ago, my late mother was considered a fashionista among the limited mobility set because her walker was customized with tennis balls on its back legs. The fuzzy yellow balls, scored with a utility knife for a snug fit, were intended to work rather like shock absorbers, smoothing her ride and eliminating the annoying tap-tap-tap of the walker’s legs hitting the floor. She carried her possessions in a wicker basket secured to the handlebars with shoe laces.
Today, such a walker would mark my mother as a nerd, a penny-pincher or, worse yet, someone whose neglectful children had failed to provide her with the next new thing. Spend some time at an assisted living community these days and it’s clear that the Cadillac of walkers — will our generation call them the BMWs of walkers? — is no longer a jury-rigged contraption of found objects, but rather a “rollator,” a “rolling walker” or a “walker with a seat.”
The
walking cane, tricked out and individualized. (James Estrin/The New York Times)
There are many brands — I claim no expertise and welcome reviews from those who do. But all have more or less the same features. Most important is a seat that folds down, permitting longer excursions with time-outs whenever mom or dad needs a rest. Some of the seats even have hidden storage compartments, like old-fashioned piano benches. (What’s inside? Eyeglasses. Romance novels. Oranges. Lottery tickets. Keys. Large-print “Reader’s Digests.”)
The handlebar is padded for arthritic hands, and there are hand brakes to lock the wheels in place when sitting down. While walkers have rotating wheels only on the front legs, these newfangled beauties, in metallic blue or English racing green, have four wheels that pivot, making it possible to walk on rough sidewalks or grass — an off-road experience. Accessories include cup holders, food trays and an array of storage pouches.
Residents of Atria Senior Home in Stratford, Conn., with the latest in mobility devices. (James Estrin/The New York Times)
Prices are reasonable: as little as $85 for a Costco Web site special, or as much as $275 for a model that will support a 400-pounder. Online orders can be placed with individual manufacturers, soup-to-nuts shopping sites like Amazon or medical supply companies, which carry many brands. Start here. Or here. Or here.
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