She can get around the house, most of the time without it, but she has balance problems and dizziness. She hates it because she relates it with being old.
The gray aluminum walkers that are given out like candy upon a hospital and/or short-term rehab facility don't do the trick. They usually are too low and the person walks head down, bent over, bad posture and it doesn't glide over a lot of services.
I discovered an UpWalker Lite. My mother uses her gray aluminum walker for the bathroom only at night. I invested in good walking shoes since when the elderly get sick their feet size change. I wish health insurance companies would cover shoes, not the robotic kind but the kind that fit for that particular person, rather than all of the toothpaste, cotton balls, etc.
The UpWalker Lite (for some people) can build inner core strength, help with posture and breathing. It can go to the market, fold down fit in the trunk.
There is also a seat on it. People stop us all the time as ask us, I respond my BMW. They laugh...basically I paid $495 with health insurance reimbursing after 10 months of pleading, begging, letters, email. I just looked it up and it's now $595.
Well worth the money for "our situation". Every person is different. A lot of elderly are on blood thinners so you are right in being concerned about falls. I had my mother have services for p/t and o/t for balance.
The UpWalker Lite looks like a piece of exercise equipment as opposed to medical equipment. My mother uses it out in the hallway and chats with the neighbors.
You are so right! I wish we had known about the UpWalker when my mom first begrudgingly bought her first walker. She bought the cheap one at Walmart and never upgraded. She also never modified the height of the handles so she walked stooped and developed further conditions because of her misuse of the walker. A really good walker, properly fitted, would have cost 10 times as much but would have been 100 times better.
My mom refuses to use hers. She will take a cane when she's out, but it's really not enough. Honestly, I'm just tired of arguing about it. She has neuropathy in both legs and the neurologist has informed her that if she breaks a hip, there is a 50% chance of her dying within 6 months. That didn't change anything so...there she goes, without her walker stumbling all over the place. She also assumes that I will pick her up if she falls. I refuse to. I call EMS to pick her up. I already dislocated my rib years ago picking up my dad from the floor and I have issues with it 10 years after the fact.
Have to face the facts of getting older. Ghee, I wonder what it will be like in 13 years when I'm 80? Hope I understand enough sense by then to get a rollator to get myself around, move into a facility and sell the condo for my safety instead of continuing to live alone.
My dad also refused to use his walker. It took about 3 falls with one trip to the ER before he decided the walker was a good thing. Your aunt doesn’t want to lose her independence. Let her learn the hard way. You can also request physical therapy for balance exercises after a fall. My dad was lucky. He never broke anything, but because his skin was like crepe paper, he had to have 60 days of wound care each time. He would use his walker following a fall, but then decide at some point, he didn’t need it and fall again. He wouldn’t use his cane either. Some people just never get it. Let your aunt learn the hard way. Sometimes that’s the only way stubborn and prideful people get it.
A good friend of mine has to walk with a cane now. She has very stylish canes. She actually started collecting beautiful handmade wood carved canes.
She has fibromyalgia and has found some relief from certain meds. She feels like you, that if she has to rely upon a cane at times, it’s going to be stylish!
She has Dementia. In her mind she maybe 30 and think she is not old. Plus you can't explain why the need.
Those skis are wonderful. Where I worked we had a bunch of this kind of thing donated. I made sure my uncle and a friend got a pair. Tennis balls too. Tennis balls are good if you have hardwood floors. The walker just slides across the rug. Rolliators are not for everyone. Because of having 4 wheels they can get away from a person. They keep moving but the person isn't. Good for outdoors.
"Gee, Auntie -- how old do you think you'll look in a wheelchair after you fall and can't even rehab to a walker?"
"Gee, Auntie -- I had no idea you were getting older. I never picked up on the gray hair."
"Gee, Auntie -- No one would think you're old if you were independent and tearing around everywhere with a walker, but they would if you were staggering around, falling, or clutching people's arms to keep from falling."
"Gee, Auntie -- 'Old' is not defined by a number nor a piece of medical equipment, but it can be defined by state of mind, stubbornness, irrational behavior, and acting curmudgeonly."
"Gee, Auntie -- I'm with you -- don't use the walker. Fall and break a hip, THEN see how old you feel."
The big fancy rollators that you see most people using in public may not be the best for the home because they are often too wide for doorways and halls and can be hard to manoeuvre around furniture. Both my mom and another family member liked the little, light weight two wheeled walker for use at home, I added skis on the back so it glided easily over carpet.
"This is your walker. This is how to use it." (Play video with Fats Domino song 'I'm Walkin')
Show and tell: A person with casts on arms and legs and a bruised broken nose because he didn't use his walker.
"This color is dirty green. It is the wall color that you will staring at 24/7 in your rehab room after you fall. For six months or more."
"This is a urinal. This is how to use it."
"This color is mellow yellow, the color of urine in your urinal."
"This is your wife, who will be emptying your urinal if she doesn't run off to Maui with the pool boy after you're incontinent because you didn't go to the urinologist to take care of your humongous prostate."
Numbers: "This is the number 1. That is how many bowel movements you should have every day. This is the number 2. That is what we call a bowel movement. This is the number 3. That is how many aides or grown children it will take to clean you after a bowel movement."
"This is the word GONE. That is what your caregiver will be after 6 months of your complaining and swearing and not taking your meds."
MissSuzy, is the walker the type that has no wheels on the front lower section? If so, I can fully understand why so many people refuse to use those types of walkers. One has to lift the front to move about on carpeting, etc.
Once I got my Dad one of those rolling walkers which has hand brakes, 4 wheels, a seat, and a basket, he was so thrilled. He was rolling everywhere, and was so proud of his walker. You'd think I had bought my Dad a Shelby Mustang :)
All it will take is for her to have a nasty fall and end up in the hospital and then rehab before she will understand the importance of using her walker. Until then I'm not sure there's much you can do. Sadly, sometimes it takes something bad to happen to someone before they will make the necessary changes to make their life a little better/easier.
FunkyGrandma59, Excellent reply to MissSuzy. For months, I squabbled with both my Mom and Step-Dad about using walkers. I couldn't afford to get the kind with brakes and/or seats, but did get the wheels and slides for the back. I caught my Step-Dad and Mom (even after getting the walkers, doing things without using them. I finally had to warn: "If you fall, I call the EMTs because I can't pick you up without injuring myself. When you go to the hospital, it will be the doctors and social workers who decide IF you get to return home or go into a long-term care facility." It's difficult not to feel guilty making those kind of demands and predictions, but it has to be done to do the "Care for yourself, or you cant care for them". In the end, Dad was falling even using his walker (he passed in February 2022), and since September 2022, Mom fell several times with her walker and "Life Alert". Her falls caused damage to the brain which caused aphasia. In both Mom and Dad's cases, discussions with the social workers and the MDs, resulted in them being placed in Long-term care. I hope MissSuzy can use some of my experience and your advice to make the right choice for her and her Aunt.
The gray aluminum walkers that are given out like candy upon a hospital and/or short-term rehab facility don't do the trick. They usually are too low and the person walks head down, bent over, bad posture and it doesn't glide over a lot of services.
I discovered an UpWalker Lite. My mother uses her gray aluminum walker for the bathroom only at night. I invested in good walking shoes since when the elderly get sick their feet size change. I wish health insurance companies would cover shoes, not the robotic kind but the kind that fit for that particular person, rather than all of the toothpaste, cotton balls, etc.
The UpWalker Lite (for some people) can build inner core strength, help with posture and breathing. It can go to the market, fold down fit in the trunk.
There is also a seat on it. People stop us all the time as ask us, I respond my BMW. They laugh...basically I paid $495 with health insurance reimbursing after 10 months of pleading, begging, letters, email. I just looked it up and it's now $595.
Well worth the money for "our situation". Every person is different. A lot of elderly are on blood thinners so you are right in being concerned about falls. I had my mother have services for p/t and o/t for balance.
The UpWalker Lite looks like a piece of exercise equipment as opposed to medical equipment. My mother uses it out in the hallway and chats with the neighbors.
I hope I was of some help.
I'd personally have some 80's bright coloured streamers off the handlebars & spoke lights 😁
A good friend of mine has to walk with a cane now. She has very stylish canes. She actually started collecting beautiful handmade wood carved canes.
She has fibromyalgia and has found some relief from certain meds. She feels like you, that if she has to rely upon a cane at times, it’s going to be stylish!
Those skis are wonderful. Where I worked we had a bunch of this kind of thing donated. I made sure my uncle and a friend got a pair. Tennis balls too. Tennis balls are good if you have hardwood floors. The walker just slides across the rug. Rolliators are not for everyone. Because of having 4 wheels they can get away from a person. They keep moving but the person isn't. Good for outdoors.
"Gee, Auntie -- I had no idea you were getting older. I never picked up on the gray hair."
"Gee, Auntie -- No one would think you're old if you were independent and tearing around everywhere with a walker, but they would if you were staggering around, falling, or clutching people's arms to keep from falling."
"Gee, Auntie -- 'Old' is not defined by a number nor a piece of medical equipment, but it can be defined by state of mind, stubbornness, irrational behavior, and acting curmudgeonly."
"Gee, Auntie -- I'm with you -- don't use the walker. Fall and break a hip, THEN see how old you feel."
Feel free to use any of the above.
The right "picture words/phrases can go a long way to helping an elder get the point.
Can you explain how you did that? I’m curious.
"This is your walker. This is how to use it." (Play video with Fats Domino song 'I'm Walkin')
Show and tell: A person with casts on arms and legs and a bruised broken nose because he didn't use his walker.
"This color is dirty green. It is the wall color that you will staring at 24/7 in your rehab room after you fall. For six months or more."
"This is a urinal. This is how to use it."
"This color is mellow yellow, the color of urine in your urinal."
"This is your wife, who will be emptying your urinal if she doesn't run off to Maui with the pool boy after you're incontinent because you didn't go to the urinologist to take care of your humongous prostate."
Numbers: "This is the number 1. That is how many bowel movements you should have every day. This is the number 2. That is what we call a bowel movement. This is the number 3. That is how many aides or grown children it will take to clean you after a bowel movement."
"This is the word GONE. That is what your caregiver will be after 6 months of your complaining and swearing and not taking your meds."
Etc.
He never moved out of his modest home even after becoming successful.
He was a really sweet guy and it was fun to watch him perform.
Once I got my Dad one of those rolling walkers which has hand brakes, 4 wheels, a seat, and a basket, he was so thrilled. He was rolling everywhere, and was so proud of his walker. You'd think I had bought my Dad a Shelby Mustang :)
My mom loved that there was storage under the seat of her rolling walker. We called it her trunk. She put her purse in it.
Sadly, sometimes it takes something bad to happen to someone before they will make the necessary changes to make their life a little better/easier.