Walkers
Health benefits for young and old
There are many people who have reached a point in life where their mobility has become impaired but they are not ready to be confined to a wheelchair. Walkers are specialty medical equipment used by senior citizens for additional stability when walking.
A basic medical walker has four legs built on a frame with three sides that surround the person for stability. In the process of using a walker, the person must lift the walker off the ground as they take a step forward and walk into the frame.
There are also two-wheeled walkers that have glide caps on the rear legs and caster wheels on the two front legs. This is ideal for a person without the physical strength to lift the walker because the two wheels in front and the glides in the rear enable easier movement while still creating stability.
A “rollator” is a four-wheeled rolling walker with a built-in seat, enabling the person to sit down and rest when necessary. There are some models that require the user to press the handles down or have hand brakes in order to slow or stop the walker from moving.
Although walkers are most common in the elderly segment of the population, children who have difficulty walking or need additional help in development also use them. For children who are learning how to walk, a posterior walker is used. These work in the reverse manner of a conventional medical walker by being placed behind the child for stability as they take each step forward. The safety feature in these walkers includes wheels that are designed to move in one direction only, preventing the walker from moving backwards.
The most important part of the proper use of a walker is to assure the correct height positioning: the height of the walker grips should line up properly with the wrists. If this is not done correctly, the person will be in an uncomfortable position because the handles are too low. If they are too high, it will create difficulties for them in transferring their weight.
