Walkers make travel safe and convenient for the elderly

A Walker is an auxiliary device that helps the human body support weight, maintain balance and walk, also known as a walker, walking frame or walker. Among walking AIDS, a walker can provide the most support and stability. Therefore, it is mainly used in patients with weak strength and poor balance, such as the elderly after orthopedic surgery, poor coordination and Parkinson's disease patients, children with cerebral palsy or developmental delays. With the support of the device, people with less flexibility in their legs can walk independently and take care of themselves.
According to the structure and function of walking AIDS, it can be divided into two categories: Cane and frame walking AIDS. Walking Cane Walker is simple in structure and light in weight, but it has small supporting area and poor stability. Frame type pedestrian structure is complex, but the support area is large and the stability is good.

1. Choose a walker

1. The texture should be light and easy for the patient to move.
2. Walkers should be stably placed on the ground;
3. The height of the walker should be appropriate or adjustable. When the person is standing in a walker with their hands naturally sagging, hold the handrails on both sides and apply pressure to them to ensure weight support and balance control;
4. The walker should be moderate in width, not too wide.

2. Types of frame walkers

1. Application scope: Patients with moderate to severe lower limb dysfunction and poor balance ability need to use tools more stable than unilateral crutches
2. According to the structure of the walker, it can be divided into standard type (fixed and interactive), wheel type, R type lifting and lifting AIDS and arm support AIDS

3. Standard walkers fall into two categories: stationary and interactive.

4. This type of walker, although slow, has the best stability and is suitable for people with poor balance.

5. The stationary walker needs to be lifted and have good arm strength when moving forward. Relatively stable.

6. When the interactive walker moves forward, the front end can be replaced by moving left and right without lifting the walker. It is suitable for people with weak lower limb balance function and weak sense of balance.

7. Pulley walkers have two wheels and four/six wheels.

8. Two-wheeled walkers are suitable for patients with weak upper limb muscle strength and difficulty in lifting walkers. The user does not need to lift the walker to move forward. The user has good standing balance.

9. Four-wheel walker: more flexible than other walkers, easy to operate, fast walking speed, poor stability.

10. Two-wheeled walkers are mostly used for indoor walking training.

11. Four-wheel walker is mainly used for outdoor walking assistance, suitable for patients with good balance and strong control.
12. The walking aid has the function of pressing the brake, which improves the relative safety.
13. The R-type standing aid is designed with high and low handrails, with the same performance as the standard walking aid, but the added low-support handrails can assist standing, which is used for patients with weak physical strength and balance ability who need to assist standing
14. This lifting aid can also be used as a pedestal disk support.
15. During driving, the patient uses a platform or forearm brace to support his/her body weight and rests his/her arm on the platform (brace). The front of the platform (bracket) is provided with a handle and a brake device.
16. Table walkers are mainly designed for patients with limited grasping ability due to wrist joint dysfunction or hand pain deformation, and are also very practical for patients with poor lower limb muscle strength.

3. Height of walker

1. Generally, the height of walkers is still based on the elbow bend of about 20 degrees, but for walkers with handrails, the elbow needs to be supported on the handrails or platforms, so the elbow is bent 90 degrees, and the elbow supports weight and movement.

4. Fixed walker displacement

Step 1 Stand firm and hold onto the high handle of the walker
2. Lift the walker up and move it 15-20cm forward
3. Lower the walker to ensure a smooth landing
4. Slowly move your feet forward until your heels are parallel to the walker's back legs

5. Interactive walker shift

Step 1 Stand firm and hold onto the high handle of the walker
2. Grab one side of the walker handle and move forward 15-20cm
3. Move the other foot
4. Grab the walker handle on the other side and move forward 15-20cm
5. Move the other foot
6. Move both sides of the walker repeatedly so that it moves forward interactively