These are usually presented as a catalog. They are better understood as a ladder, because moving up too early costs somebody function and moving up too late costs them a fall.
1. A cane
Least support, most independence. Suits mild balance difficulty or one weaker side.
Held in the hand opposite the weaker leg, which surprises most people. Sized so the handle reaches the crease of the wrist when standing upright in normal shoes.
2. A quad cane
Four feet, stands unaided, more support than a single point. Heavier and more awkward on stairs.
3. A standard walker
No wheels. Lifted and placed, which is slow and deliberate and very stable. Needs reasonable arm strength and takes concentration.
4. A two-wheeled walker
Front wheels, rear feet. Slides rather than lifts, so less effort, slightly less stability.
5. A rollator
Four wheels, hand brakes, usually a seat. Faster, more natural to walk with, and the seat turns an impossible walk into one with three rests in it.
The important distinction: a rollator supports balance, it does not bear weight the way a walker does. Somebody who leans heavily on a frame can roll it away from themselves. Our rollator guide covers fitting one properly.
6. A transport chair
Small wheels, pushed by somebody else. For distance rather than daily life. Frequently the right companion to a rollator: the rollator for the house and the shop, the transport chair for the airport.
7. A manual wheelchair
Self-propelled, large rear wheels. Needs upper body strength and shoulder health, and shoulders are a finite resource worth protecting.
8. A mobility scooter
Transport rather than seating. For somebody who walks reasonably indoors but cannot manage distance. Needs standing, stepping over, sitting and steering with two hands, which is more function than people assume. Wide turning circle, so rarely usable inside a house.
9. A power wheelchair
A seating system with a motor, for somebody in it for much of the day. Turns close to its own length so it works indoors. The seat is the important part: cushion, back support, tilt, and for some people that assembly matters more than the chair. Our power chair guide covers the difference from a scooter.
The signs it is time to move up
- Leaning heavily enough on the frame that it moves.
- Walks being cut short, or avoided.
- Exhaustion after a short distance.
- Furniture-walking around the house.
- A fall, or a near miss that nobody mentioned.
The sign it is time to move back down
Rarely discussed. After rehabilitation, somebody may need less than they did. Staying in a chair that is no longer necessary costs strength. Ask the therapist rather than assuming the ladder only goes one way.
What Medicare covers
Wheelchairs, walkers, rollators and scooters can fall inside Medicare’s durable medical equipment category, because they are portable and not attached to the house. Coverage turns on medical necessity and documentation from your physician. We do not yet bill health insurance and say so early.
Canes, walkers, rollators, transport chairs and cushions ship free from our online shop.
Fitting matters more than the choice
An aid set to the wrong height is worse than no aid, because it changes posture. Handles should reach the crease of the wrist when standing upright in normal shoes, arms hanging loose. That single rule applies to canes, walkers and rollators alike.
Nearly every rollator we see in the wild is set too low, usually because it came out of the box that way and nobody adjusted it.
Indoors and outdoors are different jobs
Small wheels suit smooth indoor floors and catch on everything outside. Larger wheels handle gravel, grass and curbs and take more room to turn.
Plenty of households end up with two aids for this reason, and that is a sensible outcome rather than a failure to choose.
Getting it into a car
Ask before buying, with the actual person who will lift it. Weight and folded size decide whether an aid gets used outside the house or lives in a hallway. Our vehicle page covers the lifts and hoists for the ones too heavy to lift.
Shoulders are finite
Worth stating plainly for anybody self-propelling a manual wheelchair. Shoulder wear from years of pushing is a real and common outcome, and a power assist or a power chair is not a defeat. It is protecting the joints somebody will need for the next twenty years.
Canes, walkers, rollators, transport chairs and cushions ship free from our online shop.
Where to buy, and where not to
Straightforward items are fine to order online provided the sizing is right, which is why the wrist-crease rule is on this page rather than left to a fitting.
Anything clinical is different. Seating systems, complex rehab chairs and anything specified around a diagnosis belong with an ATP or a CRTS and an evaluation, not a shopping cart.
The straightforward items ship free from our online shop, and our mobility equipment page covers where the clinical line falls.