My father is 92 and marvellous for his age but is beginning to get more unsteady in his feet. As he likes to her 4000 steps in a day, he goes for walks but recently decided that just a walking stick wasn’t enough to make him feel safe and stable. He had a rollator in the house, originally bought fit my mother some year ago. He tried it and although it gave him greater stability, the wheels were just solid rubber. As the pavements around where he lives are mostly tarmac and, in many places, distorted by tree roots and general wear and tear, he found the solid wheels of the old walker transferred too much vibration up to the handles and was very uncomfortable on his hands and wrists. So, after much searching and many enquiries, I was eventually directed to this model, with its pneumatic tyres. This is exactly what he needs. The pneumatic tyres absorb the vast amount of vibration from the ground and he finds it so much more comfortable and easy to walk with. He really likes the shopping bag on the front because it means he can walk up to the local supermarket and bring back a few things without having to carry them back, especially if it’s weighty things like milk or sugar. He thinks the walking stick holder on the side is a great idea, too. And the cup holder and he’s looking forward to the nice weather when he can collect a cup of coffee from the shop, then walk to the local park and then sit in the rollator to drink it in the sunshine. The walker is very easy to fold up, so it fits in the cupboard under the stairs when not in use. Although the wheels make it bit bulkier than the other one he had, it can still fold and go in the boot of my SUV. When you unfold it and press the seat down, it latches down with an audible, satisfying click so you can be confident it is fixed down. But a sharp tug on the handle in the centre of the seat will unlatch it easily and allow you to fold it up. I can see, because it’s so much easier to push this one along, it allows him to stand straighter, rather than bent forward, battling with the vibrations of the old one. I got it delivered direct to his house and suggested he wait till I visit to put it together but he decided he’d do it himself. He did find that quite hard, although he is a very practical man with a DIY bent. He found it hard to identify the pictures in the instructions booklet as relating to parts of the rollator. However, having said that, he did eventually get it put together and working properly - though I think many elderly people would find it tricky and would need help to do it. But, once it’s together, it is a really great accessory to help people who need that extra support walking and to increase their independence and confidence.
