walkers, how many wheels??

Following a fall, my mother lost the use of her legs for a while. After two weeks of rehab, she was once again able to walk but now she needed a walker. I am sure this happens with many seniors. If money is tight for you, the caregiver, then you should think seriously about the walker that you are going to buy or lease.

Medicare will be willing to pay for only ONE walker (with doctor's prescription) so although your present need may be only temporary, don't forget that seniors' health generally worsens with age so you may need a walker again. Walkers come with no wheels, 2 wheels and 4 wheels. Medicare will make a flat contribution to a walker ONCE (then maybe again in 5 years, but they prefer to pay for repairs rather than give you a new one). If your senior is confined to the house, the no wheel and 2-wheelers are fine, since he or she can sit down on nearby furniture. They do require though that the senior be able to lift them a bit which can get tiring. If you are going to be going outside though, I seriously recommend that you get a 4-wheeler with a seat as your initial investment, even if it requires a co-pay. Outside, my mother generally only walks to the mailbox (150 ft) but some days she has to do it with two or three stops, and the seat is very handy. She also uses it in the house since it is less tiring than lifting her two wheel walker.

If you are wondering why we have two walkers it is because my mother has dementia. We had been well advised to get the 4-wheel walker initially which we did, but after my mother's fall, she was having trouble using the 4-wheeler because she had forgotten how to use the brakes, so it would skitter away and pose a fall risk. This is apparently QUITE common and is dealt with in occupational therapy in the rehab centers, but still it is a drawback to the 4-wheelers since the rehab training is quickly forgotten once you get home. It is also the reason that I recommend that you start out with the 4-wheelers: to try to train your senior into using the brakes naturally and automatically so they can use the walker as long as possible. Mobility is incredibly important for seniors (and their caregivers).

Then there is the question of leasing or buying, but that will be for another post.

Walking canes

When I first saw my mother hobbling towards me on two unmatched walking canes, I realized that her physical condition was now no better than her mental one. Two months earlier, she had been as physically well as always and I had had a hard time convincing her that it was time for me to move in with her. There was no way to explain to her that she had totally lost her short term memory and that living alone was not a good idea. That was a year ago, I have been here since.

The proof that it was the right time, was right in front of my eyes: not only could she barely walk, but she had lost 25 lbs. Even her two bassetts were looking slim and trim!!! Since everyone had been a bit overweight two months earlier, the present status was not dramatic. The how-it-had-happened definitely was though. I was glad that I was moving in.

The walking canes were an issue. The two she had were left over from a hip replacement years earlier, and neither at the appropriate height since she has really shrunk with age (she is 88). Even though walking canes are not that expensive, I wanted to check out Medicare, to start getting a feel for what is covered for senior supplies since things are not really going to improve. The site is quite easy to use, you don't need an ID number, just type in the state you are in and scroll down to the medical equipment you need, in this case "Canes and Crutches". The information though, is pretty much limited to yes/no and skips many of the restrictions. See below:

Walking canes (and crutches) ARE covered by Medicare (although for some reason, the white canes for the blind are not). BUT, only one cane is offered and it has to last you 5 years. The metal ones are nice with funky colors which make them easy to see and recognize (in a reunion of seniors, for example). They are also easy to adjust for "shrinkage". Unfortunately for us, my mother, in her present state of incipient dementia, would forget where she had left her canes and even that she actually used walking canes at all. Sometimes too, she used only one, so that the pair would get separated.

In those days, just getting my mother to leave the house was a major effort so that having to run around the house looking for her canes at the last minute was not really fun. I finally just went to the nearest Dollar store where they have canes for the proverbial dollar. I think they are bamboo and it was easy to saw them down to the appropriate height. The rubber tips wear down fairly quickly but I was able to replace them easily at Walmart which does have its own line of moderately priced canes. I also later found them on Amazon which was handy since it isn't always easy to go out shopping. We now have a half a dozen of these canes lurking around the house. Unfortunately, her physical health has deteriorated, so she is down to using a walker which I will talk about later.