I am thinking of buying a rollator. I would like one that is not too bulky but I would like to be able to use it indoors and out. Any suggestions please? I am due to have a foot operation soon and will not be able to use my FES and although it has been suggested that I try crutches I am not sure that I will be able to manage as I have osteoarthritis in my hands.
Topro. They make the best rollators. They arenāt exactly girly, but neither are they too bulky or old fashioned. Iāve got a Topro Troja. They are strong enough to be able to lean on when your legs are rubbish. And the brakes work properly. Plus they have a seat and a basket to carry junk around the house.
They arenāt the cheapest walkers out there, but in my opinion they are the best.
Sue
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Not for the first time, I agree with Sue, particularly if quality is important because they are incredibly well made. [link removed]
Thanks for your reply Sue I will have a look. This operation is making me face up to the extent of my disability and I am having to accept that I do now need some equipment to retain my mobility. My husband is beginning to panic about how WE are going to manage after the surgery! He does not cook and his idea of lunch is a burnt crumpet and a bag of crisps. The mind boggles!
Sue
I also agree, Topro are light but strong. Sounds like your husband has the perfect opportunity to learn a bit about cookery. If I can put a meal together (nothing fancy) most people should be OK Good luck Mick
Sue
Think about how you can cook collaboratively. Thatās what I do with my husband. He was a pretty ropy cook until I couldnāt do it any more. So basically Iāve taught him to cook. Itās a case of you being able to let go as much as him being willing to learn from you. So now he makes the finest roast dinners, his gravy is fabulous. He also makes a rather gorgeous tarte tatin. Tonight weāre having spaghetti carbonara and he does it brilliantly.
I had to teach him to season everything, to taste food, to learn how to make a sauce, all the basics really. And pretty much from a hands off approach. So I talked him through how you do things. When my hands were a bit better I would show him how to do things, but I havenāt been able to stand to cook for about 6 years.
Weāve had our disasters, the āscromlettesā, the terrible meals, the disagreements, the āyou didnāt tell me to ā¦ā, versus āI said to do it on a very low heat!ā But we have basically managed so well that some of our fully able bodied friends have tried to emulate what we do. We eat brilliantly. And he is very proud of what he can do.
Sue
(Oh and do a google search on Topro, theyāre a Norwegian company but have suppliers in the U.K.)
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Sue, If only I had known you in a previous existence, you could have taught me and my amazing wife to cook properly. I am still searching for a way to peel and chop shallots without swearing and lobbing them around the kitchen. The new & improved method involves me asking my wifeā¦ simplezzz Mick
My only suggestion would be: if you are well enough to be stowing your rollator in the boot of the car yourself, be sure to get yourself a light one.
Alison
I bought an EliteCare one online. Itās perfect for my use. Lightweight but sturdy, not expensive, easy to fold/get in/out of car and not āold lady-ish lookingā! Iāve taken the bag off it. The link may get removed by adminā¦ [link removed]
Search Amazon for an EC X-fold.
Under Ā£75 when I bought both of mine (one for the boot, one for indoors).
After we moved to a bungalow, I went to a Zimmer in-doors, but still use the 4-wheeler to get to the car.
I would advise a 4-wheeler as the folding 3-wheelers (available on the NHS) are laterally unstable.
Geoff
Thank you for your comments. I have today ordered a Topro Troja as it seems quite sturdy and I am hoping I will be able to use it to walk my dog a short distance once my foot has healed. At least I will be able to sit when necessary. I really could have done with a rollator when my husband was in hospital recently as walking down those long hospital corridors with a stick and FES was certainly a challenge.
Sue, my husband will tackle most household chores except the cooking so I will fill the freezer with some basics and buy some ready meals perhaps you should start a cookery school and I could enrol him!!
Hoping to have surgery early December but as the hospital cancelled in October I will have to wait and see but wanted to be prepared.
This may sound silly but have you tried using a rollator before?
the reason I ask is that I tried a rollator and couldnāt use it as I kept kicking the back right wheel - my walking style with my right leg is straight-legged out-then-in. As I was bringing the right leg through, it kept kicking the back right wheel. So no rollator for me.
Derek
That is quite a good point. Many people with foot-drop compensate for it by throwing the affected foot out to the side. And such a walking style could cause problems with a rollator. But if youāve been using FES, chances are your feet are going forward in straight lines because FES does correct your gait to some extent. So it perhaps wonāt be a problem for Sue.
Sue
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Sue,
I canāt provide any input on the effect of the FES. Iāve tried the FES a couple of times but unfortunately it did nothing for me, so I canāt comment as to how the FES affects the walking style.
derek
i sometimes kick my rollator (accidently) and I use FES. If I fiddle with the electrode location I can alter the āturn inā or āturn outā
mick
When I walk with the rollator (the pathetic bit I do, which is currently suspended as Iām incapable!) Iām more likely to tread on my own feet than kick the wheel. Itās all about what stupid things our lower limbs do. The gits.
Hi Derek this is something I had not considered. My leg does tend to swing out but as I have purchased the rollator online I will hopefully be able to return it if not suitable. I am going to trial a double FES once my foot heals. FES enables me to walk a lot further and the only downside is that I need to have it on a high setting which can be uncomfortable. My walking varies from day to day and as I am shortly going to have my big toe joint fused this will certainly alter my walking pattern.
The Troja is quite wide spaced at the rear wheels, so you might be OK Sue. Wait and see when you get it. Derek is quite right to bring it up, itās something Iād not considered because my legs just donāt behave like that. It will probably depend on how big your paces are, how wide your leg swings and I suppose, just how long your legs are. Because the space at the rear of the walker is the same whether you are 5ā tall or 6ā. And your leg swings will be wider if youāre taller!
Hopefully it will be ok. Let us know, because itās something we should consider if recommending something. (Ie, something I should consider before I recommend!!)
Sue