Recommended by doctors for both temporary and long-term use, walkers provide mobility assistance to individuals whose joint stability, muscle mass, or range of motion is limited. When used correctly, walkers permit individuals who cannot get around without assistance but do not desire or require regular wheelchair use to maintain the sense of independence they cherish. To ensure that a walker serves its intended purpose, anybody who uses one should take the initiative to educate themselves on the following safety precautions.
Correct Walking Position
Before using a walker for the first time, it is important to meet with your caregiver for an overview of the correct and incorrect uses of a walker. All legs and/or wheels of the walker should be on the ground when a walker is being used, and a walker should generally be arm’s length in front of its user.
Use of Handles
The handles on your walker are designed to help you maintain your balance. Use them to support your body as you move first your weaker leg forward and then your stronger one.
Mounting a Curb
Walkers can be used to help you move from a curb to street level or vice versa. A walker should only be moved up or down in height if you have control of your balance, and it is important to remember to step first with your stronger leg when mounting a curb and first with your weaker leg when dismounting.
Ascending/Descending Stairs
People who require a walker to walk should not climb stairs with or without that walker. To help individuals who use walkers move between floors, a stairway lift can be installed alongside the staircase.
If you follow the advice set forth in this article, you are unlikely to sustain another injury while using your walker. If a doctor has recommended you use a walker indefinitely and you have stairs in your home, a stairway lift is an investment that may be well worth making. Temporary walker users can even look into renting a stairway lift or stair glide.
To speak with a stairway lift and elevator supplier and installation professional in New Jersey, call Williams Lift Company at (908) 756-7074. If you have yet to decide on a walker, ask us for an estimate while you are on the phone.
If you use a wheelchair, walker, or pushchair to get around, Wheelmap can help you plan out a route that will be accessible to you before you leave home. Developed by Sozialhelden, this iPhone app can help people like you get around your home city with little difficulty. Mobility impaired individuals who like to travel can even use the app as a planning tool to determine how accessible a tourist destination is before making travel arrangements.
Do you find that getting around your New Jersey home is at least as difficult as getting around town? With the help of stairway lifts, wheelchair ramps, and wheelchair lifts from Williams Lift Company, you can equip your home with all the amenities that will make living there comfortable and safe for you. To learn more about our mobility enhancement products and installation services, call (908) 756-7074.
As we age, a number of everyday bathroom activities that require significant mobility become increasingly difficult for individuals who use wheelchairs and walking aids. To help make these activities more accessible to the elderly and accompany stair or wheelchair lifts in an accessible home, the following bathroom aids exist.
Raised Toilet Seat
Sitting down and standing up are two actions that require considerable muscle strength and flexibility. Elderly people with back trouble can find ease, safety, and comfort in a raised toilet seat, which can empower an impaired individual who might otherwise be dependent on a loved one or caregiver to use the toilet without someone else’s assistance.
Toilet Safety Frame Bars
For additional support and to further reduce stress on the back, toilet safety frame bars can be affixed to an elderly person’s toilet. The toilet safety frame bars at Williams Lift Company serve three purposes, doubling as a bedside commode and usable as a raised toilet seat.
Wall Bars
In homes where stairway lifts can be found, wall bars are typically not far away. Providing disabled and elderly residents with a surface to grab on to for support, grab bars make it easier for people to rise and lower. They can also help individuals regain stability if they fall off balance.
Bathtub Safety Rail
Slipping in or near the bathtub is dangerous in general, but it is especially risky for the elderly, who are less likely to stand up unscathed immediately following the fall. The placement of a bathtub safety rail can decrease one’s chances of falling and make stepping in and out of the bathtub much easier.
Shower Chair
Available with and without arms, shower chairs allow individuals who may not otherwise be able to wash themselves to get clean without the assistance of a family member or caregiver.
Are you a New Jersey resident or employee who is looking to have any of the above bathroom aids installed in your home or work facilities? If so, Williams Lift Company can help you. To speak with a professional about our stairway lifts, handicap ramps, and bathroom aid installation services, call (908) 756-7074 today.
