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A rollator with three or four wheels may be more convenient than conventional walkers for many people because you don’t have to lift it to move forward. But the ease of use and safety may not be a given for all aging parents and elderly people. So, who should and shouldn’t use a rollator?
Aging parents and elderly people experiencing difficulties with standing and walking can use a rollator. But old people with alarming cognitive decline impaired fine motor skills, and other severely debilitating conditions shouldn’t use a rollator without supervision.
A rollator is a walking aid. Those with seats also enable a person to sit after locking the brakes. Like all such aids, the safety and utility of a rollator depend on the condition of the user. Read on to learn about people who should and shouldn’t use a rollator based on their health condition.
Elderly People Who Should Use a Rollator
According to doctors all senior citizens should use a walking stick or a similar walking aid to help with balancing and coordination. However, a rollator comes into the picture if the person is struggling to stand and walk – and this can be irrespective of their age. Should All Seniors Use Walking Sticks?
In fact, a rollator can be integral to various types of recovery or rehabilitation programs, albeit the elderly may require one for the long term.
Since an aging parent or the elderly, in general, may have one or more medical conditions, their overall health, and well-being should be taken into account while deciding whether a rollator will be safe and useful or not.
Here are 10 common health conditions of elderly people that might warrant the use of a rollator:
1. Arthritis
Approximately 60 million American adults have arthritis, excluding undiagnosed cases. Different types of arthritis affect one or more joints in the following parts of the human body:
- Feet
- Hips
- Knees
- Lower back
While arthritis may also affect the joints in the hands, the above four areas have a more adverse impact on the range of motion in the context of walking. If your aging parents only have arthritis, you can definitely get a rollator for them without worrying about their safety.
However, an elderly person having arthritis, along with other medical conditions, may not be self-dependent while walking. So, you will have to assess the safety and viability of a rollator. Any aging parent in an assisted living residence should have supervision while using a rollator.
2. Diabetic Neuropathy
~38 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, of which many type 1 and type 2 patients have diabetic neuropathy. Some of the most common symptoms of diabetic neuropathy include the following:
- Numbness, pain, and weakness in feet, legs, and thighs.
- Poor balance and coordination, making walking difficult.
- Worsening debilitation, often including lasting disabilities.
Managing diabetic neuropathy is essential to prevent the recurrence or worsening of symptoms. A rollator is helpful for aging people who are unable to walk without assistance. Exercise is one of the recommended treatments for different neuropathies, so movement or walking is essential.
3. Hemiparesis
Hemiparesis is one of the common motor impairments among stroke survivors. One-sided or partial paralysis with varying severity weakens different parts of the body, including the feet and legs. Those with hemiparesis may experience the following challenges:
- Difficulty walking
- Lack of coordination
- Loss of balance
- Muscle fatigue
- Poor movement precision
- Reduced range of motion
A rollator may be useful for aging parents or the elderly suffering from hemiparesis. However, it is imperative to ensure that the person has the ability to grab objects, which may be impaired to varying extents in many cases. A user should be able to firmly grip a rollator’s handlebar.
4. Multiple Sclerosis
~1 million Americans live with multiple sclerosis, including progressive and relapsing/remitting types. Most people with multiple sclerosis are likely to need some kind of walking aid due to the following problems:
- Difficulty walking
- Inability to change motion
- Involuntary movements
- Loss of balance
- Muscle cramps, rigidity, and weakness
- Poor coordination
A rollator may be unnecessary for some elderly people with multiple sclerosis during remission, but a relapse or worsening symptoms might again make them dependent on the walking aid.
5. Osteoporosis
~10 million Americans are diagnosed with osteoporosis. An additional 44 million adults have low bone density, which increases the risk of fractures. Over 200 million people have osteoporosis of varying severity in the world, and there is a concerning issue with this health problem.
Many people aren’t diagnosed with osteoporosis until after they break a bone or have a fracture, which makes most of them immediately dependent on a walking aid, even if such use is limited only to the recovery period.
Almost every person with osteoporosis needs to move and walk to prevent further loss of bone mineral density and to strengthen weak bones. Weight-bearing exercises are necessary for any elderly person with osteoporosis, so using body weight while walking is effective and safe.
Some patients may have significantly brittle and weak bones, so a rollator becomes a necessity for their mobility, irrespective of the effect of movement and walking on preserving bone density or strengthening the weak ones.
6. Parkinson’s Disease
Elderly people diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease should consider using a rollator. Parkinson’s Disease slows normal movements and reduces walking ability due to the following effects:
- Freezing, muscle stiffness, etc.
- Poor balance and posture
- Rhythmic shaking or tremors
While a walking aid can become imperative, a rollator is a better option than a walker. Standard walkers can increase instances of freezing, whereas rollators don’t have such an adverse effect on people diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
Both standard walkers and rollators or wheeled walkers might reduce the speed of walking a bit compared to unassisted scenarios. But rollators can increase confidence and stabilize patients living with Parkinson’s Disease. Also, rollators are safe as they don’t aggravate gait freezing.
7. Post Injuries
Any elderly person might need some assistance while walking post-injury, especially a bone fracture or other musculoskeletal problems. Many aging people require a rollator after surgery, and the operative process doesn’t have to be related to bones, muscles, etc.
Thus, any aging person recovering after an injury or surgery, among other procedures, should use a rollator if mobility is limited. General fatigue or frailness is also a significant reason to use a rollator. Many old people are vulnerable to falls due to weakness, so walking aids can be vital.
8. Postural Sway
Postural sway is extremely common among aging people, regardless of any underlying health condition or diagnosed medical problems. A mild or severe postural sway may be due to excess weight or simply due to aging, which brings about weakening bones and muscles.
All old people will have reduced reflexes and a sense of balance compared to younger adults. Any such frailness and unsteadiness aren’t necessarily due to a disease or disorder. A rollator might be of help for aging people to overcome the limitations imposed by postural sway.
It isn’t uncommon for an elderly person to simply avoid excessive movements or even walking if they realize their postural sway is inhibiting their natural ability. Settling for a sedentary routine to be apparently safe due to walking difficulty may not be the healthiest option for an aging person.
9. Sarcopenia
Like postural sway, most aging adults will have varying degrees of sarcopenia. People begin to lose skeletal muscle mass in their 40s, which reduces musculoskeletal strength. By the 80s, an elderly person loses as much as half of all muscle mass compared to young adulthood.
Sarcopenia has many adverse health effects, including but not limited to the following:
- Disability
- Fatigue/frailty
- Loss of strength
Aging adults don’t encounter the same severity of sarcopenia due to varying health conditions and lifestyles, but all elderly people will inevitably and progressively lose skeletal muscle mass. A rollator is, thus, a useful walking aid for any elderly person who isn’t sufficiently strong to walk.
10. Tendinopathy
Similar to sarcopenia, tendinopathy is a common health problem among aging people, often as young as 40 years old. Limited range of motion and walking difficulty is typical adverse effects of tendinopathy, which include tendinitis and tendinosis.
Unfortunately, many types of treatment don’t really work in curing tendinopathy, including but not limited to the following:
- Corticosteroid injections
- Exercise-based physical therapy
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines
- Physical therapy, shock wave therapy, etc.
Therefore, a rollator can be instrumental in assisting a person with tendinopathy to stand and walk more conveniently and frequently than an elderly would otherwise. Since tendinopathy may affect rotator cuff tendons in the shoulders, using rollators is easier than lifting a walker to move.
Now, just as a rollator can help patients with these health conditions walk more comfortably, a stairlift can help move up and down floors. The only problem is that stairlifts can get very expensive. That said, if you’re interested in learning more about stairlift prices and potential affordable alternatives, you should check out my article on the topic. 4 Reasons Why Stairlifts Are So Expensive
Aging People Who Shouldn’t Use a Rollator
A rollator is a facilitator of mobility. A 3 or 4-wheel rollator can help aging or elderly people stand and walk and also sit if the model has a seat. However, a rollator doesn’t cure a health problem, and it isn’t a substitute for a wheelchair. A person should be able to control and use a rollator.
Any aging person who can’t use a rollator, whether the components or simply pushing it ahead to walk, shouldn’t have one without supervision. Rollators have many parts that will require a bit of periodic or necessary intervention based on needs, such as the following:
- A user must be able to push a rollator and also maneuver it while walking.
- A user needs to manually operate a rollator’s brakes as and when needed.
- A user should have sufficient grasping ability to grip the handles of a rollator.
- A user should have the ability to adjust a rollator’s height and realign its wheels.
An elderly person in an assisted living center or with a caregiver at home may not have to adjust a rollator’s handle or wheels and sort a foldable model. But grip, normal cognition, and stability are prerequisites for the safety of an aging parent while using a rollator.
Here are six medical conditions of elderly people that might make the use of a rollator risky:
11. Apraxia
Apraxia is a neurological disorder that affects motor skills. While apraxia of speech doesn’t have an impact on walking, gait apraxia poses a mobility challenge for an elderly person, even if there is a rollator. A milder form of this apraxia is known as dyspraxia, which may also be a concern.
Aging people with apraxia may not be able to lift their feet or walk normally despite intending to do so and having the strength. Neurological disorder is basically a dysfunction that disrupts the cognitive and physical aspects of walking, which can often be just about taking the first step.
12. Ataxia
Ataxia is another neurological disorder that can affect an elderly person’s motor skills, including walking. While ataxia can have distinct and multiple adverse effects on the health of an elderly person, a few common challenges pertain to the following:
- Balance
- Coordination
- Walking
Since these challenges are the very reason why a rollator may be useful, you might think that a wheeled walker will help your aging parent. However, the problem is that anyone diagnosed with ataxia may not be able to balance, coordinate, and walk normally, regardless of a walking aid.
Unlike physical frailty, neurological disorders aren’t about flexing or improving musculoskeletal strength. There’s a risk of falling or losing grip on a rollator if an aging person with a neurological disorder tries to stand and walk without practice and supervision.
13. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
You may ponder why it is safe for an elderly person with multiple sclerosis to use a rollator when another neurological disorder like ataxia makes it risky. The answer is the difference in severity, such as in the case of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease. The myelin sheath, a protective coating of the nerves in the central nervous system, is extensively or partially damaged. But amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also a neurodegenerative disease, destroys the nerve cells or neurons.
Hence, elderly people with multiple sclerosis may have periods of relapse and remission, while amyotrophic lateral sclerosis might lead to paralysis and potentially death in a few years after diagnosis.
14. Epilepsy
Anyone with a history of epilepsy shouldn’t use a rollator. Loss of awareness and seizures are the two most common effects of epilepsy. An elderly person is vulnerable to falling and injuries if a seizure occurs while using a rollator. While proper diagnosis and timely treatment can mitigate seizures, aging parents diagnosed with epilepsy shouldn’t use rollators without supervision.
15. Hemiplegia
Hemiplegia is a severe form of hemiparesis. Hemiparesis doesn’t completely paralyze one side of a person after a stroke. Hemiplegia makes one side inactive and unresponsive. So, an elderly person with hemiplegia might not be able to use a rollator as someone with hemiparesis can.
16. Severe Dementia
An elderly person with a severe cognitive decline or impairment shouldn’t use a rollator. Those with severe dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease, may find the cognitive task of learning to use a rollator somewhat demanding. So, assisted living, caregiving, or supervision is necessary.
Aging people with severe Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia may not remember the interventions necessary to operate a rollator. Also, there isn’t a sufficient impact on gait performance, mobility, or walking due to a rollator, so it isn’t an ideal aid if other conditions don’t necessitate the walker.
In fact, if you have an elderly parent or loved one with dementia, it’s strongly recommended that you have them move in with you or vice versa. They need a lot of help to perform daily activities and it’s crucial that they have a proper caregiver. How to Get an Elderly Parent to Move in With You
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