I am becoming more and more conscious that my nocturnal travels to the toilet will involve a fall sometime soon. When I am Off, it is difficult to walk. I realise that at the age of 60, using a walking frame will undermine my street-cred, but I do not want to damage myself and inconvenience others.
I realise a walking frame is a pretty simple affair, but are there any features I should look out for or stay away from?
I would enlist the advice of an OT regarding the width of a frame and they will also set it to the correct height for you. You need to be able to navigate easily around your home, so the width of the frame is important, as they do vary.
As for your street cred, you could personalise it 
. It doesn't have to be bog standard aluminium colour! Let your imagination run riot.
Totally agree with benji- an OT would be able to advise you by observing your walking from bed to bathroom. You will need something different for home and outside use, I suspect, because most walking frames would be difficult to manoeuvre round the average bedroom in the middle of the night. I just use a stick to act as a third leg - it seems to encourage the other two, as well as adding stability round the house.
Hi Martini.
I hope all is well.
We would recommend that you arrange an appointment with a physiotherapist to asses your walking and if required they'll give the right aid to provide support in mobilising. Your Parkinson’s specialist team should also be able to refer you to the right physio for assessment.
I hope this is useful and please let me know if you have any further questions.
Many thanks,
Reah
