Mobility

Grab Your Seat Stick & Get Back To The Places You Enjoy!

Are there places you would like to go but can’t stand for long? Do you have a folding seat stick? If you don’t have one yet, then why not? There is a variety of seat sticks described further on. Why not have a read and see if a use for you springs to mind.

These sticks are not specifically designed with the disabled or older person in mind – they are suitable for anyone male or female of any age and because most of them fold and some of them have a carrying bag and lightweight they are particularly easy to take anywhere you may have in mind. Maybe you fancy a day strolling along the seafront or just walking around the shops. Perhaps a trip to a museum or are you going on holiday?

Lady or gentleman, tourist or sport spectator. Whether you’re actually at The Open watching the Golf or Epsom watching the Derby or walking around the South of England Show in June or even for the childrens or grand childrens sports day, one of these walking sticks with seats will suit you.

There are two types of seat foot available – firstly the ferrule, to cater for the hard ground such as pavements and hard summer grassy ground or possibly slippery smooth shop or museum floors and the other is a spike with a ground plate over the top which stops the spike sinking too far down into soft ground if the weather has been a bit wet as is often the case here in the uk.

Folding Seat Sticks are also something very popular at this time of the year.  There is a variety of these.  All seat sticks come with ferrules fitted as standard and can easily be replaced when worn

Grab Your Walking Stick and Lets Go

Here comes the summer, grab your walking stick(s) and lets go, a short walk in the park, a stroll along the seafront or a walk to the shops.

Many people think ‘I’m not using a stick it will make me look old’. Using a stick can give increased confidence.  It’s like having something to hold on to which consequently helps with balance.

It is of course very important to have the correct length stick. Too long and it won’t support you- it will feel like you are carrying it and may cause pain in the neck, shoulder and back. Too short and you will feel off balance or as if you are stooping – either way it can be unsafe.

A lot has changed since the days of only having a wooden stick with a round handle that you could hook over your arm. There are many shapes of handle available and the best shape is really up to the user to choose:

Crook Handle Walking Sticks

This is available in Chesnut, Beech and Ash wooden sticks or aluminium folding adjustable or non-folding adjustable sticks.  The curved handle can sometimes cause hand or wrist pain because when it is leaned upon, only the centre of the palm of the hand takes the pressure.  Also, again, because of the curve, when using the stick the wrist can either bends backward or tip down depending which side of the crook is being held.  However, a lot of people still prefer this shape.

Derby Handle Walking Sticks

This is horizontal with the handle pitched up at the front and a curl on the rear with a slight dome in the middle that spreads the weight evenly across your palm.  The wooden Derby is available in two thicknesses, gents and a slightly slimmer handle for ladies.

Anatomic Handle Walking Sticks

This may suit someone who has Arthritis as it is shaped and will support the whole of the palm, front to back, side to side. It is available on a wooden shaft, or an aluminium folding adjustable stick.

Tips For Choosing The Right Walking Aid

Warmer weather is just around the corner. What better way is there to spend part of, what can be a long day, out in the fresh air and sunshine helping to make you feel happy and more healthy. 

Easy to say for someone who is mobile, but if you find it hard just walking from room to room at home then there are various types of walkers available to help. The walkers below will fit through standard doorways so can be used indoors, particularly the Tri Walker.

Tri Walker - A 3 wheeled folding walker with brakes but without a seat. These are either steel or aluminium. Steel walkers are slightly heavier, but more suitable for the larger person as the Tri walkers weight makes it more stable. They also generally have thicker tyres than the aluminium version.

Both types have cable brakes, which work by squeezing the brake levers up, to slow the walker down if you feel it is moving too fast. To lock the brakes on push both levers downward. The Tri Walker has moulded arthritic handgrips to make it more comfortable and easier to hold if your hands are affected by a condition such as Arthritis.

The Tri Walker has a swivel wheel on the front, which means it can ‘turn on a sixpence’. This walker may or may not include a black vinyl triangular bag, which fixes with press studs between the handlebars and the front fork.  A wire basket with a tray lid is also available for carrying a cup or plate.  This basket hangs on hooks above the bag. The Tri Walker can be folded by lifting the lever on the front and pushing the handlebars together.  It will then fit in the boot of any car.

Rollator - This is a 4 wheeled walker with brakes and a seat – there are a lot of different styles of these available but essentially the braking system is the same and operates in the same way as the Tri Walkers does. (Please note that before sitting both brakes should be locked on and not released until