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Mom has started a new phase with her dementia, she now only rolls backwards in her rollator, is this safe for her? I have tried to turn her around to face forward and then when I turn back on her she is rolling backwardsa gain, does this in stores, sidewals, down her hallway, Does anyone have ideas how to keep her safe while she is in this mind set.

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Mom lives in a senior apt complex, thank you everyone for all the suggestions. My husband removed the seat now only a small velcro bag is atached to the back support bar so she can put her purse in, as she needs both hands for the walker, her health care has been helping her walk face forward, mom is actually listening to aide me not so much
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Can you get one of her doctors to script for PT so she can increase her leg strength and move forward again?
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I wanted to send my mother one for he 95th birthday. The head nurse said that Mother would need PT, before they would allow her to use it. I decided against it.

I think there are smaller wheel chairs that you could push with your feet, though.
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From what you say, this is unsafe. Going backwards makes her vulnerable to objects in her path that she may not see and which could trip her and cause her to break a bone or more.

I would be very, very worried and afraid of this.

Good luck.
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My mom had one while she was in IL & her first NH then at 2nd NH for first few weeks. At her first care plan meeting @ NH #2, staff highly suggested that she move to a walker as she was just not fully cognitive to do what is needed to safely walk / sit / brake with a rollarator. By walker I means those U shaped ones with tennis balls covering the feet. Mom was on that system for a couple of years as she could stand and move somewhat independently. If they can't do that, then they really are best in a wheelchair. Also they can pose safety problems for other residents, with it running off, so that was a concern too. Your mom is at your home, correct? so that is not so much of an issue but think about the liability if she lets it loose when you all are out shopping, or if someone could trip on a runaway one at your home. ALso what if it gets loose and moves towards her when she is walking backwards and she falls and has a bad break??. If she can't physically control it and she cannot cognitively understand how it works, then it's time to go to a wheelchair.
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My friend was sitting on hers, waiting for us to pick her up, and it tipped over. It is very definitely not a safe place to sit. Removing the seat sounds like a good idea.
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I have been through this with my dad.
He gets confused when he sees the seat in the rollator.

We were at a funeral home one day when dad got out of the car and wanted to sit in the rollator as if it were a wheelchair. Against my better judgement, a worker from the home began to push him backwards into the building. They hit a crack in the sidewalk and the rollator tipped over spilling dad on to the grass, while the worker was trying to catch dad and I was trying to catch the worker and dad. Not a pretty sight. But funny now as no one got hurt.

As said above these things are not wheelchairs and are not safe to use that way. The seat is for resting, not rolling while seated. You cannot control the direction trying to roll when seated. It is top heavy that way also and the wheels too small to navigate bumps while rolling.
The confusion has been a problem on other occasions also, as he thinks he should sit in it because he sees the seat.

What I did is to simply remove the seat. Problem solved. Still can be used as a walker, and the confusion has been eliminated.
Safer for dad, and much less frustrating for me.
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I've approached a manufacturer to ask them if they can make a rollator with a 'dead man's handle' type brake, like the ones they use on airport luggage trolleys, so that you have to squeeze the handle to make it go, rather than to make it stop; I have visions of my mother getting up a head of steam, then panicking and not knowing how to apply the brake. But what you do about forward/reverse gears I can't imagine. And if she's not looking where she's going then, no, I can't see how it can be safe. Sorry. Could it be a passing phase, fingers crossed?
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The rollator is not a wheelchair. I saw a woman pushing her elderly father in one . They hit a bump and it went over. If she needs to ride get a wheelchair.
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Enough has been said.
Use the brakes on the device.
Push her. Assist her.
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Her legs are weakening. It is easier to roll backwards than forwards. Try it yourself. You need to set the brake to keep her safe.
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