How do I convince my mother that it is time to use a walker?

In 1990, after being slammed by a heavy wooden door, [a man flung it open from the other side], it hurled me more than 6 feet, and I landed in a semi-sitting position, snapping the upper end of my femur bone right off.

I had to use an "armrest" type walker after that, and I complained about it to a dear friend who generously took me shopping weekly. She kindly told me that by others noticing my walker, they were reminded to be careful near me.

I never forgot her sensible answer, perhaps it would help to explain it that way to elders who don't want to bother with a 'clumsy' walking aid.

My dad talked many other residents into using their walker/cane by telling them that strangers will hold the door open for them - they liked that idea - I used them when I had my knees replaced - loved having my 'rolling chair' right there all the time especially in stores plus the basket was so handy for parcels -

My aunt was nearly 102 when she was passed away, and truly was "as sharp as a tack."
She lived on her own until she was over 95 years old. One of the ways that she was able to be so self-sufficient was that she told me that she knew that she had to give up a little independence in order to remain independent.
She was the one who told me that she needed to use a cane. A few years later she told me that she needed to use a walker. Somewhere along the way she set set up getting help through a local organization that provided light housekeeping and help with her showers. She was a wise woman - I hope some of her wisdom filtered down to me.

Several things worked with my 93-year-old mother, when her balance issues became so great that she needed to upgrade from a cane to a walker. She had received home care PT (in memory care assisted living), so she had been taught how to use the walker, but she didn’t want to use it and didn’t think she needed it. At that point of fairly high functioning dementia, she could still be reasoned with.

Her sister worked from the angle that the walker was a tool, same as something you’d use to cook with, or a tool from the toolbox used to repair things. No emotion involved, no shame, it’s simply a tool, there for my mother to use.

I worked from the angle of independence: my mother and I were visiting the cemetery to put flowers on my father’s grave, and she spied a man down a long, rather uneven walkway that she wanted to talk to. I told her, “Go ahead, and I’ll put the flower things in the car,” turned my back on her, and let her walk that distance entirely on her own, talk to the man as long as she wanted, and then come back. Was I nervous? Oh, yes … but when she got back I made the point that she was able to go off on her own like that … with no one chasing her or holding her up or walking next to her … because she used the walker. This “experiential” sort of convincing actually seemed to sink in. After 24/7 home care and then MC, over a year in which she was never left alone, she got to walk alone, outdoors, by herself, and do something that SHE wanted to do, because of the walker.

Both of these approaches were positive, as several posters in this thread suggested, rather than emphasizing the negative of “you may fall and end up in the hospital.”

(The facility also eventually took away her cane … nothing comes easy.)

Now, she’s 95 and deeper in dementia, and sometimes needs to be reminded to use the walker. One of the first things I did when I moved her to a much larger memory care facility near me was to macramé a bright red strip hanging from the middle of the front bar of her walker, for immediate identification purposes. It’s made of red yarn and is about a foot long and an inch and a half wide, and is knotted right onto the walker. (Crocheted or knitted would have the same effect.) She still doesn’t like the walker – calls it “that thing” rather than “a walker” – but I have quite often seen her touching the red tag affectionately, like it’s a friend. It’s the thing that seems to catch her attention and remind her to use the walker. Someone suggested decorating the walker, so I think this is along the same idea – but make whatever it is very hard to remove.

I felt my mom only needed a walker when she was out of the house. She didn't like them at all. I didn't mind holding her hand to take a walk. When I took her to mall I would bring her walker and push it myself and when she was ready she would take it. Same with wheelchair. It became her choice. If you haven't already, you will notice a lot of people hold their parents hands walking around.

A walker provides support, balance and stability. Holding hands doesn't. The great danger of holding a parent's hand or the parent holding your arm is that when the parent loses balance and starts to fall, you're going to instinctively try to catch her. In the process, you will injure yourself and your parent will still more than likely fall and get hurt. At some point, your parent's pride about using a walker has to be balanced with your need to keep yourself safe.