Absolutely not, they are not designed for stability. You can often find rollators for sale in thrift stores or online, even new entry level walkers are fairly inexpensive and usually have a basket of some kind to carry things, why would you even consider this?
My antennae are twitching - Beth, are you by any chance asking this on behalf of an elder who says she is absolutely fine walking around supermarkets because she always has her trusty old grocery cart with her?
She wouldn't be the first to hold this view.
She also wouldn't be the first to land in ER because she held this view long past its being a realistic view.
Having said that, my great aunt used to enjoy toddling round Safeway (when we still had them in the UK, and much missed they are too) holding on to their in-store trolleys well into her nineties. But then she was always accompanied either by us, or by the friendly cab driver whose customer she had been through thick and thin for two decades.
I suppose the question is: is this walking aide chiefly for walking, or chiefly for shopping for groceries? And what are the physical needs of the user? It may be that either way the person is going to need an accompanist, not just a device.
Oh, boy, I think this is so common. My mother's friend at 87 would have a shopping cart like that. My 99 year old aunt always has a big umbrella (ie cane) in case it rains. It's the dignity thing.
No. Only devices designed to be mobility aids are suitable as mobility aids.
A shopping cart is not designed to be stable and support the full weight of a person. It would also lack a lot of the features that a rollator has that make those aids so useful, the ones that have a little padded seat on top especially. With those you can take a break whenever you need a breather and it's so much better than standing in line.
A cart is a poor substitute at best and a fall risk at worst.
If dignity is the issue; consider how it would feel to fall in the middle of a supermarket and be unable to get up. That's a lot less dignified than going about your shopping with a roller!
Those carts are not high enough to give any support for most people. A roleator or walker with bags or a basket are far safer. Using a store cart is much safer or use one of their electric carts. I gave up any thoughts of dignity a long time ago. Anyway a cane or walker gets you much more help from kind people.
I am not sure if you have FREECYCLE or TRASH FOR NOTHING sites where you are?
They are re-cycle sites for give a ways. It works both ways. You can have stuff from there also. Just do not give out too many details on line. The site forwards emails to you - if you are giving and someone is interested in collecting. You usually go to collect if you are accepting from them.
Any ways lol, if you do have something like that, look on there for a walker. I am putting my non-folding one on ours soon (if my circle of people have no need for it). I have saved and we got a fold-able one. :)
Trolleys run away with you and are not safe to sit on.
No. However if your loved one needs a walker you can have the doctor refer her to a physical therapist for a mobility assessment. They can determine what is safest (rollator vs. traditional walker) and then if it’s approved get a Medicare form so they can pay for it. I read the other day of an organization which collects donated mobility aids for persons in needs. I’m so sorry but the name escapes me right now.
the purpose, to me, of a rollator, is to allow the user to sit when tired. Can your loved one sit on a foldable grocery cart? There is your answer. Go on Craigslist or even Facebook for used handicap accessible items.
You are supposed to walk inside the walker space for stability but because we are used to pushing grocery carts, I often see people pushing a rollator like a grocery cart. My father is a prime example. I got him an upright walker instead and we like it a lot. Lightweight for transport and especially good over rough terrain outside. But when he used to shop, it was easier for him to use the shopping cart. He is careful.
A rollator positions a person's hands and arms in such a way that gives that person good and safe stability not only while walking but also while turning and just standing. And it has brakes! SO important going up or down handicap ramps or curbs.
My dad couldn't use a cane when he began needing something to help with balance due to years of shoulder abuse as a farmer (throwing hay bales, jerking cattle, setting fence posts, etc.). No shoulder cartilage left, so it's painful. But he can use the rollator with minimal pain.
Yes, it was a pride thing when he first balked at the idea of a rollator. "I can just hold onto your arm," he'd say. I explained to him that holding onto my arm provided him with only one point of contact and that if he lost his balance, we both might go down and both possibly be injured and then we would have to get outside help, blah, blah, blah. Now he actually enjoys the freedom he has with the rollatour. And the seat actually comes in handy for me as well when there's only one chair available in an office or waiting room. 😊
I can only reiterate the wonderful advice given here -- NO. Absolutely not. Not safe. If you are in the US Medicare will pay for most of the cost of a rollator if ordered by a doc, as noted above. I bought my mom's first one -- she called it her cadillac! Medicare paid for all but $17 of the second. I bought the third, even on Amazon it was not expensive. My mom did ruin the second one by sitting on it and pushing it backwards. She's learned her lesson!
I am completely flummoxed by this question! A Rollator walker is designed for the elder to sit in while someone pushes them. The good news is if you can get the elder's doctor to sign off on the need for the Rollator walker, Medicare should cover it. I erred when I purchased my late mother's Rollator based on information from her 91 year old cousin. I DID NOT get a sign off by mom's doctor; thus, I paid out of pocket.
On my one it has a back rest and handles BUT that is for me to use. Not, I think, for someone to push me. It does look as though it would be possible but I would have no where to put my feet.
No! It took me a long time to recognize the need for a rollator, but now that I have it, it's so much better, safer, and easier to use than a grocery cart. First of all, it has brakes at your fingertips, and it's surprising how often that comes in handy. Second, rollators are easier to use. Even though it seems comforting to lean against a cart while pushing it, it's still awkward and heavy compared to the rollator. Before getting mine, I didn't realize how easy it would be to get around, after limping along unsteadily with a cane or shopping carts. It made a world of difference in my mobility, and now I wouldn't be without it. PS~ a rollator is just a fancy walker with brakes and a seat if you need to rest. Most have baskets for shopping or just carrying things from room to room, which is another huge plus. I carry mail, meals, drinks and more in mine (or just on the seat), freeing my hands to hold on to the handle grips instead of getting off balance carrying something.
She wouldn't be the first to hold this view.
She also wouldn't be the first to land in ER because she held this view long past its being a realistic view.
Having said that, my great aunt used to enjoy toddling round Safeway (when we still had them in the UK, and much missed they are too) holding on to their in-store trolleys well into her nineties. But then she was always accompanied either by us, or by the friendly cab driver whose customer she had been through thick and thin for two decades.
I suppose the question is: is this walking aide chiefly for walking, or chiefly for shopping for groceries? And what are the physical needs of the user? It may be that either way the person is going to need an accompanist, not just a device.
A shopping cart is not designed to be stable and support the full weight of a person. It would also lack a lot of the features that a rollator has that make those aids so useful, the ones that have a little padded seat on top especially. With those you can take a break whenever you need a breather and it's so much better than standing in line.
A cart is a poor substitute at best and a fall risk at worst.
If dignity is the issue; consider how it would feel to fall in the middle of a supermarket and be unable to get up. That's a lot less dignified than going about your shopping with a roller!
I gave up any thoughts of dignity a long time ago. Anyway a cane or walker gets you much more help from kind people.
They are re-cycle sites for give a ways.
It works both ways. You can have stuff from there also.
Just do not give out too many details on line. The site forwards emails to you - if you are giving and someone is interested in collecting. You usually go to collect if you are accepting from them.
Any ways lol, if you do have something like that, look on there for a walker. I am putting my non-folding one on ours soon (if my circle of people have no need for it). I have saved and we got a fold-able one. :)
Trolleys run away with you and are not safe to sit on.
Good luck
My dad couldn't use a cane when he began needing something to help with balance due to years of shoulder abuse as a farmer (throwing hay bales, jerking cattle, setting fence posts, etc.). No shoulder cartilage left, so it's painful. But he can use the rollator with minimal pain.
Yes, it was a pride thing when he first balked at the idea of a rollator. "I can just hold onto your arm," he'd say. I explained to him that holding onto my arm provided him with only one point of contact and that if he lost his balance, we both might go down and both possibly be injured and then we would have to get outside help, blah, blah, blah. Now he actually enjoys the freedom he has with the rollatour. And the seat actually comes in handy for me as well when there's only one chair available in an office or waiting room. 😊