Sitting On A Rollator
There will inevitably be times when even with the assistance of a mobility device, you will fatigue quickly from walking or standing. A rollator provides a convenient place to sit and recover from walking.
It’s possible that you’ll run into a friend while out and about, and that you’ll want to stop and chat. Maybe you’re stuck at the bus stop, awaiting the arrival of your bus. It’s good to have a place to sit whenever you want or need it, no matter the circumstances. You can find detailed guide about rollators on 1 True Health.
Most models of rollators come with a removable seat that can be used as a makeshift seat in the absence of a chair or bench. It’s crucial to use a rollator properly and safely if you need to sit on it. The proper usage of a rollator when traveling outside will be covered in four separate lessons, of which this is the second.
Positioning Yourself on a Rollator:
- Pick a spot to rest where you won’t be obstructing anyone else’s movement.
- Put the parking brake on the rollator seat before you sit down on it.
- Unlike in a chair, where you can lean back comfortably, you can’t do that while using a rollator. You’ll need to lean forward just a bit while on the seat of a rollator. Your legs and hips should make a wide angle, as if you were sitting on the edge of a chair. You may quickly rise to your feet from this seated position.
Pushing Someone on a Rollator:
The number one rule of utilizing a rollator is that no one should push you while you’re seated. The rollator should be used just as a walking aid and not as a means of transportation. Using a rollator for something other than walking could be dangerous because they were all created to help with mobility.
All people use rollators to make walking easier and safer. The presence of a seat on a rollator may lead you or your caretaker to believe that it may replace a traditional wheelchair in both mobility and comfort. For several reasons, this is not a recommended method and should be avoided. Let’s go through the safety concerns in greater depth so you can see the potential dangers of utilizing a rollator in place of a wheelchair.
· Concerns Regarding the Rollator’s Safety:
When trying to convert a rollator into a wheelchair, safety must be your top priority. It’s risky to push someone on a rollator because doing so could jeopardize the rollator’s stability. The risks associated with use a rollator as a wheelchair are as follows:
- Inability to support weight: While a rollator can support a person’s weight while they are seated and immobile, adding movement increases the strain on the rollator. The seat’s architecture is meant to support a person’s entire weight while they are relaxing, not for use in transportation. Severe harm could befall a person in the event of a failure in the welding or construction.
- Ankle or foot injuries: The person being pushed in a rollator will not have anywhere to rest their feet. This necessitates that they either keep their feet in the air, which may be difficult or tiresome, or drag, which might cause them to roll or sprain their feet and ankles.
- Rolling: If the wheels are not locked and someone pushes while stepping away, the rollator may roll backward or forward, especially if it is on a slope. Accidents may occur if the person pushing the rollator loses control while carrying someone.