How to Use Crutches, Canes, and Walkers If you break a bone in your leg or foot, have a procedure on your knee or lower leg, or suffer a stroke, your doctor may recommend that you use a walking aid while you are healing or recovering. Using crutches, a cane, or a walker can help keep your weight off your injured or weak leg, assist with balance, and enable you to perform your daily activities more safely. When you are first learning to use your walking aid, you may wish to have a friend or family member nearby to help steady you and give you support. In the beginning, everything you do may seem more difficult. With just a few tips and a little practice, though, most people are able to quickly gain confidence and learn how to use a walking aid safely. A Walking Cane can be helpful if you have minor problems with balance or stability, some weakness in your leg or trunk, an injury, or a pain. If you are elderly, using a single point cane may help you to walk more comfortably and safely and, in some cases, may make it easier for you to continue living independently. If your injury or surgery requires you to get around without putting any weight on your leg or foot, you may have to use crutches. Proper Positioning When standing up straight, the top of your Walking Crutches should be about 1-2 inches below your armpits. The handgrips of the crutches should be even with the top of your hip line. Your elbows should be slightly bent when you hold the handgrips. To avoid damage to the nerves and blood vessels in your armpits, your weight should rest on your hands, not on the underarm supports. A Commode Chair is a portable chair designed for people with disabilities and older people. An easy-care portable chair can be moved at the desired place and has arms to support people to get in and out comfortably. The commode chairs from Singapore are strong enough to support the people who have put on extra weight. This article aims to highlight the perks of having a commode chair for elderly and disabled people. Types of Commode Chair There are many types of commode chairs out there in the market. However, knowing the right kind of commode chair for you can save you a lot of time and stress. Listed below are some of the main types of commode chairs. Static commodes As the name implies, Static commodes are not mobile commode chairs as they don’t have wheels. However, you can carry them to the required place. These chairs have detachable arms, which eases the process of lateral transfer. Many static commodes also come with handles for a better user experience. Portable commodes The portable commodes are mobile commode chairs as they come with four wheels and can easily be moved on tiles, carpet, and wooden floors. To provide more privacy to the users, these can be carried over to modern toilets. Walkers and canes can be lifesavers for older people, but a new study highlights the downside of using them without training. “A lot of older adults seem to struggle with their Walking Aids . . . they often drag along their walking aids like a burden with a difficult gait pattern as a result, possibly increasing the risk of falling,” said the study’s lead author, Tine Roman de Mettelinge of Ghent University in Belgium. Older people need to be able to function independently, but gait problems can undermine that, even leading to nursing home admission, Roman de Mettelinge and her coauthor point out in the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy. For persons with disabilities, taking a shower is no small task. Bathing is supposed to be relaxing, but it can sometimes feel downright terrifying. The possibility of falling and getting bumps and bruises or ending up in the hospital can cause this to be a dreaded task. Instead of risking your health, here are several reasons why owning your own shower chair is a good idea. 1. Helps to improve your safety. Do you ever feel afraid of taking a bath or shower? The possibility of falling is most likely on your mind and a shower chair or Bath Chair and Stool can help put your mind at ease. Using a shower chair or bath chair helps to increase safety by decreasing the chance of you falling by providing a secure area in a slippery shower or bath. Shower Chairs and Bath chairs are especially useful for those that are in wheelchairs, the elderly, or anyone who finds excessive movement painful or difficult. You do not want to risk falling and possibly ending up in the hospital and causing yourself pain. 2. Hygiene is so important. Bathing while traveling can be a nightmare for people with limited mobility. When you own your own personal shower or bath chair you can take it with you! Who really knows how clean the bath and shower chairs at hotels really are and why should you put your health and hygiene at risk? Is it clean? Is it sturdy? Is it broken? A shower or bath chair is a very personal piece of equipment and using one that others have used leaves you to wonder. You don't want to risk infecting yourself with another's virus or bacteria or using equipment you are unfamiliar with and unsure of its safety. A Raised Toilet Seat is a device that’s used in place of, or underneath, a regular toilet seat. Also called an elevated toilet seat, a raised toilet seat is intended to provide extra height, so you don’t have to squat low. Depending on additional features, these toilet seats may also reduce the risk of slips and falls while getting on and off the toilet. A primary care doctor or occupational therapist (OT) may recommend a raised toilet seat for a number of reasons, including: reduced strength and mobility in the legs and hips a recent hip replacement surgery other recent surgeries, such as knee or back surgery a recent accident or injury balance issues to help maintain independence While making major modifications to your bathroom can be costly, raised toilet seats offer alternative adjustments that don’t require you to buy a whole new toilet. Overbed table A narrow rectangular table designed especially for hospital patients that spans the bed and is typically fitted with casters for moving and a crank for adjusting the height. For people who are limited to their beds for long time, Overbed Tables provide a comfortable way to eat, read and write on the cozy bed. These tables are not only for hospitals, generally used for keeping laptop, phone, food, drink and book in easy reach of the users. Not only for the patients, elderly, disable, but healthy people could also find overbed tables are very handy to use. The Wheelchair is one of the most commonly used assistive devices for enhancing personal mobility, which is a precondition for enjoying human rights and living in dignity and assists people with disabilities to become more productive members of their communities. For many people, an appropriate, well-designed and well-fitted wheelchair can be the first step towards inclusion and participation in society. The United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and World Health Assembly resolution WHA58.23 all point to the importance of wheelchairs and other assistive devices for the developing world, where few of those who need wheelchairs have them, insufficient production facilities exist, and all too often wheelchairs are donated without the necessary related services. When the need is not met, people with disabilities are isolated and do not have access to the same opportunities as others within their own communities. Providing wheelchairs that are fit for the purpose not only enhances mobility but begins a process of opening up a world of education, work and social life. The development of national policies and increased training opportunities in the design, production and supply of wheelchairs are essential next steps.