Best Walkers for Seniors
Our expert tried nine walkers to see which options really help and which you might want to avoid
When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more.
I have neuropathy in my legs. The toes in both feet are numb, and the neuropathy is slowly creeping up my right leg. As a result, I frequently lose my balance and have fallen on numerous occasions. My children constantly tell me I should use a walker.
Accessibility & Aging
Mobility scooters, hearing aids, motion-sensing lights, lift chairs, adaptive kitchen tools, adjustable beds, and more—products to make life easier, safer, and more comfortable.
Types of Walkers
Walkers help improve stability and balance, and people may find them useful (or essential) when dealing with injury, balance problems, recovery from surgery, chronic pain, or disability. There are:
• Walkers with rubber tips on all four legs, which are meant to be lifted and moved forward with each step.
• Walkers with two front wheels and rubber tips on the back. To use this type, you slide the walker forward as you take a step. Some people find that this style of walker provides a more natural walking gait.
• Rollators, which have four wheels and often have a seat and brakes. In this article, we discuss the first two types of walkers.
We compared different makes and models, assessing, among other things, sturdiness, how easily the walkers fold, and whether each walker is lightweight enough for one person to lift in and out of a vehicle. We also looked at adjustability and weight capacity.
A walker’s movement is extremely important; therefore, we considered each walker’s smoothness while moving forward and backward on various surfaces, including indoor and outdoor carpet, hard floors, concrete, and asphalt.
What About Rollators?
Standard walkers differ from rollator walkers, which, as mentioned above, have seats, hand brakes, and four wheels. See our review of the best rollator walkers.
