Choosing The Best Walker Accessories

A wide variety of walker accessories increase ease of movement and comfort while others add convenience.

Walker Wheels and Glides

For better maneuverability, walkers can be outfitted with wheels on the front pair of legs and glides designed for use on the rear legs of a wheeled walker. These are especially helpful to people with limited strength in their arms since the task of lifting the walker is eliminated. There are many choices within both these categories.

Rear leg glides. Walker glides help increase the maneuverability of the walker by allowing rear legs to glide along while pushing. They’re designed to prevent the walker from getting stuck on uneven surfaces, such as carpet edges, door thresholds, grass and even the imperfections and cracks on paved surfaces. Many are called ski glides because they’re shaped like little skis. They are typically sold by the pair and easily attach to the rear legs of the walker. Know the size of the tubing on your walker to select the right diameter of glide.

The Adjustable Universal Walker Glides will fit either 1” or 1-1/8” tubing with easy installation using a stainless steel tightening bolt. Carex Walker Glides come in a rounded style and are available for 1” tubing  and 1-1/8” tubing.

Many people like the feel of tennis balls used as the glides. Court Side Glides are durable, safe and easy to install on fixed wheel walkers with tennis balls that pop in and out of housings for easy replacement. The specially designed housing allows the ball to be manually rotated to unworn areas to last longer. Spring-loaded brakes allow for intermittent stopping while walking for additional security and includes clips to lock out the brakes for pure gliding.

For a stylish take on glides, The Drive Medical Sneaker Walker Glides are shaped like tennis shoes. They can be used to replace the rubber tips on walkers and allows them to glide easily and smoothly over most surfaces.

Front wheels. Standard walkers come with tips on all four legs. Fixed wheels  used on the front legs provide forward mobility, but no lateral, or side-to-side, movement. For the user who has the hand strength to control a walker and wants more ease of movement, changing to swivel wheels makes the walker easier to maneuver in confined areas. Swivel Walker Wheels With Locks And Glides By Drive can be locked for fixed wheel or unlocked for a swivel wheel. And they can be set at 8 height adjustments. The rubber wheels allow the walker to roll easily and smoothly over irregular surfaces. The set includes rear glide caps and glide covers, allowing use on all surfaces.

Lumex Swivel Walker Wheels provide a full 360 degree turning radius and are available in 3” or 5” wheels. The 3" wheels are ideal for navigating over flat surfaces, especially indoors. The large 5" wheels are ideal for navigating difficult terrain such as pavement, grass or carpet. They are recommended for use with Lumex Glide Brakes to provide a safe, gradual braking action for rear walker legs. Glide brakes attach to the rear of walker legs and, when you press down on the handgrip, allow rear walker tips to gradually touch the surface, preventing forward motion.

Walker Trays

These are very convenient walker accessories that turn your mobility device into a small work desk or table, handy when you’re at home. They’re usually molded plastic trays, some with recesses to hold a cup, pen or eyeglasses. The Walker Tray With Cup Holders by Drive enables you to carry personal items from room to room and easily folds down when not in use.

Walker Baskets

Helpful whether using your walker indoors or out, a walker basket lets you to carry essentials without holding a separate bag. A walker basket will hold anywhere from 3 to 10 pounds of items; choose carefully since they mustn’t be overloaded. And check dimensions in case you need one to hold a very specific item, like an oxygen tank. Some baskets clip on and will be designed for a certain tubing diameter, like the basic Walker Basket made for 1" tubing; others attach with Velcro or snaps.

To complete a wire basket, consider adding a Basket Liner to keep items from falling out and give you privacy. It easily attaches to a walker basket and has an inside zippered pouch and mesh pouches.

Some walker baskets are made of softer materials, like the Carex Walker Basket in canvas; its collapsible hinges allow flat storage of basket when not in use. The No Wire Walker Basket is made of polypropylene and firmly attaches to the horizontal and vertical bars of a walker. Flexible, retractable, stabilizing arms lock onto the legs of the walker and eliminate excess swinging. The front of the basket has a slot for an identification card and the inside of the basket has a built-in glass, can or cup holder, a small compartment for coins or medications and a trough for utensils, pens, straws or eyeglasses. No additional tray is needed—it provides its own work surface.

Walker Pouches

You might prefer a pouch attached to the front or to one side of your walker. Pouches can be large enough to hold most of the small belongings you want to have with you, from a book and cell phones to medications and even your knitting. The Quilted Walker Pouch has two deep, 14" x 10" pockets and a hook and loop attachment to allow easy attachment to any walker.

The Lumex Walker Pouch attaches to most standard walkers and features 6 exterior pockets. It’s made of 100% machine washable cotton and comes in a variety of stylish prints, like a Hawaiian print and a Leopard motif as well as solid colors.

You can further customize your walker with both safety items like the Carex Walker Flashlight and with fun and functional accessories like the Walker Fleece Covers.