Duro-Med 2-Button Adjustable Aluminum Folding Walker

Pros: Assists silently, easily and seems quite sturdy

Cons:  Screws become loose ( big ‘Con’)
I have a very new friend. I’ll call him Jim.
Jim is 89 years old, and has recently moved from Los Angeles to Eugene (Oregon) so his daughter can more practically care for him. Jim’s wife died in May of this year. They were married fifty-seven years. He has been in deep grief and at first, saw very little reason to even get out of bed.

My sister works at the retirement center where Jim now lives.  She was telling me how sad, despite her best efforts, it has been watching him decline, not only physically, but moreover, psychologically. Taking zero-interest in any of the usual programs the center offers it’s residents, more than anything Jim needed a passive companion – someone to talk with, watch a few sports programs, or share a few memories. I volunteered.  What a blessing – for me, as well as Jim.
Jim uses a Duro-Med 2-Button Adjustable Aluminum Walker and gets around with it very well.  Of course, ‘getting around’ mostly means rising from his bed or television chair and wheeling himself into the bathroom, or down to the dining room. The Duro-Med Walker seems to be the perfect appliance for him to get around safely, steadily and because the walker only weighs six pounds, quite handily.
Having no personal experience with any walker, I can only detail the specific features of the Duro-Med 2-Button Adjustable Aluminum Folding Walker.

• Two ample 5″ non-swivel wheels that roll quietly and effortlessly
• Slip-resistant rubber tips
• 250 lb. weight capacity
• Constructed of anodized 1″ aluminum tubing with *rivet construction
• Legs adjust from 32″ to 38″ for comfort and to help promote proper posture
• Soft foam hand grips
• Two-button release for easy folding, compact storage and lateral access
• Steel cross-brace for more stability
• Weighs just 6.8 pounds

* About the rivet issue. On my first visit I noticed one of the rivets on the walker had come loose. I tightened it with my fingers as well as I could, making a mental note to mention it to his daughter, which I did. On my next visit I took a Phillips screwdriver and tightened it again.  I think this is an issue that needs to be looked into further. Spending the amount of time with Jim I have these past few weeks, I know he does not over-use or abuse the walker, so I’m thinking this is a product fault.
 

Another Duro-Med  Assisted Walker, with wheels and a resting seat. I see a lot of these at the retirement center.

I haven’t gotten Jim to go outside yet, so I don’t know the performance of the walker on grass or sidewalk cracks, but hopefully that will happen soon. I’ll update this review when it does. I’m happy to say Jim has been laughing at small jokes, snacking on granola I bring him, and looking forward to his meals.  If this is good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.

 The Duro-Med Walker Jim uses costs in the $40.00 range and is available through Amazon, Sears and other outlets.  I was unable to find their direct website. 

UPDATE – later this same day. . .I have just come from the center and spending a couple hours with Jim.  I took a much closer look at the walker and have a clarification to make.  What I mistook for a rivet is actually a screw with a Phillips head. The walker does have rivets, but they are tight and uncompromised.  It is the screws that keep loosening.