tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post2848978772728715947..comments2024-01-15T02:14:21.215-08:00Comments on View from the Handicapped Space: Tennis Balls for Walkers: A Sorry Way to Help Disabled People Get Around EasierLaura Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10527008350563253211noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-57688313678620946272019-08-31T11:44:06.495-07:002019-08-31T11:44:06.495-07:00Thanks so much for your input. I'm sure others...Thanks so much for your input. I'm sure others will benefit from your advice when it comes to rollators. I've got a couple of those myself, part of collection gathered over the years in my attempt to find the perfect walker. Still haven't found it.Laura Laughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10527008350563253211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-61839578540202222022019-08-31T11:39:16.946-07:002019-08-31T11:39:16.946-07:00You make very good points! I wrote this post nine ...You make very good points! I wrote this post nine years ago and the challenges remain the same. I'm still sporting yellow tennis balls on one of my walkers. They still wear out fairly quickly and are tough to replace.😕<br />Laura Laughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10527008350563253211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-79705539065675407322019-08-30T00:57:05.063-07:002019-08-30T00:57:05.063-07:00We gave up on looking for more durable balls and g...We gave up on looking for more durable balls and got a rollator instead. That's a walker with four wheels, brakes, and a storage compartment for sitting on. I did some jerry rigging when a crossbar broke first on one end, then the other, and all four wheels have had their bearings replaced before finally replacing two of the wheels. That thing has seen a lot of duty now, and we've only had it for 3 years, with another 3 to go before insurance will pay for another. 20 bucks a wheel isn't too bad, so advice for anyone considering replacing bearings is don't bother. Get new wheels.<br /> Ted Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11547434936166211789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-11155760997268840162019-08-29T08:52:44.937-07:002019-08-29T08:52:44.937-07:00I loved your VIEW on this matter I do believe its ...I loved your VIEW on this matter I do believe its a VIEW a lot of people in this world share good luck on your journey<br /><br /><br />I am 26 years old and had a car accident and fractures in two diffrent places anf due to complacations I now have to have a hip replacement. So I use a walker when I dont have to walk for a long period of time. I am very subconscious of people ALWAYS STARRING AT ME AND MY YELLOW BALLS I have started to experament with some diffrent products to make the balls last longer because with my heavy hand and putting so much pressure on my walker they last maybe 2 trips. Its costing me money that I know dont have to spend . in my opinion on something that should be better for this day and age. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05158558049526309421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-24999635876868739652017-06-23T16:37:40.625-07:002017-06-23T16:37:40.625-07:00Thanks for your comment. Sorry there are no easy a...Thanks for your comment. Sorry there are no easy answers but at least we can commiserate. Definitely let us know how your experiment works. Or tell us the address of your tennis court so we can be on the lookout for miraculously <br />durable orange balls. Laura Laughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10527008350563253211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-17170084118754338462017-06-22T18:39:25.083-07:002017-06-22T18:39:25.083-07:00I was hoping for a solution to my problem, but all...I was hoping for a solution to my problem, but all I got was a rant. A polite one, to be sure.<br /><br />My wife isn't using the balls for a smoother glide. She is using the walker for long walks that last two hours, and the tennis balls are the only thing keeping the legs from grinding down to nubs. <br /><br />I know because I still have the detachable part of the legs of her first walker. They are all of four inches long now, and can be used in a pinch for stabbing if you ever find yourself in a knife fight.<br /><br />Anyhow, the balls need to be changed every two days, but only because I came up with the idea of reversing them once they start to wear through. Except...<br /><br />...Except for this one orange ball we found one day at the tennis courts. As you might imagine, we make sure to pass the courts on our walk, so as to pick up strays missed or left by tennis players. <br /><br />This thing was pretty solid. Made of rubber, it had hardly any bounce. So I figure it was made for a doggy toy. I cut a hole big enough to go over the leg's tip weeks ago, and it's still going. I made it keep going by making first one, then two more holes to reposition the thing, but still. Weeks! <br /><br />Definitely more than a month.<br /><br />Unless someone can tell me where to find another solid rubber doggie ball with quarter inch walls, I need to figure my own way to make these things stretch. <br /><br />Like cutting my X in the ball as usual, but before attaching it to a leg, pouring liquid nails in the bottom of the ball.<br /><br />I tried that today. I'll announce the results if anyone is curious.Ted Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11547434936166211789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-17494026547060929132017-03-09T17:01:09.520-08:002017-03-09T17:01:09.520-08:00Thanks for the idea. That would help solve the pro...Thanks for the idea. That would help solve the problem of walker brakes that don't really work -- another gripe of mine. We need more people to think about alternatives to the status quo!Laura Laughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10527008350563253211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-38697217738232278042017-03-01T06:33:10.231-08:002017-03-01T06:33:10.231-08:00Maybe they could make rear wheels that when you pu...Maybe they could make rear wheels that when you put your weight on the walker to move your body forward it somehow stops the rear wheels from turning. (Just an idea)Bobnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-86734635270033254442015-11-15T07:28:11.106-08:002015-11-15T07:28:11.106-08:00Thanks for the tip. Looks intriguing. I will defin...Thanks for the tip. Looks intriguing. I will definitely check them out. Laura Laughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10527008350563253211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-42145586024456000782015-11-13T09:59:34.700-08:002015-11-13T09:59:34.700-08:00If you have to use tennis balls may be this would ...If you have to use tennis balls may be this would save you money over the long run and avoid cutting yourself <br />http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BKMSJYAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00995091887441811999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-85179773787202413032015-11-11T13:13:09.239-08:002015-11-11T13:13:09.239-08:00Glad I made you smile. But sorry you can't fin...Glad I made you smile. But sorry you can't find an easy solution! I would try to research or contact the walker manufacturer to see if they have any recommendations. I just bought a new walker -- I am always thinking my perfect walker is out there -- and it has weird attachments to the back legs, too, something that my tennis balls or other replacement gliders won't fit onto. And they make an annoying noise on floors. I can't win. I will have to contact the company for advice when those wear out.Laura Laughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10527008350563253211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-70232438855283525202015-11-09T11:04:11.306-08:002015-11-09T11:04:11.306-08:00Just spent the money for pre-cut purple balls for ...Just spent the money for pre-cut purple balls for my mom's walker-- can't get them on!! I'm looking for a solution, and your post made me smile-- <br />her walkers back feet have a flat bottom about 1/2 inch out from the cup itself- and they don't seem to come off- oh well. I guess I will just keep trying- oh by the way, I had already bought balls at the dollar store, cut slits and tried to put them on- I could not- they were 2 for a dollar- now I have exactly the same ball (at least it looks so) cost 2.00 ea with the same slit- can't get them on!! <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-45058019607658362862015-10-09T13:26:50.614-07:002015-10-09T13:26:50.614-07:00That sounds wonderful! Believe me, there will be a...That sounds wonderful! Believe me, there will be a huge market for smarter, better mobility aids.Laura Laughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10527008350563253211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-67987742029999085032015-10-09T10:37:26.920-07:002015-10-09T10:37:26.920-07:00i am encouraging a really bright boy i know coming...i am encouraging a really bright boy i know coming out of high school to think of medical engineering. we are discussing ideas about how to make our sorts of equipment more stable. he wants to study robotics so i asked him to figure out a way for a four pronged cane or a walker to say "step here. it is flat" , or "position to the right". easy stuff for robots inside tubes. and an easy project for college entrance for those so inclined.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08825272418371533369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-56979670485855294002015-10-08T17:49:34.177-07:002015-10-08T17:49:34.177-07:00Sorry you are in a place that is so unfriendly to ...Sorry you are in a place that is so unfriendly to the disabled. Have you checked out the canes with four prongs on the end? I have one of those and it provides more stability than a regular cane. Thanks for your comments supporting my ideas. Laura Laughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10527008350563253211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-54176970880996806832015-10-04T17:09:30.855-07:002015-10-04T17:09:30.855-07:00thank you so much. i am walking after breaking a ...thank you so much. i am walking after breaking a leg but live in a country where sidewalks are horrendous. i don't need the walker anymore but will try tennis balls on the cane. i need something. i couldn't care less how they look if they do a job. <br />and yes, let's lobby for better designed equipment for the disabled or the elderly. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08825272418371533369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-66585482420642744982015-04-10T13:23:31.953-07:002015-04-10T13:23:31.953-07:00I completely agree, I don't understand why the...I completely agree, I don't understand why there hasn't been an improvement to the humble tennis ball approach. I bought a pair of the "ski" type gliders to try next.Elizabeth Anoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-4747654662307975402013-05-25T08:44:45.627-07:002013-05-25T08:44:45.627-07:00Thanks for sharing your story. It is so frustratin...Thanks for sharing your story. It is so frustrating when you suddenly have to deal with the world of walkers! Shouldn't be so hard. I love that line: "Ugly trumps loud."Laura Laughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10527008350563253211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-20227739217398319432013-05-22T10:38:41.967-07:002013-05-22T10:38:41.967-07:00Came across your blog after searching how to attac...Came across your blog after searching how to attach the tennis balls my mother requested for her walker. I appreciate your perspective, though, and the frustration at the limited choices. My mother is disturbed by the sound her walker makes when we are out on asphalt, concrete and the hard flooring in stores and restaurants, and the only way we can think to silence it is the tennis-ball solution. The little skis and gliders still make noise, the rubber tips won't slide for her (and she gets too fatigued having to pick it up each step), but she doesn't feel stable with 4 wheels. Guess for her, ugly trumps loud. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-15247161747343226102013-05-19T12:20:09.842-07:002013-05-19T12:20:09.842-07:00Thanks for your comments. I'm glad I could mak...Thanks for your comments. I'm glad I could make you smile.Laura Laughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10527008350563253211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552658719881017560.post-55482228692262444792013-05-19T08:54:55.850-07:002013-05-19T08:54:55.850-07:00I'm looking for an alternative setup for my mo...I'm looking for an alternative setup for my mother-in-law when I came across your blog. I really enjoyed the comments about the garish balls, and how they effect kids. My wife was laughing, as well as my mother-in-law. My 90 year-young mother-in-law is at that point where we are trying to make things easier for her. Seems there are just not that many things out there for walkers.... Thanks for your comedic comments on tennis balls.Hunt4Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01229242213165749482noreply@blogger.com