It's a sentence I've heard more than once in the shop. Sometimes it's said with a laugh, sometimes a little more quietly, and sometimes it's followed by something like, “I'm only in my fifties” or “I don't want people to see me using one.”
And every time I hear it, I understand where it's coming from.
For many people, a walker isn't just a piece of equipment. It can feel like a label. There's still this idea that using one means you've suddenly become “old”, or that needing some help with your mobility means you've lost some of your independence.
But after years of working with people who use mobility aids, and now helping people choose them at FIG, I've seen something quite different.
I've watched people walk further because they finally felt steady enough to do it. I've seen people regain the confidence to go shopping on their own. I've watched people realise they can enjoy a day out again without constantly looking around for somewhere to sit or worrying about whether they'll make it back to the car.
In those situations, the walker didn't take away someone's independence. It actually gave some of it back.
I think that's the part we sometimes get wrong when we talk about mobility aids. They're not really about age. They're about what someone needs to feel safe and confident enough to keep doing the things that matter to them.
There are people who use a walker temporarily while recovering from surgery or an injury. Others might use one because of arthritis, chronic pain, a neurological condition, fatigue or changes to their balance. Some people who benefit from mobility aids are in their thirties and others are in their eighties.
There isn't an age at which you've suddenly earned permission to use something that makes your life easier.
And perhaps that's why the stigma around walkers bothers me so much. We don't look at someone wearing glasses and think they've given up on seeing for themselves. We don't think using a hearing aid means someone has surrendered their independence. They're simply tools that help someone do something their body needs some assistance with.
A mobility aid isn't really any different.
Of course, choosing the right one matters. What suits one person may be completely wrong for another, and sometimes what someone thinks they need changes once they've actually tried a few options. That's one of the reasons we encourage people to come into FIG, have a look, try things and talk to us about what they actually need rather than what they think they're supposed to use.
Because ultimately, the question shouldn't be, “Am I too young for a walker?”
The better question is, “Would this help me do more of the things I want to do?”
If the answer is yes, I don't think that's giving up independence at all.
I think that's protecting it.