Help Me Save My Cabinets from a Reckless Walker
July 17, 2020 10:42 AM Subscribe
My 100-year-old grandmother lives with me. She has impaired vision and (improperly) uses a walker. She is destroying the house with it--specifically the kitchen cabinets. How can I stop this?
Since my grandfather died in 2010 my wife and I have been the primary caretakers of my grandmother. In that time her eyesight has declined, as has her ability to walk.
When she moved in she had a walker...but some SOB gave her a new walker... it's much wider and on wheels.
My grandmother isn't entirely there mentally so the ideas of actually using the hand brakes on a walker are foreign to her. So now this four-wheeled contraption just RAMS into EVERYTHING.
The walker is too wide to go out the Kitchen door so she DOES have another walker, but she likes the wheeled one because it has a cup holder and a seat (that she never sits on, but she uses it like a carrying tray). Understandable since she's trying to carry something like a cup of coffee while also navigating a walker.
We have had MANY nurses and physical therapists visit her trying to teach her how to properly use a walker. My grandmother is very stubborn and thinks she doesn't need education. (Honestly, with four wheels, I fear if she ever were going to truly fall this would just slide out from under her). She just refuses to change her ways (Note - this is a problem in MANY areas of life...but I'm focusing this question on the kitchen cabinets).
But I have nice kitchen cabinets and this walker just slams into them again and again and again. It's already taken its toll on a cabinet door by the refrigerator with some damaged finish (and maybe a chip in the door)
We have new, expensive cabinets that I don't want to have to completely replace when something eventually happens to my grandmother.
More, now that I've noticed the damage, I just have my blood pressure rise every time I hear that monstrous wheeled contraption slam into the cabinets. I know she's not doing it on purpose--her eyesight is bad--but that doesn't prevent the damage she is causing.
Do you have any ideas what I might be able to use to stop this? Maybe baby protectors on the corners to at least keep this further away from the cabinets? Anything?
Thanks for any and all ideas...
Since my grandfather died in 2010 my wife and I have been the primary caretakers of my grandmother. In that time her eyesight has declined, as has her ability to walk.
When she moved in she had a walker...but some SOB gave her a new walker... it's much wider and on wheels.
My grandmother isn't entirely there mentally so the ideas of actually using the hand brakes on a walker are foreign to her. So now this four-wheeled contraption just RAMS into EVERYTHING.
The walker is too wide to go out the Kitchen door so she DOES have another walker, but she likes the wheeled one because it has a cup holder and a seat (that she never sits on, but she uses it like a carrying tray). Understandable since she's trying to carry something like a cup of coffee while also navigating a walker.
We have had MANY nurses and physical therapists visit her trying to teach her how to properly use a walker. My grandmother is very stubborn and thinks she doesn't need education. (Honestly, with four wheels, I fear if she ever were going to truly fall this would just slide out from under her). She just refuses to change her ways (Note - this is a problem in MANY areas of life...but I'm focusing this question on the kitchen cabinets).
But I have nice kitchen cabinets and this walker just slams into them again and again and again. It's already taken its toll on a cabinet door by the refrigerator with some damaged finish (and maybe a chip in the door)
We have new, expensive cabinets that I don't want to have to completely replace when something eventually happens to my grandmother.
More, now that I've noticed the damage, I just have my blood pressure rise every time I hear that monstrous wheeled contraption slam into the cabinets. I know she's not doing it on purpose--her eyesight is bad--but that doesn't prevent the damage she is causing.
Do you have any ideas what I might be able to use to stop this? Maybe baby protectors on the corners to at least keep this further away from the cabinets? Anything?
Thanks for any and all ideas...
Have you tried bumpers like these?
Not sure of their quality...just the first hit.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:48 AM on July 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
Not sure of their quality...just the first hit.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:48 AM on July 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
Well, it would be helpful to see the cabinets, but the first thing that comes to mind is some kind of bumper guard on them. For example, where my bathroom doorknob hits the wall, I just put a piece of moleskin. Not suggesting that specific produce b/c the adhesive may damage your finish? but that's the idea...
posted by probably not that Karen Blair at 10:49 AM on July 17, 2020
posted by probably not that Karen Blair at 10:49 AM on July 17, 2020
I came to suggest pool noodles as well. I use them for all kinds of bumpers. Cut a slit in your pieces to fit it on; use zip ties if you need them to make them stay.
If you can't get away with noodling her walker, you could make cabinet door covers with cheap yoga mats. Go to the dollar store (or local equivalent), I buy a lot of them there because my dogs slip on laminate. Dollar store may also have noodles, and right now all the hardware and drug stores have them out in the seasonal/pool section.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:52 AM on July 17, 2020 [5 favorites]
If you can't get away with noodling her walker, you could make cabinet door covers with cheap yoga mats. Go to the dollar store (or local equivalent), I buy a lot of them there because my dogs slip on laminate. Dollar store may also have noodles, and right now all the hardware and drug stores have them out in the seasonal/pool section.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:52 AM on July 17, 2020 [5 favorites]
Nthing trying pool noodles on the waker if they'll fit and she'll tolerate it. Otherwise - if your options are paying now for cabinets or paying later for cabinets... can you replace all your cabinet doors with cheapo ones right now, and store the nice ones in the garage or attic? I hate to frame it this way but she is 100 years old, you will not have substitute doors forever. Super cheap cabinet doors can cost $30 or less each from discount retailers.
posted by juniperesque at 10:54 AM on July 17, 2020 [11 favorites]
posted by juniperesque at 10:54 AM on July 17, 2020 [11 favorites]
I attached plexiglass to my french doors to keep the dogs from scratching the ^&*( out of them. You may want to look into ablative armor for the cabinets, i.e. thin sheets of plywood command-stripped to the doors.
posted by notsnot at 10:56 AM on July 17, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by notsnot at 10:56 AM on July 17, 2020 [3 favorites]
Could you get a picture of her walker/can you tell what part is hitting stuff? With my mum's it was usually the big nuts to adjust the walker's height. If it's the same on your grandmother's, an X slit cut into a couple of tennis balls could slip over them. Otherwise, yeah, pool noodles or pipe insulation.
posted by kate4914 at 10:58 AM on July 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by kate4914 at 10:58 AM on July 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
I think padding on the walker is the way to go. Otherwise maybe put in some kind of cleat on the floor in front of the cabinets so that the wheels would run into that and stop moving before the walker hit the doors?
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:11 AM on July 17, 2020
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:11 AM on July 17, 2020
Came here to suggest pool noodles and was beaten to the punch by many. Cheap, flexible and easily cuttable to fit whatever size/shape necessary.
posted by cgg at 11:12 AM on July 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by cgg at 11:12 AM on July 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
Another cheap and easy option is pipe insulation. It’s not as thick as noodles but easy to cut and comes with a perforated slit to get things started. I use this on the back of desks to keep them from bumping into the wall every time someone moves. You should be able to find it at any Ace or Lowe’s, etc.
posted by amanda at 11:19 AM on July 17, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by amanda at 11:19 AM on July 17, 2020 [8 favorites]
If you use zip ties to attach padding to her walker, be sure to cut the tails perfectly flush so they don't stick out. Those suckers are SO sharp and dangerous.
posted by fritley at 11:21 AM on July 17, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by fritley at 11:21 AM on July 17, 2020 [5 favorites]
Advantage of pipe insulation in addition to it being thinner than pool noodles is the neutral grey colour.
posted by seanmpuckett at 11:29 AM on July 17, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 11:29 AM on July 17, 2020 [5 favorites]
Are you saying that she likes the wheeled walker’s cupholder and seat/shelf, but that she doesn’t particularly care that it has four wheels? If so, how about a different walker that has the former but not the latter? Or an adaptation that lets you swap out the wheels for regular feet?
posted by daisyace at 2:12 PM on July 17, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by daisyace at 2:12 PM on July 17, 2020 [4 favorites]
Oh, or an adaptation that permanently applies the brakes, so the wheels act like regular feet?
posted by daisyace at 2:14 PM on July 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by daisyace at 2:14 PM on July 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
What she has is called a rollator. If the contact is happening further up on the cabinet, this set of covers, or something similar, might help.
If you think she'd be willing to go back to a walker, especially since the rollator is too wide for some entries, they do make trays with cupholders for them, as well as skis for easier gliding.
posted by gnomeloaf at 2:45 PM on July 17, 2020 [3 favorites]
If you think she'd be willing to go back to a walker, especially since the rollator is too wide for some entries, they do make trays with cupholders for them, as well as skis for easier gliding.
posted by gnomeloaf at 2:45 PM on July 17, 2020 [3 favorites]
Could you add a cup holder and shelf to the other walker?
You could also add a basket, and maybe some other features, to make the other walker even better.
On edit - gotcha gnomeloaf!
posted by amtho at 2:47 PM on July 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
You could also add a basket, and maybe some other features, to make the other walker even better.
On edit - gotcha gnomeloaf!
posted by amtho at 2:47 PM on July 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
Another thought, if buffering her walker isn't a great option -- You could attach felt or other thick material to the fronts of your cabinets with easy-release tape. You can pick a fun color if the way the cabinets look now is something you care about even if no one but your family is going to see them (assuming you're in a location where no one is able to entertain or have in-home gatherings yet).
posted by Mchelly at 3:39 PM on July 17, 2020
posted by Mchelly at 3:39 PM on July 17, 2020
Could the wheels be removed and tennis balls added to the legs of the walker? That would allow it to glide but slow it down a bit and also maybe make a fall less likely?
posted by amanda at 5:07 PM on July 17, 2020
posted by amanda at 5:07 PM on July 17, 2020
Re: tray on her old walker: we hung a little bike-basket type thing to my grandmother's walker with zip ties.
posted by gideonfrog at 6:11 PM on July 17, 2020
posted by gideonfrog at 6:11 PM on July 17, 2020
Outside of the box you could temporarily replace the base cabinet doors with something that doesn't make you cringe every time it gets hit. You can buy doors made to size for not very much money, this place for example is near me and I have bought doors from them for much less than it would cost to make them. A carpenter or handy person should be able to hang them using the same hinges.
posted by Pembquist at 7:56 PM on July 17, 2020
posted by Pembquist at 7:56 PM on July 17, 2020
If she won't let you put foam on her walker, put foam on your cabinets.
posted by Jacqueline at 10:17 PM on July 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Jacqueline at 10:17 PM on July 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
Could you modify or replace the brakes so they are engaged by default and the hand brake releases the brakes?
posted by Short End Of A Wishbone at 10:37 PM on July 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Short End Of A Wishbone at 10:37 PM on July 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by foxfirefey at 10:47 AM on July 17, 2020 [31 favorites]