‘D’ List April 2018 – Top Mobility Aids, Walkers, Crutches and Canes – Disability Gets Trendy??

The ‘D’ List highlights new things in the world of disability. This season we’ve researched equipment for those people who are ambulant disabled and need mobility assistance. We take a look at stylish, fashionable & cool, canes, crutches and walkers.

1ST Cool Crutches. These colourful crutches are available in a myriad of designs and can be customised to whatever you can photograph so they become the ultimate fashion accessory. They are standard crutches at a reasonable price (£62-£135) allowing you to have a pair for every outfit??! They say,

‘Cool Crutches are passionate about supplying comfortable, robust, lightweight, silent and safe crutches but with a bright, bold and bespoke range of colours and patterns.  They understand using a crutch can wear you out physically and mentally, and their aim is to help relieve this feeling by giving an option to choose crutches which reflect your personality, not your injury or disability.  Whether you’re looking for yourself or for a present for a loved one these crutches are a a confidence boosting, comfort giving and fun improvement on your standard crutches.  ‘

2ND Ergonomic Crutches for those who have a greater medical need but still want to look good. There are two we want to highlight. First, the carbon fibre crutch from IndesMed, it’s strong, quiet, lightweight and absorbs impact better than a traditional aluminium crutch due to the carbon fibre shaft. There are open and closed cuff versions (for those who want to hang the crutch from the arm, when not in use) plus the height of the cuff and grip can be altered easily, with the allen key. The tip is made of high performance rubber that grips to the floor whatever the surface. All these features are designed to avoid repetitive strain on the wrist and arm.  Our favourite is the Armani greige colour. They’re £225 (£187.50 ex VAT) each so not a cheap option but certainly very stylish.

Second, is the Smart Crutch sold worldwide, they look cool and again ergonomic for heavy use, the video below explains all. At £115 a pair (children’s are £99) they’re reasonable and look fun, if not robotic in appearance? In essence,

“the smartCRUTCH features an adjustable angle on the forearm platform to potentially eliminate injuries commonly found with the use of conventional under-arm or forearm crutches. The reduced weight load on the hands and wrists enhances comfort, reduced fatigue, prevents secondary injuries and helped with recovery time.  Suitable for most individuals for both short and long term use, the padded cuff and ergonomically designed grip aid the distributing the user’s weight evenly through the hands, wrists and forearms, while keeping the elbow and wrist at a natural and comfortable angle.  A better posture is also promoted as the SmartCRUTCH allows the user to stand up straighter and so reducing the strain in the back, shoulders and neck.”

3RD Canes provide minimal support but can look very stylish – disabled or not! Lately they’ve been adopted by the ‘fashionistas’, highlighted by this one from Alexander McQueen at £350.

 

There’s also the Pocket Cane from Wheelchair88 for those who want to be discreet. This has to be the smallest cane on the market when folded. It’s $39 and they ship worldwide.

Top & Derby from Canada, produce a super cane which is sold through designed2enable at £79.95 (£66.63 ex VAT). Its rubber handle means it can lean upright against a wall without crashing to the floor. You can also mix and match the coloured handles and tips/ferrules.

 

4TH On The ‘D’ List is a lovely new, award winning, walker byACRE. It’s Scandinavian designed Carbon Ultralight has a modern futuristic look with a sleek dynamic shape, inspired by sports car and racing bike design. Their customers say

 “It’s better that a puppy, I get the same amount of attention on the street, but I decide when I want to stroll.”

Available in black, red and oyster it’s €549 or £485 (£404 ex VAT) from designed2enable. You can see it premiered at the BBS May Fair on 23rd May at Charlie Allen, Cooper’s Yard 181 Upper St London. More information to follow in the coming weeks – it’s a fair that will showcase stylish disability along with many of the products in the ADDITION Shop so keep reading!

Finally, nothing to do with canes, walkers or crutches, we just had to highlight how Thailand looks after their lucrative disability tourism market – a wheelchair accessible Tuk-Tuk – the iconic mode of transport. More from the ‘D’ List later in the month enjoy the sunny weather……..