Canes Do More Than Help You Walk

Rebecca Dutton
Home After a Stroke

June 2, 2011

You know how people start talking to a dog and then realize they should talk to the human holding the leash?  Strangers also talk to stroke survivors who have pretty canes like Barb and I do.  I've stopped counting the number of times strangers have said to me "That's a pretty cane."  This gives me a chance to smile and say "Thank you, I like it too."  Little girls can't keep their eyes off my cane with purple flowers as I walk past.  They have a look in their eyes that says "how can I get one of those." Their too young to realize it's an ambulatory device instead of a toy or a fashion accessory.

However, I use a more substantial ambulatory aid when I go to the bathroom at night and when I shower in the morning.  When I got home after my stroke I initially used a walker to go to the bathroom.  I live alone so I couldn't empty a bed-side commode.  When I got better I used a quad cane with four little feet to go to the bathroom at night.  Now I use a heavier, single-point cane to go to the bathroom at night.  Heavier ambulatory devices slow me down, but I don't mind when I'm half awake.  One bad fall in the bathroom convinced me that speed isn't as important as safety.

It is hard to transport small objects when my sound hand is busy handling the cane.  At first I put things in a small paper gift bag.  I held my cane and the bag's string handles in my sound hand.  The bag would swing and repeatedly hit my cane so I didn't feel safe when I was walking.  Paper gift bags also fall apart with repeated use.  I found an attractive small nylon bag at Barnes and Nobles bookstore.  To keep it from swinging I attached self-stick Velcro to my cane and the bag (see the white line in the photo).  The Velcro on the bag eventually comes lose so I use a stapler to attach it more firmly.  So canes encourage socialization, prevent falls, and transport objects.

Posted by Rebecca Dutton at 8:18 AM

4 comments:

Glynis Jolly June 2, 2011 at 1:06 PM

On those days when my balance is off and I'm afraid to walk around the house without assistance, I use a walker that has a seat and a basket when I want to carry something. The walker comes in handy for those big trips at the store too because I do have a place to sit and rest.

Grace Carpenter June 3, 2011 at 4:34 PM

Sometimes I think my canes is too girly for me, but my little girl says, "but *I* love your cane!"  

I probably don't need a cane a lot, I've found that it's a good visual cue for other people. If I'm slow, my speech is funny, etc., they don't rush me because they see the cane.

Linda June 19, 2011 at 3:31 AM

My 21 year old daughter bought me my pretty paisley cane saying just cause I use a cane was no reason not to be fashionable! lol  

I use the cane mainly outside the house. My big issue is my balance and I am relying very heavily on visual cues to keep track of which direction up is. I still need the walker if it is dark or odd lighting conditions or I get too tried.

Rebecca Dutton June 19, 2011 at 1:28 PM

I keep every ambulatory aide I buy so I can deal with different situations like the ones you mentioned.

See the original article Canes Do More Than Help You Walk
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