Repair those worn out walker brakes

Are your brakes on your walker not working as they should? Do you have a broken brake cable on your walker and aren't too sure how to fix it? You have come to the right place. Northwest Health and Safety Inc. is the areas leading repair center for rollator walkers, wheelchairs, lift chairs, hospital beds, scooters, power wheelchairs and much more. We stock most major parts for walkers and other equipment that we service from leading manufactures. Our most common repair parts for rollator walkers are Nova hand grips, Complete brake assemblies, brake cables, rollator walker wheels and wheel bearings.

How do you know what parts will work with your walker? Sometimes that can be a difficult question and there are a lot of variables that play a part. If you are ever unsure of what parts you need, just call us at 866-517-8243 and one of our technicians can help you identify the part you need and help you get it ordered. How about installation? If you are local to us we are happy to help you in installing your new parts. You might consider asking a handy friend for assistance. Again if you need help by phone feel free to contact us. You might also consider ordering the parts and taking them to a local bicycle repair shop or medical supply store near you. Bicycle repair shops are very familiar with brakes, bearings and grips. Bicycle repair shops are sometimes less expensive then medical repair shops.

Patient Alarms Give Caregivers Piece Of Mind

While taking care of your loved one, you work hard to create a safe environment. You install grab bars, shower chairs, organize medications and rearrange. All of this work in order to create a safe environment. But, what about at night? Are you as the caregiver, sleeping with one eye open? Are you even sleeping? I have been there. A lot of serious falls occur while the patient or loved one tries to get out of bed on their own at night or even during the day. They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. There is something you can do to keep your loved one safe and give you piece of mind. Northwest Health and Safety Inc. is proud to be your source for Patient Safety Alarms from the very simple magnetic pull string alarm for around $20 to the more advanced 30 resident patient alarms. The options are vast. Choose from chair alarms and sensors to bed alarms, floor mat alarms, wireless motion sensors, nurse call buttons, wireless paging systems and more. All for much less then you would think. We feature patient fall and safety alarms from Smart Caregiver Corporation, a leader in patient fall alarms. Our expert staff can assist you in finding the patient fall alarm or call button that is right for you. We have a large selection of patient fall alarms in stock and can even program more complex alarm systems to meet your needs. We supply a large number of alarms for adult family care homes and care facilities. To learn more about our patient alarms. Visit our retail store in Vancouver, Washington, visit us online www.westcoastmedicalsupply.com or call us at 360-737-8910.

About Northwest Health and Safety Inc.

Northwest Health and Safety Inc. is your local medical supply store serving the needs and wants of residents in Southwest Washington and the Northwest portion of Oregon. We are not your typical medical supply and equipment store. Our retail store in Vancouver, Washington features the finest medical equipment and supplies, low discount prices and fantastic customer service. Are you looking to save even more money? Who isn’t? We feature the largest selection of used medical equipment in the Northwest! Save buckets of money by buying used medical equipment.
Do you have medical equipment that you need fixed or simply need new batteries for your power mobility device? You’ve come to the right place! We offer quality repairs on Hospital Beds, Lift Chairs, Scooters, Power Wheelchairs, Manual Wheelchairs, walkers and much more with the lowest shop rates in town. Call or stop by and let us show you the difference in medical supply stores. Our medical supply store is conveniently located in Vancouver, Washington just minutes from Portland, OR.

Choosing the Right Walker

There are many things to consider when choosing a mobility walker. Most people have a good idea of what kind of walker they want, typically based on the recommendation of a friend or what they have seen around. Not all walkers are created equal and there are some features and differences in walkers that you, the informed consumer should be made aware of.
Types of walkers

 

Standard Aluminum Walker - These are the types of walkers that we have all seen. Typically these type of walkers are used by people recovering from hip surgery or people who require a great amount of  assistance and those who are a fall risk. These walkers can accommodate different wheel sizes and have various rear brake, cap or glide tip options.
Our Recommendation:
Overall we suggest these type of walkers for people requiring a great deal of assistance, people recovering from surgery (hip, knee or other surgery), people at a high fall risk and those with limited hand dexterity.

 

Rollator Walkers- The rollator walkers are walkers with 4- wheels and a seat are very popular these days, but they are not for everyone. In the hands of the wrong person the rollator walker can do more harm than good! The rollator walkers work on the premise of 4 wheels and hand brakes. When the user starts to tip forward or is falling forward they would then apply the brakes to keep the walker from moving forward, this movement requires hand strength and quick thinking by the user to be effective. Another negative about the traditional rollator is that most rollators require to have the seat in the usable or down position, because of this users tend to lean forward and have the walker way out in front of them which lends to them leaning forward and delaying their ability to react to a fall. There are positives to the rollator walkers. 1.) They look cool 2.) They do have a seat for resting  3.) They allow for easy maneuverability with the front swivel wheels 4.) Most have baskets for holding “things” 5.) They work well for most people only needing a little help in getting around.

 

Good news! We have tested many rollator walkers and have found one that we think works very well and addresses the issue of bad posture, stability and portability. The Invacare 65100 and 68100 Rollators allow the seat to be placed in the up position allowing the user to be more inside the walker (Walkers are designed to be walked inside of). Also the Invacare 65100 and 68100 rollator walkers fold up much flatter than the traditional style rollator walkers. One last benefit is that height adjustments are at the legs, this allows the overall height adjustment and seat height to be adjusted proportionally. We feel overall that this rollator walker is a safe option for most people!!

 

Hemi Walkers- Most people have never heard of or even seen a hemi walker. These walkers aren’t for everyone but can be an excellent option for some people. Hemi walkers are typically used by people who have had a stroke with limited movement or strength on one side. The hemi walker is typically used by someone who need more than a cane but can’t adequately use a walker. The Hemi-Walker has 2 levels to assist someone up from a sitting position. A very handy assistive device for the right person.
We certainly haven’t covered aspects of walkers and walking aids. It’s important that you discuss the most appropriate option for your situation with your health care provider and your local medical supply dealer. When you shop for walkers, try them out and find one that feels the best to you. You can shop for medical walkers on our websites westcoastmedicalsupply.com or nwmedicalsolutions.com.

Westcoastmedicalsupply.com goes live!

Northwest Health and Safety Inc. a leader in Medical Supplies and Medical Equipment distribution is proud to announce the launch of westcoastmedicalsupply.com. The addition of the new site will highlight the best in medical products and equipment from leading manufactures. We are working hard to add products to the site and hope to have a majority of the medical products online within the coming months.


As always you can visit our other medical supply websites: nwmedicalsolutions.com and nwmedicalsupply.com.

 Need AED's or replacement pads and batteries for your AED's visit us at aeduniverse.com or AED4U.com.