Choosing Mobility Aids for Seniors: A Shared Decision Plan

Keep the person using the aid at the center

Start with what you want to do and which decisions you want help with. If you are helping someone else, ask for their answers rather than filling in their preferences for them. Paying for or carrying an aid does not mean deciding on the user's behalf.

Print this page or copy the prompts into your own notes. Fill in what you know; leave unanswered questions open and name the person who will help resolve them. Nothing is submitted or saved on this website. These records organize a conversation; they do not assess ability or select equipment based on age.

1. Your decision record

Use this record before a consultation or shopping conversation. Its purpose is to separate your priorities from practical help that someone else may offer. Finish by identifying the next question that needs an answer, rather than forcing a product choice.

For example: 'I want to take my usual outing; my friend can carry equipment on Saturdays only. We still need to discuss the days I go without them.' That is a question for the plan, not evidence that a particular aid is suitable.

• My priorities: The activities I want to discuss are ____. The part of my routine I most want the decision to respect is ____. A question I want to ask is ____. I will bring it to ____.
• Tasks and places: I expect to use the aid at ____. The situations I want to explain include ____. I still need information about ____. The person or service I will ask is ____.
• Help I want, and help I do not want: I would welcome help with ____. I would prefer to handle ____ myself. Something I want explained before agreeing is ____. I will discuss that with ____.
• Optional helper: I want ____ involved, or I prefer to make these arrangements myself. Any helper has agreed to ____ and is available ____. If that help is unavailable, the question we need to resolve is ____. The next person to contact is ____.
• Different preferences: My preference is ____. A helper or purchaser has raised ____. What we have agreed is ____. What is still undecided is ____. We will ask ____ for the missing information rather than treat an assumption as agreement.
• Next needed input: Before deciding, I need an answer about ____. I will contact ____. The answer or appointment is expected ____. After that, I will review ____; no decision has yet been made about ____.

2. Your demonstration and purchase question record

Take these questions to the supplier or healthcare professional involved in your choice. Ask for explanation and appropriate training; this is not a self-test. Use a separate copy for each model or configuration being discussed so an answer about one item is not mistaken for an answer about another.

For every open question, record who will answer and what remains unresolved. A seller can explain a model or policy; questions about your assessed support, fitting or ability to operate it belong with a qualified professional.

• Model and configuration: The exact item being discussed is ____. Its model identifier and supplied configuration are ____. The manual or listing leaves this question unanswered: ____. The supplier or manufacturer contact is ____. Answer / next action: ____.
• Controls and features: I want ____ explained or demonstrated. I would like instructions in this format: ____. The supplier or professional to ask is ____. The question still open after the explanation is ____. The next step is ____.
• Transport and storage: The practical task to discuss is ____. The person who would handle it is ____; if no one has agreed, write 'unassigned.' We need an answer about ____. We will ask ____ to explain the documented requirements. Answer / next action: ____.
• Trial and returns: Ask the seller whether a demonstration, trial, rental or return is available for this exact item. Record any time limit, use restriction, charge and return-shipping responsibility: ____. Written terms or contact: ____. Unanswered question: ____. Person following up: ____.
• Warranty and service: Ask what warranty applies, who handles a fault or repair, what costs may fall to you and how to obtain the relevant instructions. Written answer / contact: ____. What remains unclear: ____. Person following up and next action: ____. Do not assume different sellers offer the same terms.
• Before ordering: The remaining question is ____. It needs an answer from ____. I have received / have not received that answer. My next action is ____. If individual fit or control use remains uncertain, take that question back to the healthcare professional rather than treating the purchase checklist as clearance to use the aid.

3. Your handover and follow-up plan

Complete this plan with the people actually involved when arrangements are agreed. A task stays unassigned until someone accepts it; do not assume a family member will be available. If you are managing the arrangements yourself, record your own next action and the provider or supplier contact you can ask for help.

Keep practical service questions separate from changes in your mobility or difficulty using the aid. Ask your healthcare professional to review those concerns. This record does not set a clinical follow-up interval or tell you to switch equipment.

• Instructions and explanation: The instructions for my exact equipment are kept at ____. The supplier or professional who will explain its use is ____. Anyone assisting with an agreed task who needs instruction is ____. The question still to resolve is ____. Contact / next action: ____.
• Agreed practical responsibilities: The task is ____ (for example, collecting equipment, storing paperwork or arranging service). The person who has agreed to do it is ____. The arrangements or limits are ____. If nobody is available, the unresolved need is ____ and I will contact ____.
• Equipment and service contact: For a question about the supplied item, instructions, maintenance or a fault, the supplier / manufacturer contact is ____. The model identifier and purchase details are kept at ____. The open question is ____. Person following up / next action: ____.
• Professional follow-up contact: For changes in my needs, fitting concerns or difficulty using the aid, the healthcare professional or service to contact is ____. I want to ask about ____. Any follow-up arrangement they have given me is ____. If no arrangement is known, my next question is ____.
• Unresolved concerns: The issue we have not settled is ____. It needs input from ____. The person arranging that conversation is ____. Once an answer is available, we will revisit ____. A completed record is not a confirmation that equipment is suitable or that a concern has been resolved.

When you need equipment guidance

If you need an introduction to walking frames, rollators or upright walkers, start with the general mobility guide. Use the cane guide or wheelchair hub when that is the equipment being discussed with your provider. The records above travel with that conversation; they do not replace assessment or technical guidance.

Questions that need a healthcare professional

Ask a healthcare professional about the support, fit and training appropriate for you, particularly if your needs or your ability to use an aid have changed. Take concerns about balance, falls or transfers to that professional; these planning records cannot assess them. They do not teach walking or transfer techniques or authorize a change of equipment.

About these planning records

HomeMedicalAdvisor created these prompts to help organize questions and responsibilities. They are not a clinical assessment tool. WHO describes professional assessment, fitting, user training and follow-up as parts of assistive-product provision. Health Canada's assistive-device guidance discusses asking about purchase options and understanding instructions; it does not establish the terms your seller offers.

The source material supports the process, not a product recommendation for all seniors. Ask the relevant provider or seller to confirm the answers for your circumstances.