Best Walkers for Seniors

There’s no one-size-fits-all walker for seniors. Each design caters to different levels of mobility, balance, and hand strength. Our final list of the five best walkers for seniors with balance problems includes a little something for everyone, but our favorite is the Drive Medical 4-Wheeled Rollator Walker.

It has four sturdy wheels, hand brakes, adjustable handles, a seat and storage compartment, a foldable design, and a fair price. You can’t ask for much more than that when you’re looking for the best walkers for balance problems.

If you plan to use your walker over gravel, pebbles, dirt, or sand, the wheels on this Drive Medical walker may not last very long. The 7.5-inch wheels also don’t swivel 360 degrees like some of the other walkers on our list, so they’re not ideal for making quick changes in direction.

And while the walker supports up to 300 lbs, the seat is pretty narrow at 16.5 inches. Larger folks might not be able to sit comfortably. 

We also like the wide back support on this Helavo walker, but the seat sinks down with your weight, which may feel less stable than expected.

Unless you have wide hallways and plenty of space to maneuver around furniture, this Helavo walker isn’t suitable indoors.

You can buy glide skis to make it easier for people to use this walker if they have poor strength, but at just six pounds, this walker is the lightest option on our list.

The Elenker Upright Walker features a seat with a wide backrest, sit-to-stand handles, hand brakes, and 10-inch front wheels that swivel 360 degrees. It folds down well enough to fit in most vehicle trunks, but it’s the clunkiest and heaviest walker on our list — which makes sense due to the higher arm supports.

The seat on the Elenker Upright Walker sinks down when you sit on it. Fortunately, the storage pouch isn’t right underneath the seat, which means everything stays within reach without the risk of squishing your lunch when you take a rest.

The Elenker walker also has a holder for your cane, which is helpful when you need to navigate somewhere too narrow for the walker.

It’s also a good option to use around the house or other places where you probably wouldn’t miss having a built-in seat. Despite being so lightweight, the Able Life Space Saver Walker supports up to 400 pounds.

The Drive Medical 4-Wheel Rollator Walker is sturdy, comfortable, and suitable for most uses.

If you need something rugged for outdoor walks, we recommend getting the Helavo Foldable All Terrain Walker as a secondary walker. Use the Drive Medical 4-Wheel Rollator Walker indoors where its narrow design comes in handy, but break out the Helavo for varied terrain.

To review the best walkers for seniors, we started by talking to SafeWise advisory board member and health expert Sally Rusell, MN, CMSRN, CNE. She helped us understand the important safety features to look for in walkers for seniors. From there, we browsed available walkers, compared their specs, and read user reviews. Read more about our process on the SafeWise methodology page.

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