KITCHEN TROLLEY ROLLATOR ARM GUTTER SOLUTION

Skills involved: Plastics Woodwork
Issues Addressed: Reduced balance Reduced mobility Reduced/cramped space available
Activities Helped: Mobility
Location: Indoors
Solution: Support/rest

Ian Midgley
Harrogate & Ripon
11700
Complete
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An arm gutter conversion on a standard OT issue kitchen trolley rollator to improve stability for an older client.

The Challenge

Our client had suffered the occasional fall and it was clear that she needed the extra stability of arm gutter supports when moving around the house, but her OT had struggled to find anything suitable as the kitchen trolley rollator she was using was highly manoeuvrable which was a key requirement around the house – tending to rule out arm gutter zimmer frames and the like, which have no carrying capacity anyway.

The solution

Initially, engineer Ian Brocket used a REMAP tried and trusted approach of taking the braked version of a kitchen trolley rollator and adding arm gutters to one of those – our thinking being that the client would benefit from having a braked solution. However, our client didn’t take to our first attempt because the rear wheels (being braked) do not castor, meaning that it isn’t quite as manoeuvrable in tight spaces as her original kitchen trolley which is castored on all four wheels.

This left us with little option but to consider adding arm gutters to her original kitchen trolley. As our client was relatively short in stature, this was much more stable than expected when tested and it was the only solution the client would accept and use.

Arm gutters were made out of plastic guttering shaped to suit and lined with foam for comfort and attached to the rollator using Stauff clamps – typically used to secure hydraulic pipes, and available in a variety of sizes. This worked reasonably well but the client requested something extra to grip onto, so wooden knobs were added and this provided the best solution for her. Anti-slip material was added between the Stauff clamps and the powder coated tubing to provide a secure grip, whilst still allowing the solution to be removed if required.