What determines whether you need a walker?

I am not sure if your trying to get it on insurance but the same reasons Medicare will pay for one should also apply to whether or not the need is there.

If you can honestly say all that is listed below applies to you then you medically need one.

1) The patient has a mobility limitation that significantly impairs his/her ability to participate in one or more mobility-related activities of daily living (MRADL) in the home.

- A mobility limitation is one that:
a) Prevents the patient from accomplishing the MRADL entirely, or

b) Places the patient at reasonably determined heightened risk of morbidity or mortality secondary to the attempts to perform the MRADL, or

c) Prevents the patient from completing the MRADL within a reasonable time frame;

and

2) The patient is able to safely use the walker; and

3) The functional mobility deficit can be sufficiently resolved with use of a walker.

If all of the criteria are not met, the walker will be denied as not medically necessary. These are not my words but come from here
http://www.amiservices.com/documents/Walkers.doc.

Basically if you can pass what Medicare considers medically necessary then that answers your question. Hope this helps.