Okay, everybody over the age of three knows how to open a door, right? But have you ever tried it with a walker in front of you? That’s when you begin to recognize that doors tend to vary considerably.
The walker
I’m fortunate enough to have a Nexus III Rollator, which in mechanical walker terms is the Cadillac of the species. What is unique about it is that it folds in the middle to about 10″ in width, while remaining stable. This enables me to squeeze through narrow spots–like between tables in a restaurant, and airline aisles that are less than 24″ wide. It also enables me to lift it over myself while sitting in the driver’s seat, and place it upside down on the passenger side (and vice versa). Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to drive.
However, the downside is that there is 26″ in front of you (roughly the length of an arm) when it comes to opening doors.
The doors
Commercial doors are the most difficult to deal with–the heavy glass variety with the pneumatic door closers. Some establishments have made it doubly difficult by having a double set of these. Washroom doors are much the same. Just why the ‘inner sanctum’ of a washroom needs to be guarded like Fort Knox I’ll never know. I used to back through these, using the brakes of the walker as an anchor, but I was forever paranoid that someone would suddenly open the door behind me. It was for this reason that I decided to open doors frontways, and this is where science comes in.
The technique I use is to give the door a good shove (hoping there’s no one on the other side) and then time the door-closer just right to get the walker partially inside before it closes. Mind you, if you shove the door too hard it bounces off the wall and prematurely catches you half in and half out.
Therefore, the secret is to first test the tension with half a shove, and after doing a quick calculation regarding torque, you can judge your move just as the door loses momentum at the height of its arc. It’s a learned art.
Washroom-stall doors are a tricky proposition, too. Most open inwards, and if the stall is narrow it doesn’t leave much room to manoeuver a walker that takes a 52″ circumference to turn around. This is when the collapsible feature of the walker really comes in handy. It will fit between the toilet and the wall, enabling you to close the door behind you. After that, with some toing-and-froing you can get seated.
Otherwise, remember the handicap logo: Where there’s a will there’s a way.
Until next time,
Gerry
