I read this and feel compelled to respond.

The implication that a walker and a rocking chair are essentially the same is incorrect and creates a psychological hazard for those who need the right tools to exercise safely. A rocking chair is an object designed for passive relaxation. A walker is an exercise tool as much as is a bike. It is designed to help ensure that those who need one, can exercise safely.

My mother for far too long resisted using a cane or a walker for fear they would make her look 'old'. What was making her age, wasn't these devices, but the falls she endured from venturing without them. It's like refusing to wear corrective lenses because of one's vanity. Don't, just don't go there.

For heaven's sake, don't look down on walkers. My sister is far from elderly but is recovering from a fall sustained in exercise class when she broke her hip. She says the walker is great - it makes a 'cage' around her as she works on strengthening the soft tissues that got damaged when the bone broke (it is imperative for the time being that she not jerk her artificial hip in a sudden, lateral move.) She like me is an enthusiastic if slow, low mileage cyclist (also like me) and if she is to be back in the saddle by spring, that walker must be seen as the friend that it is.