Home » News & Events » Walking with Confidence: Removing Stigmas Around Assistive Walking Devices
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Aging brings many changes, and for some people, mobility is one of the most noticeable. Whether it’s occasional unsteadiness, joint pain, or recovery from illness or injury, walking can become more challenging over time. Assistive walking devices such as canes, walkers, and rollators are designed to help maintain independence, prevent falls, and improve quality of life. Yet despite their benefits, many older adults are resistant to using them.
This hesitation is often rooted not in physical need but in emotional and social barriers. Understanding and addressing these real-world concerns can be just as important as choosing the right device for your needs.
With the right perspective and information, assistive devices can shift from being seen as a symbol of decline to a tool of empowerment, one that helps people stay active, safe, and independent longer.
It’s a common scenario: Loved ones or healthcare providers notice a person struggling with mobility but encounter resistance when suggesting a walking aid. For many older adults, the idea of using a cane or walker can feel like “giving in” to aging. These devices are sometimes associated with frailty, loss of independence, or being “old.”
Indeed, this stigma can be powerful. People may worry about how others perceive them, or they may feel that using a device confirms fears about their declining health. Others simply don’t want to stand out or feel “different” in public.
However, avoiding the use of an assistive walking device when one is needed can markedly increase the risk of falls, injuries, and loss of independence. Michigan State University researchers found that a majority of older adults who fall are not using their prescribed walking device at the time of the fall, even when they own one and believe it could help.
Reframing the conversation is key to ending stigmas around assistive walking devices. They are not a sign of weakness; they are tools that support strength, safety, and independence. Much like wearing glasses improves vision, using a walking aid improves mobility and allows people to continue to be as active as they can.
A growing body of research supports the use of assistive walking devices as an important part of healthy aging. These devices are commonly prescribed because they address some of the biggest risk factors for falls: poor balance, muscle weakness, and gait instability.
Falls affect more than one in four older adults each year, according to CDC data, making prevention a major priority. What’s more, over a third (37.5%) of those falls required medical treatment or restricted the person’s activity for at least a day.
On the other hand, studies also consistently show that walking aids can improve stability, confidence, and mobility, all of which contribute to reducing fall risk. A 2025 randomized clinical trial even found that providing walking aids along with proper instruction on use not only improved people’s mobility, but it also reduced their fear of falling and increased functional independence with benefits that lasted over time.
It’s also important to understand why some people believe walking aids increase fall risk. Individuals who use these devices are often already at a higher baseline risk for a fall due to frailty or medical conditions. The assistive walking device itself is not the cause of their greater fall risk; rather, it is part of the solution when properly fitted and consistently used.
Perhaps most importantly, walking aids have been shown to help people stay more physically active and socially involved, both of which are associated with better long-term health outcomes and quality of life.
Changing personal and societal perceptions takes time, but there are practical ways to ease a person’s concerns about using an assistive walking device when needed.
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