Handicare RoWalker400 Walking Aid

The Handicare RoWalker400 Walking Aid is Handicare's SystemRoMedic walker for early mobilization, manufacturer code 20101010, rated 180 kg (400 lb). Westin Healthcare delivers it and sets it up across Brampton and the Greater Toronto Area.

It was not designed as a home rollator that happens to be strong. Handicare developed it in cooperation with an American hospital for a specific job: getting cardio-thoracic and abdominal post-surgical patients on their feet early, safely, with their drains and their oxygen coming along. Everything unusual about this walker follows from that.

What makes it different from a rollator

Three things, and each solves a problem a standard walker does not have.

• The seat pads. Split, and they swing out and flip up to the sides. Handicare's own words for why: they provide extra security when the legs are weak, and they give the user somewhere to sit when they need a rest partway through a walk. On a normal walker a rest means finding a chair. Here the chair travels.
• The forearm support. The user's weight goes through padded armrests, not through their hands and wrists. For somebody recovering from chest or abdominal surgery, who cannot safely push down through their arms, that is the difference between walking and not walking.
• The oxygen, drain and IV integration. Two hooks on the frame take a portable oxygen system, and the walker is built to carry drain bags and IV poles. That is the whole reason a ward can get a patient up on day one.

Who this walker is for

Handicare puts the prerequisites in a box of their own in the manual. All four have to be true.

• The user must be able to support weight while standing
• The user must be able to stand up and maintain balance, with support
• The user must be able to grasp handles
• The user must be able to understand instructions

Handicare describes the RoWalker400 as developed for patients with impaired leg strength and balance, and adds that the patient must be able to stand up, support weight and maintain balance, with support, while standing. It supports a walk; it does not replace the ability to walk.

Two conditions of use, also from the manual: the RoWalker400 is not intended for long transfers, and it can only be used on a flat floor.

The seat pads, and Handicare's caution about them

The seats are the feature that sells this walker, so it is worth printing the manufacturer's limitation alongside them rather than after the sale:

Ensure that the user distributes the body weight evenly between the split seat pads. Use seat pads only intermittently during a transfer and not for longer periods of rest.

In plain terms: the seats are for a pause in a walk, not a chair to spend twenty minutes in, and the user has to sit square on both pads rather than perched on one. Tell every person who uses the walker, not just the one who buys it.

The pads swing away and fold up to the sides so the user can step into and out of the walker without climbing over them.

How it adjusts

Almost everything on the RoWalker400 is stepless rather than notched, which matters because a post-surgical patient's tolerance changes day to day.

• Height. The armrest height, and with it the total height of the walker, is set with a lever next to one of the handlebars, assisted by pressurised air. Stepless, from 1172 mm to 1379 mm (46.1 to 54.3 in).
• Armrest angle and handlebar angle. Individually adjustable, so a user with a stiff shoulder or a weak wrist can be set up rather than compensated for.
• Inner width between the armrests, and the distance between the handlebars. Both stepless.
• Base width. Opened and closed with a foot pedal on the caregiver's side, which is what lets the walker come up close to a chair or a wheelchair.
• Leg support. Soft, and it tilts.

The four castors are 80 mm (3.15 in). The rear castors have directional locks that hold the walker running straight, which is a real help for a patient whose steering is not what it was. The front castors lock, so the walker stands still during a sit-to-stand and while the user is resting on the seats.

Handicare RoWalker400 Walking Aid specifications

One note on the article number. Handicare's product leaflet and the SystemRoMedic catalogue both print 20101010, and that is the code on your order. The cover of one revision of the instructions for use prints 20201010, which is a typo: there is no such product in the range. If your manual and your invoice look like they disagree, that is why.

Oxygen tank holders

The frame has two hooks for a portable oxygen system as standard. If you want a proper tank holder, Handicare sells them as accessories, and they are handed:

• 70200059, OxygenTankHolder, right, complete with locking handles
• 70200060, OxygenTankHolder, left, complete with locking handles

Each code is one side. A customer who orders one holder gets one holder, so tell us whether you want left, right or both. Fitting both takes the walker from 37.5 kg to 43.5 kg (82.7 lb to 95.9 lb), which is worth knowing if it has to go in a car.

Will it fit the room?

• Through the door. The outer width is 694 mm (27.3 in). That is wider than a standard folding walker, so measure the narrowest door on the walking route, not just the bedroom one.
• Turning space. The walker is 987 mm (38.9 in) long. Handicare does not publish a turning diameter.
• Up to the chair. The base width opens with the foot pedal, which is what lets it reach a seated user.

Send us the room dimensions or call (905) 451-7743 and we will work through it with you rather than guess.

Funding help for a walker or rollator in Ontario

Ontario's Assistive Devices Program (ADP) can fund 75% of the ADP-approved price of a walker or rollator when the need is long-term and the aid is prescribed through an assessment by an ADP-registered occupational therapist or physiotherapist, and some income-support programs cover the full cost. Not every model qualifies, so talk to us before you buy. March of Dimes Canada, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), and community programs can also help. Westin Healthcare's staff work with these programs every week and will point you to the right route for your situation. Visit our funding page or call (905) 451-7743 to talk it through.

Delivery and setup in Brampton and the GTA

Westin's own team delivers and sets up this walker across Brampton and the Greater Toronto Area. We bring it in, set the armrest height and the handlebar angle to the person, show the caregiver the foot pedal and the castor locks, and explain the seat pads before we leave.

You are welcome to visit our Brampton showroom, or Mobility Specialties, our partner store in Etobicoke, if you would rather see a forearm-support walker first. For a scheduled in-home setup, call (905) 451-7743 and we will book the next date that works.

Clinical walkers are oversized. The Canada-wide free ground-shipping offer on smaller goods does not apply. If the walker is going outside the GTA, ask us for a freight quote. Inside Toronto and the GTA, White-Glove Delivery (bring-in, unwrap, test, take packaging away) is described on the shipping policy. Any charge is confirmed on your order.

Cleaning and inspection

Handicare's cleaning instruction is specific and worth following, because the wrong cloth will mark a powder-coated frame:

• Use a soft cloth and a mild cleaning agent, such as dishwashing liquid or car shampoo.
• Do not use abrasive cloths or brushes.
• Do not use solvents.
• To disinfect, use 70% alcohol.

Handicare requires the product to be inspected yearly, and otherwise as required, by a qualified technician, and states that service must be performed by a qualified technician. Check the condition and function regularly yourself: seams and material free from damage, and if there are signs of wear the product must be inspected and serviced.

Related walking and standing aids from Westin

The RoWalker400 supports a user who can walk. Further along the range, the machine does more of the standing:

• The Handicare Bure Double 2.0, an electric stand-tall walker that raises the user to standing and then supports the walk, with a powered frame that widens around a wheelchair.
• The Handicare QuickMove, a non-powered transfer aid for a user who can stand but is not walking anywhere.
• The Gemino 30 Walker, a forearm-support walker for everyday use rather than clinical early mobilization.

Our lighter walkers and rollators are on the walkers and rollators hub, and the standing aids are on the sit-to-stand lifts hub. If you are not sure which of these a person needs, call us and we will work through it with you.

Service, repairs, and warranty

When something on the walker needs work, you call the shop that set it up, not an overseas parts desk. Westin Healthcare has a service and repairs department, and our technicians come to the home or workplace.

Handicare warranty and inspection

Handicare requires the RoWalker400 to be inspected yearly by a qualified technician, and states that service must be performed by a qualified technician. No warranty year count is printed in the manual or the leaflet, so ask us for the current terms that ship with your serial number and we will handle a claim with you. We can quote the annual inspection with the walker.

Frequently asked questions

What is the RoWalker400 for?

Early mobilization. Handicare developed it with an American hospital for cardio-thoracic and abdominal post-surgical patients, so that somebody can be walked safely soon after surgery with their oxygen, drains and IV coming with them. It is also used for walking and standing training with anyone whose leg strength and balance are impaired.

How much weight does it take?

180 kg (400 lb). That is Handicare's published maximum user weight, printed in the leaflet and on the instructions for use.

Can you sit on it?

Briefly, and squarely. The split seat pads are there for a rest partway through a walk, and Handicare's instruction is to distribute body weight evenly between them and to use them only intermittently during a transfer, not for longer periods of rest. They are not a chair.

Is it a gait trainer?

No, and Handicare never calls it one. A gait trainer usually has a body-weight-support harness and is often a paediatric device. The RoWalker400 is a walker with forearm supports and seat pads. The user carries their own weight through their arms.

Does it hold an oxygen tank?

The frame has two hooks for a portable oxygen system as standard, and Handicare sells proper tank holders as accessories. They are handed: 70200059 is the right holder, 70200060 is the left. Each code is one side.

How high does it go?

The armrests, and with them the whole walker, adjust steplessly from 1172 mm to 1379 mm (46.1 to 54.3 in), using a lever beside one handlebar with pressurised-air assistance. The armrest and handlebar angles adjust separately.

Will it fit through my doorway?

The outer width is 694 mm (27.3 in) and the length is 987 mm (38.9 in). It is wider than a folding walker, so measure the narrowest door on the route, not just the bedroom door.

Can it be used outside or on carpet?

Handicare states it can only be used on a flat floor, and it is not intended for long transfers. It is an indoor, flat-floor machine.

Does ADP fund a walker in Ontario?

ADP can fund 75% of the approved price of a walker or rollator when the need is long-term and the aid is prescribed through an assessment by an ADP-registered occupational therapist or physiotherapist. Not every model qualifies, so call (905) 451-7743 before you buy and we will check where this one stands and what else is available.

How do I clean it?

A soft cloth with a mild cleaning agent such as dishwashing liquid or car shampoo. No abrasive cloths or brushes, and no solvents. To disinfect, use 70% alcohol.

How often does it need servicing?

Handicare requires a yearly inspection by a qualified technician, and more often if anything looks worn. Service must be performed by a qualified technician. We can quote the annual inspection with the walker.