Why didn’t someone think of this before? Lights on walkers may cut falls

Forget driving in the dark — sometimes it’s dangerous just walking in the dark.

As the population ages, medical teams are responding to more calls from people who have fallen in the night. Many are from older adults who toppled over their walkers while reaching for a light switch on the way to the kitchen or bathroom.

Credit Ron Olshwanger, director of the Creve Coeur Fire Protection District, whose own experience with his own mother ultimately led to his inspiration.

The lights (which are a lot like bicycle lights) cost $34 at Medical West, a medical supply firm that can install them on new or existing walkers.

Olshwanger emphasizes that he and the fire department won’t make any profit off the headlights. His inspiration is his mother, Bernice Bormaster, who died five years ago. After breaking her hip, she called her son three times in the middle of the night for help getting back to bed.

“It’s a perfect example of what can happen. A lot of these people, their minds are fine, their bodies are just a little weak.” Olshwanger said. “These people want to live a normal life, and I think this will help.”

HT bookofjoe