which type of cane is better?

[inmate23]

hi

i am starting to need to use a cane at night. what type of cane would be best folding, telescoping or ridged?
thank you for your help

 

[KristinaB]

I personally have a quad-foot cane and a single foot cane. Neither of which fold. I will soon be moving to a wheeled walker and a scooter. With my weight issues, I never felt the a folding cane was safe enough.

 

[ncff07]

rigid would be better and like Kristina said one with 4 feet at the end would be sturdier and safer and would be less likely to slip if it got on something wet.

 

[rolling7]

I spoke with my son, who is a doctor, and he said you should not decide this yourself. There are several reasons for needing a cane but only your doctor can determine which is best for you under your circumstances. Hope this helps and you ask your doctor.

 

[inmate23]

ok sorry um i dont explain well enough i am going to use a cane for tactile feedback im look for info from deafblind members

 

[DDU]

Now we understand you inmate. Probably most people here would have no idea of what kind of cane to use.
But it would be interesting to know how many deaf blind are on here.
How bad is your eyesight? You signature lines seem to say something about how you are getting text to voice or ??

 

[inmate23]

. Probably most people here would have no idea of what kind of cane to use.
But it would be interesting to know how many deaf blind are on here.
How bad is your eyesight?nightblind and blind spots in side vision and floaters and light flashers

You signature lines seem to say something about how you are getting text to voice or ??print on palm is a type of sign system for the deafblind

the red font is my answers to your questions

 

[Bottesini]

hi

i am starting to need to use a cane at night. what type of cane would be best folding, telescoping or ridged?
thank you for your help

You mean rigid?

Rigid is the most stable and I believe most recommended by the NFB here in the states.

But for going in restaurants or places where you need to store the cane, telescoping and folding are pretty practical.

Of those two, I prefer the telescoping cane I have. I have a folding also.

But that is my personal preference.

 

[CJB]

You should consult with your local Orientation and Mobility instructor. I can tell you the cane I use and why.

I use a 60 inch rigid graphite cane with a ceramic tip. It has a rubber handle and an elastic string that runs through it, that you can hook different tips to on the end.

60 inches - Technically the cane measurement based on how I walk and how tall I am would be 50 inches but I have an extra 10 inches because of the way I hold it. I have a lot of wrist pain and can't handle the weight of holding it the classic way so I lean it against my forearm instead.

Rigid - I like rigid because it gives me more direct tactile information and I hate having to deal with folding my cane every time I sit down. I usually end up treating a folded cane like a rigid one, lol.

Graphite - This is the lightest (but most expensive) material on the market. It is really very light. My cane is much lighter than the classic Ambutech aluminum folding cane. Needless to say, this makes swinging it a lot easier on my wrist and arm, and also makes coordinating caning with one hand and signing with the other a lot easier.

Ceramic tip - I walk a lot and the ceramic tip lasts me the longest. (About 6 months compared with a typical Ambutech rubber marshmallow which lasts me about 2 weeks.) It's also designed to be dragged lightly which is perfect for me cause I can't hear the tap anyway and I like the extra tactile information. Dragging it lightly also makes it a lot easier on my wrist.

I always use it outside the house. The only time I don't use it is inside my own house and when I am tactiling with someone and holding a drink at the same time.

I have a folding cane as a backup for situations where spacing is tight. The 60 inch cane fits easily inside cars and even airplane crafts, though. If your cane is on the longer side you just have to make sure to be aware of both ends when getting in/out of a car or other tight spaces.

Hope that helps you with the thinking that goes into deciding the right cane for you. Good luck.

 

[inmate23]

You should consult with your local Orientation and Mobility instructor.

im worried that because at the moment other than spots and light strikes i see pretty well other than at night that i wont get a referral to the local o&m

 

[PowerWCRulez]

I used on white cane for long time, so I am on the wheelchair that's why my vision level as the "seat vision level" clearly see the sidewalks, Long time ago, I was "Walking" before the hospitalized, the "Walking vision level" that can't see the sidewalk and low objects tends tripped over that I am required to use white cane. My white cane still in the drawer it's a quad foldable.

 

[somedeafdudefromPNW]

im worried that because at the moment other than spots and light strikes i see pretty well other than at night that i wont get a referral to the local o&m

Consult them anyway. They are trained to deal with it, and will help you choose which is best for your needs.

For my purpose, the coordinator in my town decided that I just needed a folding one with a red tip at the end to prevent cars from hitting me while crossing the street since I could navigate the streets fine.

That reminds me, I need to get about two or three more to put into my extra bags because I always forget to transfer the one I have to another bag.

 

[CJB]

im worried that because at the moment other than spots and light strikes i see pretty well other than at night that i wont get a referral to the local o&m

There are a lot of visually impaired people who only use a cane in certain lighting conditions. For example i have a friend with Leber's who can see fine in dim light but needs a cane outside during the day. A lot of Usher's Type II and III can see fine during the day but need to use a cane at night. It's not something O&M instructors haven't seen before.

If you go to your eye doctor, your doctor can test your vision in various lighting conditions and when you send your documents to blind services they will see all that information too. Blind services can give you a vision evaluation overall based on functioning (the eye doctor only deals with what you can see medically) and can determine what you need from there, including what kind of cane and in what lighting conditions you might need a cane and what lighting conditions you can get around without a cane.

 

[CJB]

You mean rigid?

Rigid is the most stable and I believe most recommended by the NFB here in the states.

But for going in restaurants or places where you need to store the cane, telescoping and folding are pretty practical.

Of those two, I prefer the telescoping cane I have. I have a folding also.

But that is my personal preference.

I think the NFB canes suck, lol. But each to his own.

 

[Bottesini]

I think the NFB canes suck, lol. But each to his own.

It's like a bit of history though.

Plus the fact they will send you a free one is helpful to some people.

 

[CJB]

It's like a bit of history though.

Plus the fact they will send you a free one is helpful to some people.

I know. I have an NFB as a backup, I could just never use it all the time.

 

[NorCal20]

telescope is better...

whatever you feel need to defense, you still can take it off from the cane becomes two sticks..BANG! POW! RKKK! BAM!!! then... villain lose easy, you win as superhero.

ha.. dream, huh? anyway.. folding would be safer for daytime and rigid for night time.

 

[Berry]

telescope is better...

whatever you feel need to defense, you still can take it off from the cane becomes two sticks..BANG! POW! RKKK! BAM!!! then... villain lose easy, you win as superhero.

ha.. dream, huh? anyway.. folding would be safer for daytime and rigid for night time.

Not so dream. Self defense with a cane is an art form in and of itself. It is good to have a crook that will go around an opponent's neck or leg, though.

I was in a self defense class with a blind person once. They didn't use a cane but once you were within arm's reach all they had to do was hear you breath --

 

[somedeafdudefromPNW]

Ah... canne de combat and savate. Useful when you're walking down the streets of 18th century Paris.