So What’s Up With The Tennis Balls?

You could say that the crowd I'm hanging with these days isn't too swift.

So maybe that's why I'm so keyed in to the amazing variety of assistive devices available on the market. I remember back when my grandma broke her leg helping my mother throw a garage sale in the sixties, when the only type of walker we knew about had to be lifted completely off the ground between each couple of steps.

Maybe the oldsters haven't picked up a lot of speed since then, but they've sure picked up a little. Last summer, when my mom blew out her knee and ended up needing surgery, I hightailed it over to Wal-mart and got her what she's since come to proudly refer to as the "Cadillac of walkers."

Don't imagine there's not a pecking order in retirement homes--there is. If you've got to succumb to using a walker, you wouldn't be caught dead with one like my poor grandma had to hobble around with. They still make those, but when was the last time you saw a self-respecting senior shuffling along behind one?

If you injure yourself and are privileged enough to be able to acquire the four-wheeled, hand-braked type with the seat that lifts up to reveal a roomy storage compartment, like my mom's, you've scored more than an excellent walker. You've also exponentially elevated your own status, and probably set yourself up to be invited to join the in crowd.

Oh, yeah. No matter how old you get, there's always an in crowd.

So, here's my question. What the heck is up with the lime green, flourescent tennis balls that hapless handicapped folks have been attaching to the front legs of their old-fashioned walkers for the past, oh, thirty years or so? I'm guessing these seniors don't like walkers with four wheels because they're afraid those puppies are going to get away from them, but isn't there another solution? And why aren't orange or yellow tennis balls ever used? Is lime green code for something I just don't get?

Maybe the entire nation's elders, flourescent walkers in single file like the robots in a Will Smith movie, are in training to blow those retirement-home pop stands en masse on some dark, moonless night. Don't put it past them.

I googled "walker tennis balls" to see if I could gain any insight, and instead I gained the assistive-device industry's response to the senior population's obvious affinity for lime green tennis balls. Do you think it'll catch on?

All I know is, unless Mom ponies up, she may not be part of the in crowd for long.

Longer lasting than fixed tennis ball or traditional plastic cap.

Court-Side Glides snap right onto walker in seconds.

No dangerous slicing of tennis balls.

The tennis balls pop in and out for quick and effortless replacement.

Limited Lifetime Warranty.

Posted by Katy on 02/24/05 at 09:16 PM

Fallible Comments...

I can explain the balls...teachers often put them on the bottom of students' chairs, too. It keeps the bottoms of chairs from making noise, from slipping and sliding on the floor (God help those ADHD kids!) and from scratching up the floor with black marks. Maybe that's why the old folks use them, too. What do ya think?
-----
Posted by Bridget on 02/25/05 at 05:05 AM
But why do the walker-makers make walkers without these features built-in, if they're so important to consumers--which they obviously are? That's what blows my mind--thirty plus years of tennis balls!! And the crazy looking product pictured here raises another issue: How many people have sliced their hands when they're trying to slice their tennis balls to retrofit them for walkers/chairs, etc.? I'd like to know the statistics on that little ER run... Thanks, Bridgie!! (Hey, congrats on your job for next year, teaching writing to 8th graders! I'm so proud of you!)
Posted by Katy Raymond on 02/25/05 at 05:42 AM
Katy

Are you giving us another sporting chance?

Take Care
Michael
Posted by Michael on 02/25/05 at 10:29 AM
I thought I remembered reading that your mom refused to use the walker!

I think the tennis balls are green for 'go'... as in, "There's no red light on this thing, sonny, so watch out world, here I come!!" teeheehee
Posted by irene on 02/25/05 at 02:48 PM
Take Care Michael--I cheerfully extend upwards of 70x7 sporting chances!! But then,
I've just finished an excellent cup of coffee... :)

Irene--Mom did refuse to use her walker a lot for months! It was a trying time for those of us trying to take her anywhere. Now she's under strict doctor's orders, and for the most part, I think she's obeying. Unfortunately, now we know a lot more about her condition. Her bones could sustain "pathological fractures" at any time, meaning she wouldn't have to fall or be injured for it to happen. She could sneeze. Kind of scary...
Posted by Katy Raymond on 02/25/05 at 07:28 PM
i have adhd i'm stuck in a single room with about 12 other students for the whole day we only leave when we need to go to the bathroom in that case a teacher comes with us and to eat lunch we try as 2x as hard then rest of the kids and we fail the class or the project when they will pass it with flying colors
<a href="http://www.healthwatchcenter.com/2007/10/how-hyperactive-behavior-in-adhd-child-can-be-controlled/">Hyperactive Behavior</a>
Posted by Hyperactive Behavior on 10/10/09 at 11:22 AM
will prompt you with a reminder. Or, your phoneâ€”due to the accelerometersâ€”may also notice that your stride is beginning to wobble and will send an alert to your doctor that you may be experiencing the early stages of a stroke.
Posted by used diesel engine on 12/30/09 at 08:10 PM
usually we walk along the path and my mom throws the frisbee for a while and then puts it away so I can meet other pups - she says I tend to obsess but... whatever. When she puts the frisbee away she says "stay with me" and I usually listen. Usually. This time, things got a little more dramatic. This time, as we got closer to the creek, I just couldn't help myself and I jumped down into the creek.
Posted by Money Vision on 02/25/10 at 11:46 AM
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Posted by firma ilan on 03/25/10 at 10:04 AM
Tennis is my favorite sport, and many people also like it.
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Posted by Green Tuxedo on 04/29/10 at 08:40 PM
Wow! Very interesting way of usage tennis balls. ;) Thanks for sharing your post.
Posted by Russian Girl on 07/04/10 at 12:30 PM
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Posted by tailer on 09/06/10 at 06:13 PM
Very clever way to use the tennis balls. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by James on 09/18/10 at 03:00 AM
Injury can be very detrimental to seniors I know, I had to help my mother for a whole month after she sprained her ankle.
Posted by Georgio on 11/21/10 at 11:46 PM

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Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	So What’s Up With The Tennis Balls? You could say that the crowd I'm hanging with these days isn't too swift. So maybe that's why I'm so keyed in to the amazing variety of assistive devices available on the market. I remember back when my grandma broke her leg helping my mother throw a garage sale in the sixties, when the only type of walker we knew about had to be lifted completely off the ground between each couple of steps. Maybe the oldsters haven't picked up a lot of speed since then, but they've sure picked up a little. Last summer, when my mom blew out her knee and ended up needing surgery, I hightailed it over to Wal-mart and got her what she's since come to proudly refer to as the "Cadillac of walkers." Don't imagine there's not a pecking order in retirement homes--there is. If you've got to succumb to using a walker, you wouldn't be caught dead with one like my poor grandma had to hobble around with. They still make those, but when was the last time you saw a self-respecting senior shuffling along behind one? If you injure yourself and are privileged enough to be able to acquire the four-wheeled, hand-braked type with the seat that lifts up to reveal a roomy storage compartment, like my mom's, you've scored more than an excellent walker. You've also exponentially elevated your own status, and probably set yourself up to be invited to join the in crowd. Oh, yeah. No matter how old you get, there's always an in crowd. So, here's my question. What the heck is up with the lime green, flourescent tennis balls that hapless handicapped folks have been attaching to the front legs of their old-fashioned walkers for the past, oh, thirty years or so? I'm guessing these seniors don't like walkers with four wheels because they're afraid those puppies are going to get away from them, but isn't there another solution? And why aren't orange or yellow tennis balls ever used? Is lime green code for something I just don't get? Maybe the entire nation's elders, flourescent walkers in single file like the robots in a Will Smith movie, are in training to blow those retirement-home pop stands en masse on some dark, moonless night. Don't put it past them. I googled "walker tennis balls" to see if I could gain any insight, and instead I gained the assistive-device industry's response to the senior population's obvious affinity for lime green tennis balls. Do you think it'll catch on? All I know is, unless Mom ponies up, she may not be part of the in crowd for long. Longer lasting than fixed tennis ball or traditional plastic cap. Court-Side Glides snap right onto walker in seconds. No dangerous slicing of tennis balls. The tennis balls pop in and out for quick and effortless replacement. Limited Lifetime Warranty. Posted by Katy on 02/24/05 at 09:16 PM Fallible Comments... I can explain the balls...teachers often put them on the bottom of students' chairs, too. It keeps the bottoms of chairs from making noise, from slipping and sliding on the floor (God help those ADHD kids!) and from scratching up the floor with black marks. Maybe that's why the old folks use them, too. What do ya think? ----- Posted by Bridget on 02/25/05 at 05:05 AM But why do the walker-makers make walkers without these features built-in, if they're so important to consumers--which they obviously are? That's what blows my mind--thirty plus years of tennis balls!! And the crazy looking product pictured here raises another issue: How many people have sliced their hands when they're trying to slice their tennis balls to retrofit them for walkers/chairs, etc.? I'd like to know the statistics on that little ER run... Thanks, Bridgie!! (Hey, congrats on your job for next year, teaching writing to 8th graders! I'm so proud of you!) Posted by Katy Raymond on 02/25/05 at 05:42 AM Katy Are you giving us another sporting chance? Take Care Michael Posted by Michael on 02/25/05 at 10:29 AM I thought I remembered reading that your mom refused to use the walker! I think the tennis balls are green for 'go'... as in, "There's no red light on this thing, sonny, so watch out world, here I come!!" teeheehee Posted by irene on 02/25/05 at 02:48 PM Take Care Michael--I cheerfully extend upwards of 70x7 sporting chances!! But then, I've just finished an excellent cup of coffee... :) Irene--Mom did refuse to use her walker a lot for months! It was a trying time for those of us trying to take her anywhere. Now she's under strict doctor's orders, and for the most part, I think she's obeying. Unfortunately, now we know a lot more about her condition. Her bones could sustain "pathological fractures" at any time, meaning she wouldn't have to fall or be injured for it to happen. She could sneeze. Kind of scary... Posted by Katy Raymond on 02/25/05 at 07:28 PM i have adhd i'm stuck in a single room with about 12 other students for the whole day we only leave when we need to go to the bathroom in that case a teacher comes with us and to eat lunch we try as 2x as hard then rest of the kids and we fail the class or the project when they will pass it with flying colors <a href="http://www.healthwatchcenter.com/2007/10/how-hyperactive-behavior-in-adhd-child-can-be-controlled/">Hyperactive Behavior</a> Posted by Hyperactive Behavior on 10/10/09 at 11:22 AM will prompt you with a reminder. Or, your phoneâ€”due to the accelerometersâ€”may also notice that your stride is beginning to wobble and will send an alert to your doctor that you may be experiencing the early stages of a stroke. Posted by used diesel engine on 12/30/09 at 08:10 PM usually we walk along the path and my mom throws the frisbee for a while and then puts it away so I can meet other pups - she says I tend to obsess but... whatever. When she puts the frisbee away she says "stay with me" and I usually listen. Usually. This time, things got a little more dramatic. This time, as we got closer to the creek, I just couldn't help myself and I jumped down into the creek. Posted by Money Vision on 02/25/10 at 11:46 AM Hello thanks for this page. If you want to give some ads you can post ad <a href="http://www.ilanverme.net/">ilan verme</a> and you can add your firma to <a href="http://www.firmadizini.net/">Firma dizini</a> , The most popular ilan sitesi in turkey <a href="http://www.maviilan.com/">ilan ver</a> you can add car home ads here. And bus firms in <a href="http://www.otobusfirmalari.org/">bilet fiyatlarÄ±</a> site of bus firms in turkey.. Posted by firma ilan on 03/25/10 at 10:04 AM Tennis is my favorite sport, and many people also like it. Posted by how to get pregnant fast on 03/26/10 at 08:32 AM This is a my favorite topic. I really very enjoyed with your information in this site here.Thanks for all people with your comments. <a href="http://www.topshoppingsite.net/shoppingsitereviews.html">Shopping Site Reviews</a> <a href="http://www.topshoppingsite.net/shoppingdirectory.html">Shopping Directory</a> Posted by Online Shopping Sites on 04/21/10 at 10:24 AM Very interesting and this is truly innovative and insightful information- thanks a lot for the post.<a href="http://www.finetuxedos.com/green-tuxedo.htmll">Green Tuxedo</a> Posted by Green Tuxedo on 04/29/10 at 08:40 PM Wow! Very interesting way of usage tennis balls. ;) Thanks for sharing your post. Posted by Russian Girl on 07/04/10 at 12:30 PM Courteous posting, real revealing. Thank you, nice absorbing to said, you should be impressive of your blog. I was in truth tasting to control your subject matters from meter to time. We are looking advanced to your potential positions. <a href="http://car-mats-uk.com/">tailored car mats</a> Posted by tailer on 09/06/10 at 06:13 PM Very clever way to use the tennis balls. Thanks for sharing. Posted by James on 09/18/10 at 03:00 AM Injury can be very detrimental to seniors I know, I had to help my mother for a whole month after she sprained her ankle. Posted by Georgio on 11/21/10 at 11:46 PM Page 1 of 1 pages Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Next entry: I'm So Excited I Can Hardly Stand Myself! Previous entry: Another Day, Just Not Another Dollar << Back to main


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So What’s Up With The Tennis Balls?

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri