The Cane That Lives in Lorraine's Purse

The HONEYBULL walking cane lives in my purse. Not in the hall closet with the other canes, not in the trunk of the car, not in the corner by the front door where things go to be forgotten. In my purse. I am Lorraine Pettibone, I am 71 years old, and I have learned the hard way that the right mobility aid is the one you actually have with you when you need it.

This started two winters ago. My husband Gene and I were coming back from the grocery store, and I stepped off the curb wrong. Nothing broke, thank goodness, but my knee complained for a week, and for that whole week I kept reaching for a cane that was not there. I had one in the closet. It was not in the car. It was not in my hand. That was the moment I started looking for a cane that could live somewhere other than the closet.

I want to be plain about what this article is and is not. I am not a doctor and I do not give medical advice. If you have had a fall or a surgery and you are choosing an aid, please talk to your doctor or your physical therapist first. What I can tell you is what I have used in my own house, in my own car, on my own porch, for the better part of a year.

The HONEYBULL is a folding cane. It folds into four sections, and it stands up on its own when you set it down. That second part matters more than I expected. I have a one-story ranch house outside Columbus, Ohio, with laminate floors in the kitchen and carpet in the bedrooms. A cane that falls over every time you set it down becomes a thing you stop setting down, and a thing you stop setting down becomes a thing you stop carrying.

A mobility aid only helps you if it is with you when you need it. The HONEYBULL is the first cane I have owned that I actually remember to grab.

Let me tell you how it actually goes on a normal day. Most afternoons I walk the neighbourhood. Some mornings I do my 20 minutes of chair yoga in the living room, and Gene does his knee exercises in the bedroom, and then we figure out the day. The cane comes with me to the post office, to the library, to the garden center. It rides in the side pocket of my purse, and when I need it, it unfolds in one motion. When I do not need it, it is not in my way.

The standing feature is what sold me. I can set the HONEYBULL down on the kitchen floor while I carry a plate with both hands. It stands there like a small tripod. I can set it beside the checkout counter while I sign the little screen. I can set it by the porch chair while I sit with Gene in the evening. It does not roll away, it does not fall over, and I do not have to bend down to pick it up. For someone with arthritis in both knees, not bending down is the whole point.

There are honest downsides, and you deserve to hear them. The grip is on the thinner side, and if you have very large hands you may find it less comfortable than a thicker foam grip. The adjustment takes a moment to learn, though I found it simple once I did it a couple of times. And because it folds, it is not as rigid as a solid one-piece cane. For my needs, that trade is worth it. For someone who needs a cane for heavy support every step of the day, I would want them to try a quad cane or a solid cane before deciding.

My favourite story with this cane is the trunk of our mid-size sedan. Gene had his knee replacement two years ago, and he keeps a solid cane in the car for longer walks. I keep the HONEYBULL in my purse. So when we park at the garden center, we both get out, we both have what we need, and neither of us is walking back to the car for something we forgot. That is what practical looks like at our age.

What I'd Tell You If We Were Sitting at My Kitchen Table

If you were sitting at my kitchen table, I would tell you this. The best mobility aid is not the one with the most features or the nicest reviews. It is the one you will actually carry. A cane in the closet is a decoration. A cane in your purse is a tool. The HONEYBULL is the first cane I have owned that made the jump from closet to purse, and that is why it has stayed there.

I would also tell you to check with your doctor or physical therapist before you choose anything, especially if you are recovering from a fall or a surgery. What works for my mild arthritis may not be right for your knees or your balance. And I would tell you to think about where you will keep it before you buy it. That sounds like small advice, but it is the advice that changed my own habit.

Gene and I are both still moving, and that is the whole goal. Chair yoga in the morning, a walk in the afternoon, a cane in the purse for the moments in between. The right aid does not have to be a big production. It just has to be there.