Apparatus for aiding mobility of a user

An apparatus for aiding mobility of a user comprising:

• an outer shaft which is hollow extending along an axis of the apparatus from a ground engaging end at a bottom of the outer shaft to a top end where there is located a grip projecting from the outer shaft transversely to the axis;
• an inner shaft receivable in the outer shaft along said axis and having a bottom end locatable in the outer shaft at a location axially intermediate the top end and the ground engaging end and an upper end of the inner shaft at which there is located a grip located externally of the outer shaft that projects transversely from the inner shaft;
• a locking mechanism for securing the inner shaft in fixed relation to the outer shaft so that the apparatus is usable in a plurality of configurations including:
• a nested configuration in which the inner shaft is received substantially entirely in the outer shaft with the grip which is coupled to the inner shaft being located in contact with or immediately adjacent in close proximity to the grip coupled to the outer shaft;
• an extended configuration in which the grip coupled to the inner shaft is spaced in an axial direction from the grip coupled to the outer shaft so that the inner shaft extends axially outwardly past the top end of the outer shaft;
• the locking mechanism being formed by a plurality of apertures in the inner shaft and an aperture in the outer shaft where there is located a retention element for passing through said aperture and seating in one of the plurality of apertures in the inner shaft, such that:
• (i) in the nested configuration a first one of the apertures in the inner shaft is aligned with the aperture axially and angularly of the axis so that the retention element is insertable therethrough for securing the inner and outer shafts in the nested configuration;
• (ii) in the extended configuration a second one of the apertures in the inner shaft, which in relation to the first aperture is closer to the bottom end of the inner shaft, is aligned with the aperture axially and angularly of the axis so that the retention element is insertable therethrough for securing the inner and outer shafts in the extended configuration.