Walker Having Automatically Activated Protective Dynamic Padding

A method of improving the quality of life and longevity of a person in spite of at least one limitation that interferes with unassisted walking, comprising the steps of:

• providing a walking aid suitable for structurally supporting said person and having dynamic padding defining a protected region;
• enabling said dynamic padding to be deployed during use and disabling said dynamic padding when not in use;
• detecting a fall of at least one of said person and said walking aid;
• and
• deploying said dynamic padding responsive to said detecting step.

A walker, comprising:

• two vertical rear legs, two vertical front legs, and a plurality of side and front bars to form a three sided, unshaped walking aid;
• dynamic padding adjacent to each of said two vertical rear legs and a front bar defining a protected region;
• a means for detecting a fall;
• a means for detecting the presence of an individual within said protected region;
• said dynamic padding deployed when said means for detecting a fall detects a fall and said means for detecting the presence of an individual within said protected region detects the presence of an individual within said protected region, whereby said dynamic padding cushions said individual in the event of a fall;
• a means to adjust a height of at least one of said two vertical rear legs and two vertical front legs responsive to a magnitude of compressive load applied thereupon, and to further adjust said height responsive to said means for detecting a fall, to reduce tilt that might otherwise undesirably lead to a fall;
• a communications device;
• a heart rate monitor;
• and
• a blood pressure monitor.