MOBILITY DEVICES
Once upon a time, a retired man with a walker wanted to visit a Florida beach. But the device’s legs would sink in the sand, rendering him immobile.
The problem inspired a prototype for the Stabilizer — a walker with flat attachments that affix to its legs. The skilike tracks, complete with rubber pads, help stabilize the device and its users as they cross uneven terrain.
Hot off a career in banking, Stephanie Gomez felt so compelled to join the mission that she took out 20 credit cards and two loans to help start the company. After a team of engineers fine-tuned the product’s design, and after partnering with a Naples manufacturing company, the Stabilizer went on the market in 2018.
“An orthopedic nurse, back when we started, she’s like, ‘You have no idea what you have in your hands,’” says Gomez, now the president and CEO of Naples-based company Stabilized Steps.
In 2019, after watching her grandmother emerge from a hospital visit with mobility issues, Gomez wanted to add another layer to the company: a home exercise program that pairs with the Stabilizer to help users grow their strength, balance and body awareness.
Launched just before the onset of COVID-19, the STABILIFE System integrates exercises from the CDC Injury Center’s STEADI fall prevention program for older adults. Prompting users to practice standing up from a chair, for instance, helps seniors build those muscles, deter injury and maintain their independence. STABILIFE also offers virtual workout classes, fall risk assessments, progress reports and education.
The Stabilizer itself costs $199. (To turn any standard walker into a stabilizer, consumers can purchase the appropriate attachments for $119.) Gomez estimates 2,000 units have sold so far. The premium STABILIFE System plan adds $270 for a yearly subscription, or $30 per month. A basic, more limited plan is available for free.
“We had a senior center who asked us if we would make (STABILIFE) into a group class,” Gomez says. “We’ve done it now for over a year and a half, and they’ve asked us to double the class size. Instead of two classes a week, we’re doing four classes a week. And they tell us over and over, ‘Your program is the most important program in our senior center.’”
In 2021, Gomez’s father fell through a garage ceiling and broke his foot. He maintained the Stabilizer was most helpful mobility device in his recovery. Ever since, the company has been marketing the product as a rehabilitation tool after orthopedic injuries.
Gomez plans to introduce the Stabilizer to more orthopedic surgeons across the state and looks to grow her team.
“Our plan will be to create little hubs” that can market, sell and deliver the products throughout the state, she says. “We’re making things repeatable.”