Suggestions regarding safety issues with walkers?

Isabel21: The wheelchair should be removed; she should be using a two-wheel walker, which you should purchase for her.

get one with 2 wheels and 2 with gliders and see how she does.

A good OT can evalate the proper choice. They were trained for that

See if you can't encourage her to sit in it and pull it with her feet. I agree with others, do not purchase anything without having an OT/PT evaluation to be sure you are getting something appropriate for her. With a prescription, there may even be an option for Medicare/Medicaid to pay. VA provided a "U-Step" walker for my husband since he has Parkinson's. The brake has to be used to make it go... keeps it from getting away. Medicare also pays when it is appropriate.

https://www.ustep.com/

An OT or PT can assess her walking & advice on the best aide to use.

Agree that the 2W go be a little slower than the WFs. Can have 2 wheels + 2 skis that slide over carpet. I think indoor use only.

Also agree pushing an empty wheelchair could be a safety concern if balance & mobility are an issue.

I would remove the wheelchair so that she can not use it as a walker.
Get an appropriate walker for her.
Make sure it is set to the correct height.
I sort of agree about the 4 wheel walker. I se so many people pushing the walker ahead of them and leaning over to "catch up" to it. A 2 wheel walker is less likely to get away from her.

https://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Button-Folding-Walker-5-Inch/dp/B001HOM4U2/ref=sr_1_2?crid=962TKL8WKSJO&keywords=frame+walker&qid=1687034916&sprefix=Frame+walker%2Caps%2C228&sr=8-2

Remove the wheelchair and replace it with a frame walker linked above. This one has 2 front wheels which allow it to glide over most surfaces. These are the safest of the walkers and require no learning curve to operate, no brakes, and won't run away from her. You can also purchase a basket to attach to the front of the walker so mom can schlep all of stuff along with her when she's out and about:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=frame+walker+basket&crid=33G7XQQTQAUGE&sprefix=frame+walker+basket%2Caps%2C210&ref=nb_sb_noss

even people with dementia (depends how severe), can learn. my friend taught her mother (dementia) how to use the hand-break. it's all working out very well. but at some point in the future, even though she's using the walker, it's best she's accompanied by a caregiver holding on to her hips while she walks. by holding on to the hips, you can catch someone very quickly if they lose balance.

A wheelchair should lock so it doesn't move. So she's able to work the locks, I guess? You could perhaps duct-tape the locks so that she can't untape them to unlocked position. You could remove the wheelchair so that she has no choice but to use her two-wheel walker. Or tie a bag of rocks in the wheelchair that she can't remove but keeps it from tipping. Or otherwise modify the wheelchair in a way that it won't move and she can't figure out.

I took care of a relative who was sent home after a stroke and had to use a wheelchair to get around. But the wheelchair didn't fit through the 28" bathroom doors anywhere in the house, and there were four bathrooms! Whoever custom-built that house hadn't ever anticipated being in a wheelchair.

I was able to modify the wheelchair by using wire to pull the sides of it closer together and fasten them. This made the seat curve, but that was solved by putting a cushion on it. Fortunately the person wasn't super-sized and it was comfortable enough. We got through the 28" doors.

Think creatively and see what you can do. Good luck!

(In your situation, I'd just remove the wheelchair and make her use her walker. Doctor's orders.)