I have heard of folks using poles to get up and down (ie- we have discussed pole dancing) And my sister has major knee problems and is having to make some of the same decisions as you Betty. I think she is looking at knee surgery in a month or so though. She does dog tracking judging, and is a dog trainer, so she needs those knees (don't we all)
I especially like the red one, the yellow one just glows. But I can understand your choices. ~Jan