Retirement and Benefit Plans	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Retirement and Benefit Plans	Substantially all full-time salaried and hourly domestic employees are included in the Invacare Retirement Savings Plan sponsored by the company. The company makes matching cash contributions up to 66.7% of employees’ contributions up to 3% of compensation. The company also makes quarterly contributions to this Plan equal to a percentage of qualified wages. In 2017, quarterly contributions were made at 1% of qualified wages. The company may make discretionary contributions to the domestic plans based on an annual resolution of the Board of Directors. Contribution expense for the Invacare Retirement Savings Plan in 2017, 2016 and 2015 was $2,131,000, $2,335,000 and $2,573,000, respectively. The company sponsors a Deferred Compensation Plus Plan covering certain employees, which provides for elective deferrals and the company retirement deferrals so that the total retirement deferrals equal amounts that would have contributed to the company’s principal retirement plans if it were not for limitations imposed by income tax regulations. The company sponsors a non-qualified defined benefit Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) for certain key executives. Effective December 31, 2008, the SERP was amended, in part to comply with IRS Section 409A. As a result of the amendment, the plan became a defined benefit cash balance plan for the non-retired participants and thus, future payments by the company will be made based upon a cash balance formula with interest credited at a rate determined annually by the Compensation and Management Development Committee of the Board of Directors. In 2017 interest was credited at 0% for active participants in the SERP. The plan continues to be unfunded with individual hypothetical accounts maintained for each participant. The SERP projected benefit obligation related to this unfunded plan was $6,027,000 and $6,003,000 at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, and the accumulated benefit obligation was $6,027,000 and $6,003,000 at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. The projected benefit obligations were calculated using an assumed future salary increase of 3.25% at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The assumed discount rate, relevant for three participants unaffected by the plan conversion was 3.60% and 4.14% for 2017 and 2016, respectively, based upon the discount rate on high-quality fixed-income investments without adjustment. The retirement age was 67 for 2017 and 2016. In addition, the mortality assumption was updated to the RP-2014 White Collar Fully Generational Mortality Table using Scale Mp-2017. Expense for the SERP in 2017 was $414,000 compared to expense of $1,073,000 and $142,000 in 2016 and 2015, respectively. The expense was comprised of interest expense of $246,000 and $908,000 in 2017 and 2016, respectively, compared to interest income of $42,000 in 2015 with the remaining non-interest expense related to service costs, prior service costs and other gains/losses. Benefit payments in 2017, 2016 and 2015 were $391,000, $1,279,000 and $21,517,000, respectively. The company also sponsors a Death Benefit Only Plan (DBO) for certain key executives that provides a benefit equal to three times the participant’s final target earnings should the participant’s death occur while an employee and a benefit equal to one time the participant’s final earnings upon the participant’s death after normal retirement or if a participant dies after his or her employment with the company is terminated following a change in control of the company. Expense for the plan in 2017 was $150,000 compared to income of $121,000 in 2016 and expense of $103,000 in 2015, respectively. The expense was comprised of service and accrual adjustment expense of $69,000 in 2017 compared to income of $216,000 and $28,000 in 2016 and 2015, respectively, with the remaining portion related to interest costs in each year, respectively. There were no benefit payments in 2017 or 2015 compared to benefit payments of $761,000 in 2016. In conjunction with the company's DBO, the company has invested in life insurance policies related to certain employees to help satisfy the DBO obligations. In Europe, the company maintains two defined benefit plans in Switzerland. The statutory pension plans are maintained with a private insurance company and, in accordance with Swiss law, the plans function as defined contribution plans whereby employee and employer contributions are defined as a percentage of individual salary depending on the age of the employee and a guaranteed interest rate, which is annually defined by the Swiss Pension Fund. Under U.S. GAAP, the plans are treated as defined benefit plans. Expense for the European plans was $436,000 and $1,004,000 in 2017 and 2016, respectively, compared to income of $19,000 in 2015.

Substantially all full-time salaried and hourly domestic employees are included in the Invacare Retirement Savings Plan sponsored by the company. The company makes matching cash contributions up to 66.7% of employees’ contributions up to 3% of compensation. The company also makes quarterly contributions to this Plan equal to a percentage of qualified wages. In 2017, quarterly contributions were made at 1% of qualified wages. The company may make discretionary contributions to the domestic plans based on an annual resolution of the Board of Directors. Contribution expense for the Invacare Retirement Savings Plan in 2017, 2016 and 2015 was $2,131,000, $2,335,000 and $2,573,000, respectively.

The company sponsors a Deferred Compensation Plus Plan covering certain employees, which provides for elective deferrals and the company retirement deferrals so that the total retirement deferrals equal amounts that would have contributed to the company’s principal retirement plans if it were not for limitations imposed by income tax regulations.

The company sponsors a non-qualified defined benefit Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) for certain key executives. Effective December 31, 2008, the SERP was amended, in part to comply with IRS Section 409A. As a result of the amendment, the plan became a defined benefit cash balance plan for the non-retired participants and thus, future payments by the company will be made based upon a cash balance formula with interest credited at a rate determined annually by the Compensation and Management Development Committee of the Board of Directors. In 2017 interest was credited at 0% for active participants in the SERP. The plan continues to be unfunded with individual hypothetical accounts maintained for each participant.

The SERP projected benefit obligation related to this unfunded plan was $6,027,000 and $6,003,000 at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, and the accumulated benefit obligation was $6,027,000 and $6,003,000 at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. The projected benefit obligations were calculated using an assumed future salary increase of 3.25% at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The assumed discount rate, relevant for three participants unaffected by the plan conversion was 3.60% and 4.14% for 2017 and 2016, respectively, based upon the discount rate on high-quality fixed-income investments without adjustment. The retirement age was 67 for 2017 and 2016. In addition, the mortality assumption was updated to the RP-2014 White Collar Fully Generational Mortality Table using Scale Mp-2017.

Expense for the SERP in 2017 was $414,000 compared to expense of $1,073,000 and $142,000 in 2016 and 2015, respectively. The expense was comprised of interest expense of $246,000 and $908,000 in 2017 and 2016, respectively, compared to interest income of $42,000 in 2015 with the remaining non-interest expense related to service costs, prior service costs and other gains/losses. Benefit payments in 2017, 2016 and 2015 were $391,000, $1,279,000 and $21,517,000, respectively.

The company also sponsors a Death Benefit Only Plan (DBO) for certain key executives that provides a benefit equal to three times the participant’s final target earnings should the participant’s death occur while an employee and a benefit equal to one time the participant’s final earnings upon the participant’s death after normal retirement or if a participant dies after his or her employment with the company is terminated following a change in control of the company. Expense for the plan in 2017 was $150,000 compared to income of $121,000 in 2016 and expense of $103,000 in 2015, respectively. The expense was comprised of service and accrual adjustment expense of $69,000 in 2017 compared to income of $216,000 and $28,000 in 2016 and 2015, respectively, with the remaining portion related to interest costs in each year, respectively. There were no benefit payments in 2017 or 2015 compared to benefit payments of $761,000 in 2016. In conjunction with the company's DBO, the company has invested in life insurance policies related to certain employees to help satisfy the DBO obligations.

In Europe, the company maintains two defined benefit plans in Switzerland. The statutory pension plans are maintained with a private insurance company and, in accordance with Swiss law, the plans function as defined contribution plans whereby employee and employer contributions are defined as a percentage of individual salary depending on the age of the employee and a guaranteed interest rate, which is annually defined by the Swiss Pension Fund. Under U.S. GAAP, the plans are treated as defined benefit plans. Expense for the European plans was $436,000 and $1,004,000 in 2017 and 2016, respectively, compared to income of $19,000 in 2015.