Caregivers Primer

Correction on Wheelchairs and Medicare payments

Since my first post on this subject, I learned how Medicare works with higher priced items.  According to the supplier of our wheelchair, Medicare does a kind of Rent-to-Own deal on wheelchairs and power chairs.  They make payments for 80% of each month for 13 months, at which time the wheelchair is paid off. 

That means you or your personal insurance company would be billed 20% of each of those 13 monthly amounts.  In our case, the 20% monthly charge would have been about $9.30 per month.  That would vary of course according to the total price of the wheelchair.  My understanding is that other expensive items, like power chairs, are purchased for you the same way.

Medicare had paid their 80% immediately for smaller items, such as a walker last summer. 

Remember, you need to select a medical supplier (your doctor, hospital patient representative, or home health care provider can help), obtain a prescription from your doctor, and work with your supplier on any Medicare paperwork to be sure you qualify.

CAUTION on "The Scooter Store" ads to get you qualified for a power chair or it's free.  The Medicare rules changed last year and made it harder to qualify.  One of the reasons (according to another local store that sells electric scooters) was the fact The Scooter Store and other high-volume shops flooded the Medicare system with so many applications that one year, they used up so much of the program funds that it was nearly impossible for smaller companies to get a person qualified for a chair.

So shop around, anyone who says that they can qualify you in a day is probably too good to be true.  My other sources say that paperwork, qualification and approval could take a week or more.

Also, if you need a lift for your car, shop around for those as well.  Some smaller medical supply stores sell used scooters and even lifts, both inside the car models and ones that attach outside on a trailer hitch. 

It seems that a number of people turn in wheelchairs, scooters, and lifts after the passing of the relative that used them.  You can save big money by finding some of these used systems.  For example, a lift for the back of my car, for the weight of my heavy-duty electric scooter, costs about $2400 new.  I found a used one and had it installed for $830.   

Big name companies won't give you any deals or offer used equipment, so you need to check your local phone book and call other places that might help.  Check with trailer and trailer hitch companies and see what businesses they install equipment for.  Even companies that carry batteries carry replacement batteries for power chairs (usually much cheaper than the big name scooter companies) and may know what local medical companies use their batteries.

If you have the advantage of time to look around, you can find a good deal.

Kathy

One location in Florida is in Titusville, near Cape Canaveral. 
B & R Scooters, 1-877-921-9200

Drug Interactions

Just a quick post today.  I found a great site for anyone taking multiple medications.

First, be sure your tell your doctor about the medications you already take, the over the counter (OTC) medications you take on a regular or even occasional basis (from vitamins to Tylenol (c) for a headache, and even any herbal medications you take. 

I am currently compiling a booklet on drug interactions and I'm seeing some scary things when it comes to interactions that can increase or decrease the effect of a prescription drug, or even make it deadly.  The booklet will be reviewed by a registered pharmacist before it is published and ready for sale. 

Please, if you have any questions at all, check with your doctor or pharmacist. 

Tonight, my mother asked about taking one of her regular pain medications, Tramadol, with medication for her neuropathy, Lyrica.  I used this site to determine the interaction:  http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html

There is a disclaimer that you must agree to, but then you can enter 2 or more drugs and find out if you should be concerned about mixing them.  If you have any questions, contact your doctor or pharmacist for clarification before taking the medications. 

Remember, doctors today are often rushed.  Some do not go back and verify what medications you are already taking before adding something new.  It is up to you to be an involved patient or caregiver and make sure the doctor has all the information they need to give you the best care possible.  Check the page "Medical History Example" for details.  If you wish, you can write your medical history and print out just the medications section to take with you on each doctor's visit so you have all the names and dosages of what you take handy for the doctor.  (HINT: Before each appointment, be sure to mark any medications you need refills for so you can show it to the doctor.)

Be well everyone...

Until next time,

Kathy

Back again

I haven't written anything in awhile for several reasons.  I took my mother, a wheelchair, a walker, and our two dogs and traveled out of state for my daughter's wedding.  The trip went well on the way there.  We were very busy helping with the last minute details and the wedding went well.  But....not all went well.

A week before the wedding, we went out to find a Mother-of-the-Bride dress for me.  Fortunately for all of us, my mother chose to stay home.  My daughter's house has too many steps and she decided not to try to negotiate them and join us shopping.  On the way home, just 5 houses from my daughter's house, we were rear-ended.  My daughter was driving and had whiplash and some continuing complications.  Her half-sister was a passenger and unhurt.  I was in the back seat and the back window popped out with the impact and shattered as it hit me in the back of the head.  There was no fracture but I have whiplash and a minor concussion.

The car, a sedan the couple had planned to use for their honeymoon was totaled.  In addition to all the other stress involved with a wedding, they now have to deal with insurance claims and loss of transportation.  The woman who hit us just looked at our car with a crushed up back end and no trunk, then said how glad she was to have bought the car she did since she only had a few scratches.  I wanted to strangle her for the callous comments but the gruff woman officer investigating the accident didn't appear to have a sense of humor.

I'm still dizzy from time to time and forget things frequently, among other weird feelings that come and go.  My doctor said that it can take up to a year to recover from even a minor concussion.  Right now, all I can hope for is a lessening of the complications so I can continue to take care of my mother.  I see a neurologist this week and hope he has good news for me. 

Then there are all the insurance claims and paperwork.  Confusing at anytime, but especially when you're hurt and having trouble finding a doctor who will deal with auto accidents.  I'll post more as time goes on, but at the moment, extensive research on any subject is beyond my concentration. 

To all, take care, and take care of those you love....

Kathy