How do I get a home healthcare , hospital bed and stair lift? Anyone know?

[Anonymous]

My mom, age 84, is really going downhill fast. We think it is time to get her some help in the house. She has the government BC and Medicare. How do we go about getting home healthcare, hospital bed and stair lift in the house. She is on a limited income so I'm not sure who we call so as not to have to pay retail price. Anyone know who or where I start calling for information. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Stat with Medicaire - they have authorized providers for equipment. We found that in some cases, though, it was cheaper to buy on our own thru Amazon. We also needed doctor's note for everything.

[Anonymous]

I would start with your local Department of Social Services to see if she might qualify for the Elderly and Disabled Consumer Directed Waiver by any chance. This would provide so many hours a week of in-home direct support care. You can find information on it under a Google search of "State+EDCD Waiver" or just Stat+Medicaid Waivers" Again, her income to qualify would really need to be low, but it is a start. Also a Social Worker for the elderly should be able to direct you to an area Senior Agency or possibly the Visiting Nurses Agency who might come in and do an in-home assessment of your Mom and make recommendations.

Rather than trying to plug holes in a dike, starting with a good overall assessment of your Mom's mental and physical health as well as her home environment will give you an honest indication of what she would need to stay safely in her home with support or possibly is it time to go to a place with more support. At the same time you should look up under Medicare to see what it covers.

Another option to DSS would be the closes Office of Aging where your Mom lives to share your questions and find out what agencies might be able to get you the information. Fees for any kind of in-home assistance usually run from $15 - $20 an hour so you can see that the costs mount up quickly. You may also want to inquire about area assisted living, memory and/or nursing home options in terms of cost and openings in case this is recommended as a realistic option.

[Anonymous]

You need to get a prescription that is very specific. The supply company will tell you what you need. Easiest place to start is to find medical supply company that accepts medicaid and medicare. Its very hard with medicare. Only a few are selected. Try Roberts. We called a bunch recently and called them but they told us to go ahead and buy the walker as you can only get one walker or wheelchair every five years and a walker is cheap. http://www.robertshomemedical.com/index.htm

Social services is a joke. There is supposed to be a program for some income help but we could never figure it out. There is a waiver that pays for 8 hours of in-home a day but you have to be in a nursing home for a certain amount of time first.

Medicaid does pay for nursing home care - its a different one called long term care. The catch is you have to find a nursing home that will take it pending and hope she gets approved or private pay till medicaid kicks in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stat with Medicaire - they have authorized providers for equipment. We found that in some cases, though, it was cheaper to buy on our own thru Amazon. We also needed doctor's note for everything.

For them, medicaid would be the first payer. With medicaid and medicaid it should cover the full cost. We ended up buying a walker at Walmart as it was easier and cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Medicare and gap insurance covered some home health services for my mother, but not a stair lift. I don't know if there are any circumstances in which insurance of any kind will cover a lift. It was very difficult getting coverage for the hospital bed; the red tape and waiting time were ridiculous. You will need doctors' orders for everything, as PPs have said.

[Anonymous]

Can't you help pay for it? Hire an Occupational Therapist to come assess the home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stat with Medicaire - they have authorized providers for equipment. We found that in some cases, though, it was cheaper to buy on our own thru Amazon. We also needed doctor's note for everything.

For them, medicaid would be the first payer. With medicaid and medicaid it should cover the full cost. We ended up buying a walker at Walmart as it was easier and cheaper.

Sorry, thought I saw medicaid. Depending on her income, you can apply for medicaid.

[Anonymous]

If she's within six months of death hospice will take care of all of her equipment needs, paid for by Medicare.