In the parking lot of the
home improvement store, a man pulled next to us and introduced himself,
apologizing profusely. He saw us shopping for flowers in the store and didn't
want to bother us, but he was desperate. His father had suffered a #stroke and they were learning how to take care of
him but had no easy way to get him to and from his medical appointments. How
could they find an affordable van with a lift, like ours?
Needs like this often come out of the blue. With
your hands full trying to cope with a medical situation, you don't have time to
fool around with financing and insurance. But here are some ideas for you based
on years of dealing with #
MultipleSclerosis and some pretty tight situations along the
way. It will still take some looking up numbers and maybe a lot of calling
around on your part. Also realize that I haven't personally used most of the
places listed below, so please be careful and do your homework about any buyers
and sellers you deal with. But I and others have found what we needed — in the
nick of time — at these places, so good luck and here goes:
— Before we start, check if your doctors and medical
professionals offer transport services to your appointments, and look into Uber
WAV accessible ride-shares. These are hit-or-miss but probably beats yelling
out tons of money. Paratransit services can be good but they take a long time
to qualify and use.
— Starting with big-ticket items first, you'll be
surprised by how many used wheelchair-accessible vans you find on Facebook
Marketplace. Also eBay, but with any vehicle you have to be careful about
vehicle history: Some years ago, there were a lot of very good deals there, but
it turned out that some were reconditioned after flood damage. Do your
homework. Finally, here are tips for buying used wheelchair vans, with links: newmobility.com/tips-for-buying-a-used-wheelchair-van
— For other equipment, check out eBay, and tell all of your
family and friends to scout for wheelchairs and scooters at local goodwill,
resale shops and garage sales.
— Search websites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist,
Quipit (goquipit.com) and the private Facebook group Disability Related Gently
Used Equipment for Sale (tinyurl.com/ypmc2bkc).
— Try contacting your local Center for Independent
Living, which is a clearinghouse for #disability-related resources and can
probably point you in the right direction.
— Look up your local chapter of United Spinal
Association, which has a lot of online resources local branches supporting
people with mostly mobility-#disabilities (legs, arms and such), and the local
groups probably keep listings of used equipment available in your area.
— Find your local Easterseals, which often has
contacts to find equipment, along with caring, knowledgeable people. Check out
other nonprofits as well, like United #CerebralPalsy and Habitat for Humanity. As one of the
Easterseals people told me, their funds are limited and often they're winging
it, but they'll work on situations until they can help someone in need.
— Look up your state's assistive-technology
agency, which may keep listings for used adaptive equipment at a savings.
— Look up used equipment at New Mobility magazine,
the member publication of United Spinal. These people have been at it a long
time and I guarantee you'll find articles about this or any topic related to
assistive equipment and anything else you may be struggling with. For example,
check out newmobility.com/what-to-do-with-your-used-wheelchair for leads to
donate or find equipment.
— If you have MS, contact the MS Navigators at 800-344-4867 or contactusnmss@nmss.org.
Tell the Navigator your story and ask for ideas and resources. The Navigators
are trained in research and all things MS.
— Off-topic but still important: Mobility problems
often go hand-in-hand with social isolation. If you are feeling alone and
looking for friends and support, look to online communities like MS Connections on The Mighty
(themighty.com/groups/multiplesclerosisconnections), the MS Society community group on Facebook
(facebook.com/groups/nationalmssocietycommunity), MS World (msworld.org/forum), or sign up to speak to
others with MS at the MS Friends program (800-344-4867 or
contactusnmss@nmss.org). Hang in there, because there's community out here
waiting to hear from you.
— If you have #ALS, the ALS Foundation
has a durable medical equipment loan program that offers assistive items like
wheelchairs, shower chairs and cushions. “We have never had to turn away anyone
with ALS for
any requested DME. They can come down to our chapter, and we work with a nurse
or ATP to
[properly fit them],” Amy Sugimodo of the Sacramento Chapter ALS Association
told New Mobility. See als.org.
— The Triumph Foundation is based in Southern
California but assists people with spinal cord injuries across the nation.
Affiliated with United Spinal, Move United, and the Los Angeles Paralympic
Sport Club, the organization takes in, services and distributes donated
equipment in California, but also matches equipment for people in other states
— and even gives grants for fresh batteries for power chairs. More info at
triumph-foundation.org.
If you know of any others, or have more info about what's listed here, please contact me to update when I repost this next. For questions and comments, message @themightyjohn or email wheelieoutthere@gmail.com.
