Daily Living Blog

Going Beyond Mobility By Providing Daily Living Products For Aging Seniors

May 9, 2011 on 11:20 am | In Uncategorized | No Comments

Introducing our New Online Senior Living Store: http://www.SeniorLivingStore.Com
Kansas City, Mo. – Homecare Suppliers, LLC, an online provider of home mobility equipment for senior-age adults, has reached agreements with Drive Medical, Clarke Healthcare, Sammons Preston and Independence Medical to distribute each companies’ daily living products via its new online store – www.SeniorLivingStore.com.

Homecare Suppliers is a leader in the home medical equipment industry. The privately held company is dedicated to providing a new level of service, technology and convenience for consumers researching and purchasing daily living and mobility products online.

“Our team has consistently shown that we are dedicated to delivering the highest level of service to our customers,” said Pam Billings, Director of Operations and Services. “We not only work hand-in-hand with our customers to find them products that work for their situation, we also are dedicated to finding the most innovative and ideal products to aid in any given situation.”

Homecare Suppliers has been at the forefront of home health equipment since 2005 when they launched the mobility side of their company, which features stairlifts, wheelchair lifting devices, bathlifts and ramps. As they have seen transitions in the market, they have added different features and products to their company.
“We saw a great need for daily living products when we were assisting our customer with their stairlift and mobility needs. We heard their frustrations and began carrying a few products to help them. Overtime, we realized that we were going out of our way to find products for them that we weren’t even carrying, this birthed a desire to do more for them,” said Billings.

The Senior Living Store features products that aid those that face a multitude of challenges in their daily life as they age. With the ever-increasing rise in seniors suffering from Alzheimer, Stroke, Cancer, Arthritis, and dexterity problems, Homecare Suppliers has not only increased their product line but also their resource database. Since 2009, they have provided a resource list as well as articles on their blog to aid consumers in getting reliable information, support and product reviews.

The Web site – www.seniorlivingstore.com – features a range of Web enhancements that allow customers to easily navigate the site as well as to research and purchase senior-age daily living products. Site highlights include easy-to-use navigation, strong visual images and content, product photo galleries and site search functionality. In addition to its Web site, the company also maintains a toll-free phone number to assist customers at 888-252-2205.

About Homecare Suppliers, LLC
Homecare Suppliers is a privately held company that operates two e-commerce Web sites. The company is dedicated to providing a new level of service and technology for consumers researching and buying daily living and mobility products online. They are headquartered outside of Kansas City, Missouri and have dealers who sell and install their products throughout the continental United States. Their websites are located at www.buyastairlift.com and www.seniorlivingstore.com.

Contact:
Pam Billings, 816-525-2205
pbillings@buyastairlift.com
Source: Homecare Suppliers, LLC

Used Stairlifts

April 20, 2011 on 3:01 pm | In Articles, Stair Lifts | No Comments

Homecare Suppliers gets calls a couple of times a week asking what to do with a stairlift that is no longer needed. This is a common question after a loved one moves to a nursing home or passes away. As the family faces the challenges of taking care of the home, they find themselves looking at this unique piece of equipment. Oftentimes they don’t even know what it is called – lift chair, stair chair, stair or chair glide.

What they discover next is that they don’t know where to go to “get rid of the unit”. So they find us online or in the phone book and call us. They are headed in the right direction. Many dealers do not buy back used units, even if they sold it to the customer. Homecare Suppliers is quite different in that we do try to offer this service to our local customers, if our inventory is not full. For those that live outside of our service area, we explain that it would not be cost effective for them to send the unit to us as they would have to pay the shipping fee and that would cancel out any money they would potentially make selling us the unit.

Since this is a common conversation, we have created a list of recommended steps they can take to get “rid of the unit”. We thought we’d share that list with you today, should you find yourself needing to remove and dispose of a used stairlift.

First, figure out what kind of stair lift it is. If you have the original purchase receipt, it should tell you the make and model as well as provide you with the Dealer’s contact information. If you do not have this, you can inspect the unit to see who the manufacturer is. Most manufacturers have identifiers on the chassis, either on the outside or inside of the unit. Once you locate that, you will want to write down all the information as well as a description of the unit: straight or curved, battery or electric run, and the age (or approximate age) of the unit.

If you know who sold the unit originally to your loved one, call them to ask if they have a buy-back or used stairlift program. Please keep in mind that the buy-back amount will be significantly less than the purchase price. This could be do to many factors including model, age, use, wear & tear, lack of warranty as well as the original stairlift price might have included installation fees.

If you do not know the original dealer, you can call the manufacturer to see if there is a stairlift dealer in your area. You do not have to contact the actual dealer to get a buy-back offer – we occasionally purchase units we did not originally sell. You can also look in the yellow pages under medical supply companies, stair lifts, or mobility products to find a stairlift dealer. Some local companies do purchase used units as they market them to their local customers at a discounted rate.

If you cannot find a local dealer that does buy backs, then your next step is two-fold. First, find out how much of a deduction you would get for donating the unit to a non-profit that helps those with disabilities or those who are aging; Second, make a list of area places to advertise the sale of the unit. Decide which is more cost and time effective for you.

You may find that it may be less of a hassle and more of a blessing to donate the unit to a worthy cause. Some places to consider are your local Muscular Dystrophy or Cerebal Palsy nonprofit (there are many people with MS or CP who are unable to afford a stairlift), as well as brain trauma or stroke support groups. Additionally, some smaller churches often know of members who have mobility issues or who would like to have the unit for their congregation.

If you are set upon selling the unit, then you might want to list it on www.craigslist.org, which is a free service. You might list your desired price as well as a note that you will consider “or best offer” (OBO). Keep in mind that if you list the amount that your loved one paid for the unit, you will probably not get any takers; be fair in your estimation and make sure to take pictures to post with your description. You can also contact your local penny pincher paper or city newspaper, but those charge money for the ad.

If you have found our article and are in the market for a used unit, we would like to caution you to buy from a reputable dealer or seller. If you are purchasing from Craig’s List we recommend that you ensure that the unit is a working unit prior to the purchase (hopefully they have not taken the unit out of the house and you can see it working). Additionally, some units should not be installed by anyone other than a licensed installer as they have parts, components and circuit boards that can be damaged if installed or uninstalled improperly. We further caution you to use care, common sense, and caution if purchasing from an individual you do not know that you have found through an online advertisement site or in the paper.

Homecare Suppliers, LLC is a nationwide provider of Home Medical and Mobility Equipment. We sell new and re-certified stairlift units throughout the United States. We sell used units as well as having a rent-to-own program for those in the Kansas City metropolitan and surrounding areas. If you have any other questions, please contact us at 888-252-2205. Our website is http://www.buyastairlift.com.

Limitless Living – A Closer Look

March 29, 2011 on 1:48 pm | In Articles, Feature Story - Daily Living | No Comments

I am the mother of two. I assisted my mother in being a caregiver to my father while he struggled with a fatal disease. I help people every day to deal with mobility issues and questions on caregiving. I thought it would be a while before I became the person in need of caregiving. You know that old saying that doctors make the worst patients, well it is true. I am now the advisor that has become the advisee.

I have lost the use of my right arm. I am hoping that this is a temporary situation that will last just a few weeks. However, no one can give me a definitive answer on recovery time. I have been seen by two doctors in the span of 72 hours, with additional appointments scheduled in the days to come. The only information that I have ascertained is that I am a woman in my forties with a healthy appetite and a pleasant disposition! I read both of my medical charts. When a doctor says you have a healthy appetite, should you be offended? I digress, my apologies. Since I became injured during a marathon training session, I am going to choose to focus on the pleasant disposition part!

As the Director of Operations for Homecare Suppliers, I often perform awareness seminars to educate people on the various products that can assist with making an individual’s life limitless. I am constantly surprised by the new daily living products that exist. However, as a result of my current injury, I now have a greater appreciation for many of these products, including the bendable spoon and fork. Since I am right handed, I thought that the only limitation would be typing and writing. How wrong I was. There are so many things that require the use of two hands. I am unable to wash my own hair. I cannot put deodorant on the left side. I have great difficulty with curling or blow drying my hair. It requires two hands to put on socks and tie my shoes. It requires two hands to lift something into or out of the microwave, unless I want to live on popcorn alone.

How long I will be immobile is yet to be determined. But, I am assured I will eventually have the use of my right arm again.

I believe that there are daily lessons that we must learn in life. Right now, I think that my lessons are patience and pride. An additional lesson that has become very clear to me is the importance of support. I am very fortunate to have people around me that are more than willing to help. I am blessed that they are ready whether asked or not. I firmly believe that everyone can find someone to help them. It may just be a matter of getting past your pride, inhibitions or worries and asking for help.

In spite of this injury, I know that I will take each lesson I am learning and turn it into something that can assist others. I have listed below some contact information and various resource links to assist you in finding the assistance you may need to live life unlimited!

Helper/Assistance (Click on the link to find available resources)
Senior Helpers – A network of Senior Helper Program across the US.
Home Health – Home Health is not just for seniors, but also anyone recovering from an injury. While this list is for medicare approved, it is a good place to start even if you are paying out of your pocket.

Homecare Suppliers Resource Lists
Disability Resources
Daily Living Related Resources Lists
Making Your Home Safe Resources

I’d like to add that one important resource which is often forgotten or not mentioned is mental and spiritual help experts. Depression is a normal reaction for someone facing a physical limitation. Seek out a person from your church, a support group or a professional counselor. It is okay to be sad. Just don’t let the sadness drown you, and don’t allow the depression to control you.

Pam Billings
Director of Operations
Homecare Suppliers, LLC

After The Stroke

March 16, 2011 on 11:54 am | In Articles, Resources | No Comments

Sarah woke up to the phone ringing. It was her brother, Mark, on the phone. Why was he calling at 4:30 in the morning? Had something happened? Her heart began to race as she reached for the phone.

“Sis, mom has had a stroke. We’re at the hospital right now. Things don’t look good.”

“I’m on my way,” Sarah said as she began grabbing things to get to the hospital.

The prognosis was not good. Their mother had a Ischemic stroke from an obstruction in her artery. Her left side was paralyzed. The nurses were focusing on getting her comfortable and hydrated while her doctor ran some other tests. She’d be in the hospital for a few days while they assessed the situation and decided on a treatment plan. There was a bit of concern because she’d suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure for the last several years which seemed to have been factors that led to the stroke.

“What is the next step?” Sarah asked her brother.

“I have no idea,” Mark muttered pensively.

Over 795,000 people suffer from a stroke each year. Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. Sarah and Mark are just one of the many families caring for a loved one who has been affected by a stroke.

Their question was, “where do we go from here?” While the hospital and its staff make their recommendations for the patient, families are often left trying to figure out how to adjust to these new challenges. Often times the patient will have also have various mobility and accessibility issues that were not present before the stroke.

Just today, we at Homecare Suppliers received a call from a family whose mother had suffered a stroke. Their questions were very much similiar to that of Mark and Sarah.

“She has a two-story house, how will she navigate the stairs? Will she be in a wheelchair or be able to use a walker and if so, is there enough clearance in the house so she can get around? Who will get her mail for her and do the grocery shopping? How will she take a bath or shower? What will private insurance or medicare cover after a stroke? How much out of pocket expenses are we looking at?”

These are just a few of the questions we have been asked by loved ones. Sometimes, they are so overwhelmed by the circumstances and filled with concern that they forget to ask the doctor for recommendations. Othertimes, they get information overload from the hospital, the doctors, the rehabilitation centers and their support system as they face the next weeks and months. However, over time, their questions become more narrowed as they face each obstacle and issue.

To aid all the Mark and Sarah’s, the sons and daughters, of those affected by stroke and illness that limit mobility, there are thankfully numerous websites, books and materials available. The world wide web has over 7.3 million websites that touch on what to do when your loved one suffers a stroke.

And while we don’t want to add to that HUGE number of resources, we do want to make it a little simpler to get some of the answers to the questions we hear often. We are highlighting some invaluable resources that may help as you face the day-to-day affects of a stroke.

The American Heart Association has information to aid in understanding many aspects of a stroke as well as direction for caregivers including resources.
The Internet Stroke Center also provides additional information to understanding all aspects as well as a plethora of resource links to aid caregivers. This is a wonderful resource to keep in your favorites.
Care.com gives you some personal guidance on how to help your loved one as they face the affects of a stroke.
Homecare Suppliers, LLC Stairlifts - we can walk you through the process of purchasing and/or renting a stair lift for your loved one. Often times many people do not even know that there is a way to get up the stairs and resort to googling “help parent get up the stairs after stroke”. Or they try to find a chair lift – while stairlifts can be referred to as this – this often directs them to a liftchair which is a reclining chair that lifts the user up so they may stand. A stair lift is a lifting device that is attached to the stairs and allows the user to ride up the stairs.
Homecare Suppliers, LLC Bathlifts – There are many options available right now for aiding with bath and shower needs. Walgreens and CVS carry an affordable line of shower chairs. There is also the option of purchasing a bath lift. While a bathlift is more expensive than a shower chair, often times, due to physical challenges, the user needs something that will lift them down into the tub and allow them to remain stationary while the caregiver bathes them. In this case, a bathlift is ideal.
AgingCare.com has a some wonderful articles about assisting your parents with their finances.
Stroke Information.net also has some financial resources to aid loved ones after a stroke.

Of course, we always recommend that you check your area resources for support and assistance. Often times the Area Agency on Aging as well as AARP can assist with information and resources as you traverse through these new waters. Additionally, the local American Heart Association and/or Stroke Association may be able to assist you.

Homecare Suppliers, LLC is a nationwide provider of mobility and accessibility products. They are active contributors to the community providing awareness campaigns and resources. To find out more about them visit http://www.buyastairlift.com/ or call toll free 888-252-2205.

My Story – Step By Step

January 25, 2011 on 6:12 pm | In Articles, Feature Story - Daily Living, Seniors | 2 Comments

Homecare Suppliers, LLC is a nationwide home medical provider specializing in mobility products. Therefore, most of our articles on this blog are from our perspective as the provider of stair lifts, bath lifts and daily living accessibility products. However, as we enter into our sixth year in this industry, we felt we should share some of the stories of those who we’ve met who have been affected by mobility issues.

Thus, begins our newest series on our Daily Living Blog – “My Story”. In the next couple of months, we will be sharing individual snapshots into the lives of those who have been affected by mobility. We hope that you will not only see their struggles, but their character and their victories as they step out to living a life unlimited!

Patricia Wayman is 71 years old and lives in Enid, Oklahoma. She is currently recovering from a stroke.

For over 20 years Pat was very active in the real estate industry, having obtained both her real estate and broker’s licenses. She and her husband were also builders in between their other jobs, working evenings and weekends to build duplexes and homes. Pat was extremely active in every phase of the homes built, managing them from design to completion. She even participated in the physical aspects of building by assisting with hardscapes, landscaping and interior design. All the while, she and her husband supported and grew their blended family of 9 children.

By age 56, Pat was semi-retired. She and her husband moved out west to fulfill a dream – panning for gold. She thoroughly enjoyed her time there. She remembers climbing and exploring the mountains alone, venturing into many remote areas. This at times proved to be slightly dangerous, yet she overcame many a tricky situation as she pursued her love of finding unusual rocks, gold and cactus plants.

After their adventures living in Arizona and California, she and her husband returned to Oklahoma and built a home on Grand Lake, so they could fish and enjoy lakefront living. However, during that time, she suffered from Guillain-Barre Syndrome. She was 59 and gravely ill. It caused paralysis and many physical complications. She truly believes it was “through the grace of God, physical therapy and her own determination,” that she was able to survive. While, her flexibility was never the same and she walked more slowly, she continued to live an active lifestyle. She even became the primary caregiver of 3 very young grandchildren while their parents were away.

In August of 2006, at 66, Pat had a massive coronary heart attack. Again, she found herself fighting for her life. Despite the grave prognosis upon arriving at the hospital in Enid, Oklahoma, she survived a 5-bypass surgery. During the surgery, the doctors realized that the veins in her legs were not sufficient to complete the by-pass. They were forced to make some hard decisions including whether or not to amputate her right leg. She explains that the surgeons performed a “axillo-bilateral femoral graft using a specialized plastic tube that they ran down the right side, thus keeping her leg.” It was supposed to allow the blood to flow to her right foot, but would later prove to cause a lack of blood flow to her left foot and cause pain throughout her right leg.

During that time, she says, “I had intense pain from the incisions that went from my ankles to thigh as well as severe bed sores and a dropped toe.” She was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks before they moved her to a nursing home for an extended period of time. She then had physical therapy, wound care treatment and later home health visits.

But the battles did not end. In the fall of 2007, her dropped toe caused her to fall and break the humerus in her right arm. The doctors advised that because of her other health issues, it would be too dangerous to do surgery. Day by day with the help of physical therapy and her own diligence, she began to recover some mobility. With the aid of a walker, bathlift, bathroom stability devices and daily living products, Pat continued to live as active a lifestyle as possible. During her recovery, she would venture out to the grounds of the church behind her home to take walks – working up from a few steps to 200ft then 400ft until she was able to walk to the end of the street and back. Throughout this time she also continued to be a source of strength for her family. During the Holidays, she cooked a huge feast for everyone with all the trimmings – pressing through the pain in her arm and leg to continue with the family traditions.

“Every morning I hoped to get better,” she explained. “My good leg hurt like crazy, I had so many things that happened. But for my kids mainly was what I thought about. I always wanted to go on for them. Because they were really all I had. I never knew love except through them and God. Knowing that, I just had to get better.” Her healing was slow and arduous with several illnesses and injuries hindering her recovery.

In January, Patricia found herself doing what she always does, taking care of another. She ventured out to make a place for a stray momma cat and her kittens because she’d heard that extreme low temperatures were coming. In the cold of the evening she suffered a stroke, her bad leg sliding out from under her. Stunned, she found her leg twisted up beneath her and she was on the ground. She was freezing in her night clothes. She called out for help but no one heard. For over an hour she struggled to get up or get help. At that point she realized she was going to have to somehow force her body to move, knowing it would hurt beyond belief, she was finally able to pull herself up. “It was the grace of God that somehow helped me to get up and get out of the cold and get help,” she says.

Pat was taken to the hospital. She was informed that she had indeed suffered a stroke. The surgery that would be typically recommended in this type of situation, was determined to not be an option for her. Her surgeons informed her last week after their final tests that her carotid arteries were significantly blocked and that any surgery would be too dangerous at this point. She was released to go home.

She continues to have pain in her legs and now has limited mobility to the right side of her body including dexterity issues with her hand. “You go through the pain so long and you try everything in the world and nothing can help it. And then they tell you that you have Critical Limb Ischemia and there is nothing they can do. No operations. You just have to go on,” she states.

Today, Pat awoke knowing that she can and will go on in spite of the suffering that she endures. As we speak, she answers the door to greet her neighbor. She daily chooses to reach out to those who come into her life. She offers wisdom to her children when they call. She continues to feed the family of stray kittens that find their way to her door. Her daughter now checks in on her every day. Her neighbor ensures that she has what she needs. Her other children call and visit as often as possible. Pat takes it one day at a time, step by step!

“I pray every morning that I will never have another stroke,” she explains. “I don’t know if I will be here the next day or not. Half the time I’m scared and the other half the time I’m praying and I find peace.”

Patricia Wayman is just one of millions of Americans affected by mobility issues. While she is not able to do fully what she used to do, she understands she is blessed with what she can do today. She is able to live independently with the help of her family and the mobility devices she uses.

Homecare Suppliers, LLC is a nationwide provider of Home Medical Equipment. Our headquarters are in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Our website is http://www.buyastairlift.com.

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