<p>My mom basically is bed laden, she cannot even tolerate to sit in a wheelchair. It is so sad. So the wheelchair van I have is basically useless. I was thinking of buying a Gurney to drive her to the doctors and perhaps around. I measure the wheelchair van and it is long enough to keep a gurney.</p>
<p>My question is, and I was told by mom’s primary doctor that I need a special license to drive with gurney, what kind of driver’s license do I need to drive a van with gurney? The gurney I have in mind has breaks, in addition, I could tie it down to the van so it won’t move.</p>
<p>Should I go ahead or just drop that idea? Need your experience and wisdom.</p>
<p>How about a reclining stretcher chair? It is on wheels that can be locked and should be easier to get in and out of your van. Some are made similar to wheel chairs with sides that can come off of the chair so that your mom chould slide from the bed to the chair easier. You would put the chair back into a reclining position and slide your mom on a draw sheet. They also have seat belts.</p>
<p>Couple questions:
Are there any doctors who home visit?<br>
If she is on a gurney, who is transporting her into an office? up stairs? elevators?
where would you take her other than doctors? Would they even accept her in an office? If she can’t get around in a wheel chair I can’t imagine where else she may even want to go.
I would drop the idea. Concentrate on finding doctors who do house calls and rely on ambulance for emergency.</p>
<p>The van is configured for an upright wheel chair, the lift is mounted on the side of the van, not in the back, so it would be difficult to convert. The gurney would have long legs and can be folded after entering the van from the back door.</p>
<p>It is sad when someone is bed ridden and can’t get out. Hopefully, she has some sort of physical therapy to keep her muscles going. These days I’d concentrate on getting some technology to keep her in touch with the outside world whether that means games she enjoys, social media, e-mail with friends. Going up and down the street with video and showing whats going on in the neighborhood is nice.</p>
<p>I looked up some chairs, Winco, makes lateral transfer and reclining chairs. These are upright reclining chairs that can open up flat and can also position the patient in a reclining or seated position. This may just fit on the van lift as you have it now depending on the dimensions of the lift. I see potential difficulties with a gurney for access into buildings, elevators, offices, etc. The chair may also be covered partially by medicare, I doubt that the gurney would be covered. Would she be covered by VNA services? A nurse could possibly home visit.</p>
<p>Does SHE want this? Or you? Two totally different animals. I totally understand wanting to transport parents around but it is not always in their best interests.</p>
<p>Well, mom has advanced Parkinson’s and she is some times dementia . I am her POA for everything, medical and financial. There is no room in the van for a reclining wheel chair, because the wheel chair must be loaded from the side and locked in parallel to the width of the van, but a gurney can be loaded from the back door, so it can be installed length wise.</p>
<p>I think the visiting doctor suggestion is the most plausible, instead of me taking her to doctors let the doctor visiting her. We are in contact with some visiting physicians. </p>
<p>However, I’d really like to take her out and see some relatives or friends, that would be a real treat for her. We had plenty of visitors, but that is different from take her out.</p>
<p>If you took her to see friends or relatives…would you wheel her into their homes on a gurney? </p>
<p>I know you think taking her out would be good…but maybe it would not be. My own mom had Parkinson’s and dementia. We got to a point when we knew that going out was too difficult…so others just had to come to visit.</p>
<p>If you really have to, must transport her, one possible option would be to call your local non- emergency medical transportation companies. They are basically state-licensed “cabs” for people in wheelchairs etc. and might be able to accommodate someone like your mom.</p>
<p>The non-emergency medical transport and house-call doctor are good ideas. My dad, God rest his soul, used the transport several times (although I’m not sure if Medicare or his insurance covered it.) My mom lives in a CCRC where the medical director also makes house calls and they just love her. Check the American Academy of Home Care Physicians website to see if there are any providers in your area. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Will this affordable? Last time, when they discharged mom from the hospital, the quote from a non-emergency medical transport provider is about $50/mile and we only live a few miles from the hospital. And of course, medicare is not going to pay for a taxi so you can visit a friend…</p>
<p>Medicare, however, will cover house call doctors.</p>
<p>Artslover…your heart is in the right place…but I’m not sure you are rationally thinking this through.</p>
<p>How much of a “visit with friends or relatives” is your mom really going to enjoy from a gurney. And how comfortable will the friends or relatives be with this arrangement?</p>
<p>Related…a gurney would require a ramp or some kind of easy access at the visitors homes. PLUS there would need to be sufficient room for this gurney. When a relative died at home, for example, we had to rearrange ALL of the living room furniture at the house so the gurney could be wheeled in. They are not tiny.</p>
<p>I live in a neighborhood which has a number of residents who use gurneys to get around. Granted, they don’t have dementia, but they wheel themselves around the neighborhood. They certainly enjoying visiting friends and relatives and they also eat in our local diner. It doesn’t have any ramp. It just has a wide (side) door. Several of them enjoy attending Little League and Youth Soccer games (which has freaked out some visiting teams.)</p>
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<p>That will vary by state. Call your local department of motor vehicles and ask. It may be that it won’t cost much if you are only transporting your mom and don’t charge her.</p>
<p>With Parkinson’s she may not know her friends. My mother didn’t recognize her children. She also halucinated a lot at the end and all kinds of people came and visited her in her mind. My sister found her a doctor who made housecalls. His entire practice was housecalls for geriatrics. At the same time, she did enjoy going for walks outdoors in a wheelchair - your mother might benefit from a neighborhood walk or just being out in the backyard. It’s mean disease that’s for sure. Best to you and your mother.</p>
<p>OP, I have used medical transport quite a lot for my dad in recent months, and it’s a life-saver. They come in, hoist him from bed into the wheelchair or gurney, and load him into the van. I don’t have to do a thing. If there are access issues, they deal with that, not me. The charge varies, but $100/round trip to the doctor is about average, maybe less. He doesn’t go out except to doctors’ appointments, so it’s not a big bite out of the budget, certainly less than purchasing a gurney would be.</p>
<p>I agree with thumper; I think you need to be realistic about how much visiting around she’s going to be doing. The logistical problems of housing a gurney and moving it around are not insignificant. And the price has got to be pretty hefty.</p>
<p>As my parents have gotten old and frail, I have learned the value of taking advantage of services that are available, rather than trying to do everything myself. You have limited time and energy and other resources. Save them for the important stuff like spending time with her, rather than wrestling with a gurney.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, your concerns are very helpful and appreciated.</p>
<p>First of all, let me describe mom’s condition. She was put into hospice in April by recommendation of doctors(and there were many) in the hospital. Miraculously, she not only survived and dismissed by the hospice after 6 month, but also her dementia was recovered to the extend that she became very alert and responsive. That is why I describe in my previous posting “Some times” dementia. She is like a cat with 9 lives, very resilient. However, she is immobile and bed laden.</p>
<p>There are a few places I’d like to take her to which I think will boost her spirit immensely.</p>
<ol>
<li>As a tradition, we visit dad’s grave every year and mom had not have a chance do it this year. Open air and sun shine will do her good.</li>
<li>I have a home which is big enough for her gurney and she would like. We have a large yard with a view she would enjoy.</li>
<li>Aunt (mom’s sister) lives in a senior housing and they have activities that mom will be able to appreciate.</li>
</ol>
<p>A gurney is NOT expensive, on Craigslist there are many for sale. One of them I called, the asking price is 400, the owner is more than happy to negotiate it down, perhaps half price? I can store the gurney in the handicapped van we specially acquired for mom.</p>
<p>We have since scheduled a home visiting physician and she was pleased to see mom in good condition. Mom has no other problems, she has advanced Parkinson’s. The physician even reduced her medication because her excellent condition.</p>
<p>I am going to call the DMV to find out how can I get a license to drive a van with a gurney.</p>