I hear you. I am beginning the process and I am dismayed at the limited choices I will have. I need a high end chair, tilt and recline, leg lifts, chin controller on a collar and at least enough clearance To roll over a threshold-it's like asking for the Moon. J
Any ideas guys? Oh, and the kicker is I don't want six wheels. Now I need a blue Moon! But seriously, I only have Medicare based on my age and they do not consider me disabled as I have never gotten a wheelchair through them. I purchased my last chair privately. So before I could even apply for a chair I had to have my Dr. Certifies that yes I am indeed a C4 quadriplegic, permanent to all intents and purposes. Thank goodness my Dr. Is very patient. Then another complication is that there are only two providers who can deal with my level of injury and one of them is out of the question as a provider. There are no qualified seating specialists in the Northern Nevada area, and only two therapists who have fitted any one of my level. I don't really feel super confident that I will get fitted correctly. So we shall see how it goes. I do wish I could go to California to go to Santa Clara to get fitted correctly but it does not work across state lines evidently. Joan From: Dan [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2012 2:23 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] posture It would be nice if it was that easy to access qualified therapists. 11 years ago when I got a new chair I had a team of excellent therapists fit me to the chair. They made sure all the adaptations and adjustments were made. However, things have drastically changed over the past 10 years. Medicare who is my primary payer has cut back tremendously on what it will cover. I'm trying to buy a new chair which is exactly the same make and model of my previous chair which Medicare covered. This time Medicare will not pay for it as it is now considered a high end chair. A high-end chair is one that is built well enough to use inside as well as outside without breaking down. Not only do they not cover the chair, but my excellent staff that fitted me to my last chair the longer accepts Medicare because they have reduced their reimbursement to such an extent. So, what's a person to do? Dan At 04:23 PM 2/7/2012, [email protected] said something that elicited my response: Greetings Glen, I would ask that you consider a seating and positioning evaluation to correct the seat and position issues. Occupational Therapist with certification in Positioning are used with Techs to achieve the best position. Sometimes its the seat. With others its the upper AB supports. Poorly fitted equipment and accessories can cause damage to your injury with rubbing and skin breakdown too. Some posture can be controlled but not cured, depending on various needs and requirements. Best Wishes In a message dated 2/7/2012 12:05:30 P.M. Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Hello all, Does anyone use foam or other means to correct bad posture when setting? My posture when sitting is very very poor and I lean badly to the right. I can start sitting fairly decent, but during the day my hip migrates to the left and my posture gets even worse. Would like to hear any ideas. Glenn Henry " You are not enclosed within your bodies; nor confined to houses and fields. That which is you dwells above the mountain and roves with the wind." Kahlil Gibran
