Lending Closets Offer Free Medical Equipment

When John Chapman, 79, of Philadelphia was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease five years ago, his doctor told him and his wife, Nancy, that John might eventually need assistive equipment to get around the house.

Today, John uses a Hoyer lift to get in and out of bed, a sock aid, and a sit-to-stand device—all free of charge from his hospital's lending closet. “The hospital would even have delivered the equipment, but we were so grateful, I just loaded up the car each time and had a chance to say thank you,” says Nancy.

After Neil Kritz's father died, his mother, who has Alzheimer's disease, went to live with him in the Washington, D.C., area. Within a few days of arriving, she fell and needed a wheelchair temporarily to rest a bruised leg. Kritz, 64, knew just where to turn: Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington, an organization serving the Jewish community in the area that has a lending shed. He reserved a chair online, signed a required waiver, and picked up the chair. “My years of volunteering for the organization meant that I knew how to make the request, where to go, and how to transport it,” says Kritz.

Lending closets are available at many hospitals, churches, firehouses, and senior centers. They offer donated equipment such as wheelchairs, canes, crutches, and shower/bathtub transfer chairs for free or at very low cost.

Some closets, like Bikur Cholim's, lend only to certain populations. The Healthy Aging Lending Closet, for instance, serves people with a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood who live in the Choctaw Nation area of Oklahoma. Betty Wharton, the director of the program, mentions a Choctaw member recovering from a stroke who recently borrowed a hospital bed. “His doctor contacted us,” she says. “The patient had no resources and would not have had access to the hospital bed without the loan program.”

Most programs, however, are open to anyone. Although no national directory exists, an internet search for “medical equipment loans” will bring up nearby programs. Or contact the local government agency on aging or call 211 or 311. And many health care providers are aware of such programs; Laurie Hasbrook, manager of the Heart-to-Heart Medical Equipment Lending Closet at St. Gertrude Catholic Church in Chicago, says she gets calls from home health aides, physical and occupational therapists, insurance caseworkers, and hospital and senior-home social workers. Patient advocacy groups are also a good resource, says Michelle Fredrick, manager of equipment and assistive technology for the ALS Association in Overland Park, KS.

Before borrowing, talk to a health care professional about what equipment you might need, advises Fredrick. “Having a professional look at your home setup can help with selecting appropriate equipment as well,” she says, adding that the lending program may have access to a professional who can give advice. Also, bear in mind that Medicare covers the cost of any type of wheelchair only every five years, so Fredrick recommends that people with degenerative disorders borrow manual wheelchairs in the early stages of a disease. Then, as their conditions progress, they can use Medicare to purchase power chairs. Check with your insurer or Medicare about coverage for a wheelchair cushion that provides additional support and reduces the risk of sores.

When arranging to borrow from a lending closet, be sure to ask if the equipment requires any special setup or training. Also ask about the organization's policies on delivering, inspecting, repairing, and cleaning items, and how long you can keep them. Some programs lend items indefinitely, others for only a few months, especially if you have insurance coverage.

Photograph the items you borrow, documenting any scratches or other wear and tear that existed when you received them. If what you borrowed doesn't work as anticipated, contact the program—it may have an alternate item or additional information or training that could resolve the problem.

Keep any manuals or instructions in a safe place so you can return them with the equipment. “Clean the item before returning and be sure that you have all the original parts,” says Jill McClure, a senior helpline information specialist at the Parkinson's Foundation. If you lose the instructions, print out a new set (from the manufacturer's website) and hand that in when you return the equipment, McClure advises.

If you travel, you may be able to find a loan program at your destination. Travelers to Israel, for example, often leave motorized wheelchairs and scooters at home and rely on an organization called Yad Sarah, with branches in several cities. The program—like some in the United States—requires a deposit, which is returned or can be donated to the group when you bring the items back. Yad Sarah was the inspiration for Wheel It Forward, a recently launched loan program serving parts of Connecticut and New York.