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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsI don't understand why those walk-in tubs are marketed just to seniors
Whenever I see an ad on tv for those walk in tubs (even without the jets) I want one. I understand the safety selling point - eliminating falls and making it easier for those with limited mobility to use a bath tub - but honestly, they should be standard everywhere.
I want one - I always struggle to climb out of the tub and I bet our dogs would be more receptive to getting a bat in one of those (plus harder for them to jump out)
siligut
(12,272 posts)I agree about the convenience, so the only reason they aren't standard may be because the seal gets old and has to be replaced or they leak.
Bruce Wayne
(692 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)siligut
(12,272 posts)But very funny
Purveyor
(29,876 posts)wait for the thing to fill with water.
siligut
(12,272 posts)I hadn't thought of that.
Purveyor
(29,876 posts)siligut
(12,272 posts)If you don't absolutely need one, they are just a pain-in-the-ass
marzipanni
(6,011 posts)Some, anyway, have two drains and a pump to get rid of the water faster... and safety (anti) suction so you don't get stuck to the drain!
quakerboy
(13,920 posts)being so slow as to be a problem for the people using them. Granted those people had an aid who used the filling time to use the sprayer and wash their back or hair or whathave you that stay up out of the water.
I never noticed draining to be an issue either. My memory has them draining fairly quickly, not any slower than my current tub. Though our drains are a bit slow here, anyway.
applegrove
(118,622 posts)apparently. You can't open the door until all the water has drained away. And how does two drain holes help speed things up if you still only have one pipe?
Response to applegrove (Reply #6)
Tesha This message was self-deleted by its author.
nadine_mn
(3,702 posts)oh well I still want one
Moondog
(4,833 posts)dmallind
(10,437 posts)Chan790
(20,176 posts)A full-grown adult would have issues climbing out over the sides which can be as tall as 4' (there's a bench-seat inside at normal seating height), a small child likely would have no chance.
Chan790
(20,176 posts)not really my thing but I still hear about it from time to time as I have friends in the sex-work industry. They modify them to drain faster, time-is-money.
nadine_mn
(3,702 posts)I am starting to feel silly even posting my desire for one
Chan790
(20,176 posts)I mean it's your bathtub to use as you see fit, don't sweat what other people do with it. If you have kids, watch them around it...nobody leaves children unattended in the bathtub anyways; we've all heard too many horror stories. And clearly they can be modified to drain faster, just ask your plumber how.
Never feel silly about what you want in life. You're the one who has to live it.
nolabear
(41,959 posts)so much the better!
csziggy
(34,136 posts)If they can classify them as medical devices, Medicare and insurance will pay for them.
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,338 posts)You must not need one. They are great, for those who need them.
csziggy
(34,136 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,681 posts)My dad would have been totally stuck in his apartment at the old folks' home if he hadn't had one. He wouldn't even have been able to get meals in the dining room without it. That thing preserved his mobility and kept him healthier for many months. In many cases, like my dad's, they are appropriately classified as medical devices and should be covered by Medicare or insurance for those who can't otherwise afford them (they aren't cheap).
csziggy
(34,136 posts)In my opinion. The companies that push them and guarantee that they can get them for people with no out of pocket cost or they will give the chairs for free have got to be pretty sure they've got the Medicare and insurance racket down pat to make that claim.
I'm glad your father got his chair. Since I am currently (and hopefully temporarily) mobility impaired, I understand the limitation of not being able to get around.
Since I should be able to be more mobile once I get knee replacement (I see the surgeon on Monday to find out how soon) I don't qualify for a free scooter or chair, but currently I can't walk far enough to go grocery shopping. Last fall when I was planning to go to a seminar, I had reserved a scooter to lease for the week, but then found a used one on Craig's List for just over the lease price.
The guy who was selling the scooter used insurance to get it and paid nothing. He was selling it since he had just gotten on Medicare and they offered to upgrade him to a power chair. He was more mobile than I am - I couldn't keep up with him.
But there is more than just that one anecdote:
San Antonio Business Journal
Date: Friday, April 29, 2005
The U.S. Justice Department on Friday filed a lawsuit against The Scooter Store Inc. alleging the power-wheelchair distributor bilked Medicare.
The lawsuit claims The Scooter Store engaged in a nationwide practice of making misrepresentations to Medicare beneficiaries and their doctors about obtaining reimbursements from the government for power wheelchairs as opposed to less expensive scooters.
Specifically, lawyers for the government say the company was involved in a mass marketing campaign to sell equipment to Medicare patients. Attorneys say that once potential customers called the company's toll-free number, employees falsely told patients that Medicare would only pay for a more expensive power wheelchair.
As a result, Justice Department officials claim Medicare and Medicaid paid more for more expensive equipment than customers needed. Government attorneys do not have an exact dollar amount the government paid for fraudulent reimbursements. However, The Scooter Store has billed Medicare for claims worth more than $400 million since 1997, according to the lawsuit.
The Justice Department filed the lawsuit in federal court in San Antonio under the False Claims Act.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2005/04/25/daily39.html
Buyers got pricey model that insurance paid for
The Columbus Dispatch Monday March 2, 2009 5:51 AM
<SNIP>
Airing in central Ohio from 2002 to 2005, the ad DiBerardino and thousands of others answered touted the "power chair scooter," a term coined by Worthington businessman Michael Ross Cowen. The phrase describes a hybrid of two types of mobility chairs, a light and portable "scooter," and a "power chair" designed for in-home use.
The wording was intended to confuse customers into thinking they were getting a lightweight model and doctors into prescribing the larger, heavier power chairs, according to state and federal investigators.
Cowen, 51, made millions of dollars selling heavy chairs designed for people who are severely disabled to people who thought they were buying lighter chairs designed to help them get around. Last week, he pleaded guilty to two of 34 criminal charges in a Virginia courtroom. The former New Albany resident could face up to 15 years in prison when sentenced in April.
His Worthington company, Active Solutions, sought out the elderly and disabled, people such as DiBerardino, promising them that Medicare and Medicaid insurance would cover the chair's cost.
Airing in central Ohio from 2002 to 2005, the ad DiBerardino and thousands of others answered touted the "power chair scooter," a term coined by Worthington businessman Michael Ross Cowen. The phrase describes a hybrid of two types of mobility chairs, a light and portable "scooter," and a "power chair" designed for in-home use.
The wording was intended to confuse customers into thinking they were getting a lightweight model and doctors into prescribing the larger, heavier power chairs, according to state and federal investigators.
Cowen, 51, made millions of dollars selling heavy chairs designed for people who are severely disabled to people who thought they were buying lighter chairs designed to help them get around. Last week, he pleaded guilty to two of 34 criminal charges in a Virginia courtroom. The former New Albany resident could face up to 15 years in prison when sentenced in April.
His Worthington company, Active Solutions, sought out the elderly and disabled, people such as DiBerardino, promising them that Medicare and Medicaid insurance would cover the chair's cost.
<SNIP>
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2009/03/02/wheelman.ART_ART_03-02-09_B1_UGD356P.html
By Kelly Kennedy, USA TODAY
Posted 7/12/2011 7:27:53 PM |
WASHINGTON The federal government is cracking down on medical-equipment providers who either overcharge Medicare for motorized wheelchairs or obtain them for people who don't need them, Medicare and Justice Department records show.
Medicare plans to almost triple the number of anti-fraud strike forces it operates nationwide, from seven to 20, U.S. Health and Human Services Department budget documents show.
So far this year, Justice has won the convictions of 16 people throughout the country who have defrauded Medicare for $57 million, records show. Another six people are being prosecuted now for running what federal prosecutors say is a nationwide ring that has bilked the government of at least $30 million.
Records from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show the cost of motorized wheelchairs to the government health service for senior citizens has risen from $259 million to $723 million, or 179%, from 1999 to 2009, the last year for which full records are available.
Advertisements for the wheelchairs, also called scooters, have exploded nationwide in recent years, as companies tout the improved mobility they provide and how Medicare, not the patients, will pay for the chairs.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2011-07-12-wheelchair-medicare-fraud_n.htm
For those who really need a mobility device, Medicare has good advice:
Medicare's Wheelchair and Scooter Benefit
http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/11046.pdf
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,681 posts)But the chairs themselves are legitimate medical devices under the appropriate circumstances. It's unfortunate that Medicare is being abused (again).