Medical Equipment Grab Bars

UMC Foundation Collects Used Medical Equipment for Charity

The foundation is requesting infant car beds, suctioning machines, bed lines, and new bed pads specifically.

Other items needed include hospital beds, shower chairs, wheelchairs, grab bars, scooters, walkers, crutches, ramps, slings, hand and ankle weights and used tennis balls.

Donated products are re-circulated to UMC patients in need referred by UMC social workers.

The UMC Foundation will pick up equipment from residential locations on July 12 and 26 from 6:30 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.

Please call Leslie Lujan at 521-7229, ext. 3083 to make arrangements for pick-up.  Equipment can also be dropped of Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at UMC Foundation offices at 1400 Hardaway, Ste 220.

Donors will receive receipts for tax-deductions.

Bridge Medical Large Telescoping Portable Grab Bar | The Best ...

After looking over several of the inexpensive portable grab bars and reading about the problems people had with them coming loose, I decided to spend the extra money on a quality product.

The Bridge medium telescoping grab bar is a HEAVY DUTY item and is extremely sturdy and solid with giant (about 4″+ diameter) suction cups. Using this on a perfectly smooth cultured marble shower, after the ends are locked down, I have been unable, despite my best efforts, to pull this thing loose, even bracing my feet against the wall and pulling with my entire body weight. The suction cups can take some doing to get loose even after the ends are unlocked!

Make no mistake: this is a premium product with a premium price, but I think you get what you pay for. One caveat is that the maximum 24″ length is measured from each end of the suction cups, so that the actual length of the usable grab bar when fully telescoped is more like about 15″.

All is all, though, I would highly recommend this item as an aid for use in any shower or bath, so long as your walls are smooth.

My father was partially disabled from a recent stroke so we want more support around the house. He really wanted to use a shower chair instead of a tub transfer bench, so we had to get something for the fiberglass shower enclosure. You aren’t supposed to drill holes in the fiberglass; they say it will leak. We first tried a $15 suction cup handle from a discount store. While I know that most of the success of a suction cup is surface preparation, and that you are only supposed to be using it for balance — a $15 unit doesn’t give me a lot of confidence. Also, it’s just a handle, not a bar. I wanted professional grade equipment.

Besides the solid huge suction cups, I like the textured plastic on the bar. Definitely not slippery and gives it a comfortable feel. I was able to install it vertically onto the fiberglass shower wall. The wall is mildly fluted about every 10″, but near the exit the wall is flatter and it works well there.

The first grab bar Amazon sent wouldn’t fit together; the spring-loaded peg wouldn’t snap into the suction cup on the non-extending end because the hole was drilled too far up. I did a free exchange with Amazon and had the same problem with the replacement. Tried to exchange again; Amazon issued a refund and said the item would be unavailable until they fixed the problem. After a couple weeks I ordered it again; same problem. I was seriously tempted to take a file to the plastic at this point, but for $100 I shouldn’t have to!

CMSA core curriculum for case management

Corporate compliance in home health, establishing a plan, managing the risks

Coping with loss of independence

Primary care geriatrics, a case-based approach

Medicare Handbook 2007