Nonprofits try to match used medical equipment with elderly in need

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I'm clearing out old papers ("fast away the old year passes&quot . In the print edition, there's a list of places that will take this stuff at the end of the article. The groups are named throughout the article online.

Perpetual circle of charity

Free to a good home: a $4,000, 250-pound hospital bed

By Tara Bahrampour August 16, 2016

@TaraBahrampour

When Steven Polansky’s father moved into an assisted-living facility in Chevy Chase, Md., in November, his family bought him a hospital bed at the request of the staff there. He died two months later at age 89, and amid all the emotions and logistics surrounding his death, there was the bed to deal with.

It was almost brand-new. And nobody would take it.

Often weighing hundreds of pounds and costing thousands of dollars, hospital beds, electric wheelchairs and other durable medical equipment can pose a problem when their owners die or no longer require them. On its face, it should be easy: Our rapidly aging population has an ongoing need for such equipment, and many families are eager to pass it on, especially when a care facility needs to quickly clear the room for another patient.

But charity organizations often have space limitations or other restrictions that make it impossible to accept the items, leaving families like Polansky’s stuck with the goods.

[ghostsinthemachine]

1. This would make a make a fantastic business, for or non

Profit. Use a warehouse for storage and have a cart person on call to fix the electronic carts and chairs. Batteries are not that expensive, sixty bucks atFrys.