Allows for positioning and safety not possible with standard beds. There are basically three (3) types of hospital beds available for home use: Semi-Electric Beds – allow for raising and lowering the head and the knee break through the use of an automatic hand-held control. Raising the entire bed height is accomplished through use of a manual crank. Manual Beds – allow for raising and lowering the head of the bed and the knee break through the use of a manual crank. Full or half-side rails are available. Full-Electric Beds – allow for the raising and lowering functions of the head and knee break, and the entire bed height adjustment is operated by a hand-held control.

Blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg.

The least expensive type of chair available, an institutional chair, is designed for institutional usage only, such as transporting patients in hospitals or nursing homes. It is not an appropriate alternative for anyone who requires independent movement, as the institutional chair is not fitted for a specific individual. These types of chairs are now also used as rental chairs and by commercial enterprises (such as grocery stores and airports) for temporary use.

Power lift chairs gently move the person to a standing, seated, or reclined position.

The most popular type of wheelchair for everyday use for a person with good upper body mobility is the lightweight manual wheelchair. Lightweight chairs provide maximum independence of movement with a minimum of effort. Many active wheelchair users also prefer the sportier look of the lightweights compared with the more standard-looking everyday chair. It should be noted, however, that heavy or obese persons may be unable to use these types of chairs because the lighter weight of the frame results in a reduced user capacity as compared to standard everyday chairs. Once used primarily by wheelchair athletes, the lightweight chair today is used by people in virtually all walks of life as a preferred mode of assisted mobility. Three-wheeled chairs, also developed for such sports as tennis and basketball, are also an everyday chair alternative.

A chronic, potentially debilitating disease that affects your brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). The illness is probably an autoimmune disease, which means your immune system responds as if part of your body is a foreign substance. In MS, your body directs antibodies and white blood cells against proteins in the myelin sheath surrounding nerves in your brain and spinal cord. This causes inflammation and injury to the sheath and ultimately to your nerves. The result may be multiple areas of scarring (sclerosis). The damage slows or blocks muscle coordination, visual sensation, and other nerve signals. The disease varies in severity, ranging from a mild illness to one that results in permanent disability. Treatments can modify the course of the disease and relieve symptoms. An estimated 400,000 Americans have MS. It generally first occurs in people between the ages of 20 and 50. The disease is twice as common in women as in men.

A group of rare inherited muscle diseases in which muscle fibers are unusually susceptible to damage. Muscles, primarily your voluntary muscles, become progressively weaker. In the late stages of muscular dystrophy, fat and connective tissue often replace muscle fibers. In some types of muscular dystrophy, heart muscles, other involuntary muscles and other organs are affected. There are many forms of muscular dystrophy, some noticeable at birth (congenital muscular dystrophy), others in adolescence (Becker MD), but the 3 most common types are Duchenne, facioscapulohumeral, and myotonic. The various types of the disease affect more than 50,000 Americans. There’s no cure, but medications and therapy can slow the course of the disease.

A type of inhaler that provides a fine mist of medication to the lungs. This is performed by breathing the medicated mist through a mouthpiece or mask attached to the nebulizer device, which is driven via a plastic tubing, attached to the compressor unit. The medications used in nebulizers help you by loosening the mucus in the lungs so it can be coughed out more easily, and by relaxing the airways so that more air can move in and out of the lungs. Nebulizer treatments take approximately 15 minutes to deliver the medication and are prescribed by your physician.

Also known as wound V.A.C therapy, this device uses negative pressure through a controlled suction to close large wounds and promote faster healing. This patented, FDA-approved device is composed of a sophisticated pump, hoses, and monitoring system held within a portable compact case weighing less than 20 pounds. It is recognized as an advanced line therapy alternative for patients when traditional dressing changes are not effective. It is a method that is considered among recovering patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and other home health care settings. It meets the needs of most cost-effective modalities and an estimated 5 million American patients suffering from chronic or acute wounds.

A disease in which the density and quality of bone are reduced, leading to weakness of the skeleton and increased risk of fracture, particularly of the spine, wrist, hip, pelvis, and upper arm. Osteoporosis and associated fractures are an important cause of mortality and morbidity.
In many affected people, bone loss is gradual and without warning signs until the disease is advanced. Osteoporosis is also known as “the silent crippler” because a person usually doesn’t know they have it until it’s too late. Unfortunately, in many cases, the first real “symptom” is a broken bone. Loss of height – with gradual curvature of the back (caused by vertebral compression fractures) may be the only physical sign of osteoporosis.

In the United States, osteoporosis causes more than 1.5 million fractures every year — most of them in the spine, hip, or wrist. And although it’s often thought of as a women’s disease, osteoporosis affects many men as well. About 8 million American women and 2 million American men have osteoporosis, and nearly 18 million more Americans may have low bone density. Even children aren’t immune.