Rides For Seniors
January 18, 2017 at 4:49 p.m.
By -
I keep getting fliers from KCH listing all the health care services they provide. They cover all the age groups from child care to seniors. Good for them! I think KCH provides great benefits to our community.
All of our doctors practice through the Lutheran Health System and we are very satisfied with our care.
There is a problem, however, when we need to go to Fort Wayne for a specialized test. We must provide our own transportation. There was no problem when we retired here in our 60s, but we have now reached 80. The drive for us can be stressful: Our reflexes, vision and other senses are 80, too.
If you are seriously ill or even critical, an ambulance or helicopter is called. If you are in decent health but your doctor wants a test/procedure done in Fort Wayne and not available in Warsaw, you are on your own.
I have talked about this problem with KCH personnel at the hospital, Beyer lab and the Senior Activity Center, hoping to learn of available transportation. The KCH personnel say they will bring it up at the next staff meeting, and the SAC says insurance will not cover crossing county lines. The nurses who used to run such a service have gone out of business. Neither my husband nor I have served in the Armed Forces, so those volunteers are out.
There is a fairly simple solution, albeit initially pricey. The hospital would have to provide a multipassenger van and a driver and designate a day(s) at Lutheran in Fort Wayne as Warsaw days. The doctors who come to Warsaw would be aware to have their staff schedule non-emergency tests/procedures only on that day(s). I believe this service would be tax-deductible for the hospital and might be covered by Medicare. KCH staff is familiar with filing for Medicare reimbursement and either they or Lutheran’s staff would file the forms.
For most of us seniors, getting to KCH isn’t a problem, and while we might have a wait in For Wayne for others’ testing to be done, we can always bring a book or visit the cafeteria and kill time. We would be open to paying a reasonable fee if insurance doesn’t cover it. A current employee might be interested in being a driver one day a week, or a recent retiree might want an occasional day’s work. I’m thinking cost-effective here. The driver could also be a courier for both hospitals.
I waited for the Senior Services Directory to come out just in case I was missing a service. However, everything under the “Transportation” section doesn’t qualify. If there is anyone in the area who knows of available transportation that I’ve missed, please write in to the newspaper.
It seems to me the solution I?offer would be a win for the Lutheran Health System and for seniors or others who don’t have transportation.
Mary Ann Steininger
Mentone
I keep getting fliers from KCH listing all the health care services they provide. They cover all the age groups from child care to seniors. Good for them! I think KCH provides great benefits to our community.
All of our doctors practice through the Lutheran Health System and we are very satisfied with our care.
There is a problem, however, when we need to go to Fort Wayne for a specialized test. We must provide our own transportation. There was no problem when we retired here in our 60s, but we have now reached 80. The drive for us can be stressful: Our reflexes, vision and other senses are 80, too.
If you are seriously ill or even critical, an ambulance or helicopter is called. If you are in decent health but your doctor wants a test/procedure done in Fort Wayne and not available in Warsaw, you are on your own.
I have talked about this problem with KCH personnel at the hospital, Beyer lab and the Senior Activity Center, hoping to learn of available transportation. The KCH personnel say they will bring it up at the next staff meeting, and the SAC says insurance will not cover crossing county lines. The nurses who used to run such a service have gone out of business. Neither my husband nor I have served in the Armed Forces, so those volunteers are out.
There is a fairly simple solution, albeit initially pricey. The hospital would have to provide a multipassenger van and a driver and designate a day(s) at Lutheran in Fort Wayne as Warsaw days. The doctors who come to Warsaw would be aware to have their staff schedule non-emergency tests/procedures only on that day(s). I believe this service would be tax-deductible for the hospital and might be covered by Medicare. KCH staff is familiar with filing for Medicare reimbursement and either they or Lutheran’s staff would file the forms.
For most of us seniors, getting to KCH isn’t a problem, and while we might have a wait in For Wayne for others’ testing to be done, we can always bring a book or visit the cafeteria and kill time. We would be open to paying a reasonable fee if insurance doesn’t cover it. A current employee might be interested in being a driver one day a week, or a recent retiree might want an occasional day’s work. I’m thinking cost-effective here. The driver could also be a courier for both hospitals.
I waited for the Senior Services Directory to come out just in case I was missing a service. However, everything under the “Transportation” section doesn’t qualify. If there is anyone in the area who knows of available transportation that I’ve missed, please write in to the newspaper.
It seems to me the solution I?offer would be a win for the Lutheran Health System and for seniors or others who don’t have transportation.
Mary Ann Steininger
Mentone
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