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+--- Thread: What does a good O2 setup look like for 2 mid-80s adults? (/Thread-What-does-a-good-O2-setup-look-like-for-2-mid-80s-adults)
What does a good O2 setup look like for 2 mid-80s adults? - WillSleep - 11-19-2017
I convinced my parents to start nightly Ox saturation monitoring and learned my 84 year old Dad with CHF and cancer has stunningly good nightly SpO2 and heart rate patterns that would make many 30 year olds jealous (Go Dad!) but also learned a few bad things.
The conversation is going in circles but he is what I have learned:
- They started on O2 ten years ago and their setup seems to be in a bad state of decay.
- My father seems to be leaning on portable O2 more than he is suppose to
- My Mother's SpO2 charts are showing multiple hour blocks where average saturation is ~80%.
- My Mother is prescribed for O2 at night but stopped using it some time ago, something about broken this and that and an "oxygen company" who wont do this and that.
This morning I did some "shock and awe" chart show and tell with my siblings and we are going to get this fixed.
My parents have never needed help in the O2 department so I could not be more clueless on what "correct setup" looks like.
What does a good O2 setup look like for 2 mid-80s adults?
- Both parents are mobile and go out of the house together but if not an over night trip only my dad needs to take O2 with him.
- They have what he calls an oxygen generator in house to fill the mobile O2 bottles. He seems to fight with it often to get it to work.
- My Dad sleeps downstairs
- My Mother sleeps upstairs
If we were just putting them on O2 for the first time and going to do it right what do we need, what would the setup look like?
Thanks!
J
RE: What does a good O2 setup look like for 2 mid-80s adults? - Walla Walla - 11-19-2017
They both should qualify for Medicare. Most of the time people use rental equipment. If both needed it than you would get two home concentrators and O2 bottles for your Dad to go out. The Rental company refills the bottles and brings replacements when you call.
They make portable O2 concentrators that are light and easy to carry. The problem is they're costly and Medicare doesn't pay for them.
I would shop around for O2 providers. They handle all the paper work needed. Of course they need a Doctors prescription before they can issue the oxygen.
RE: What does a good O2 setup look like for 2 mid-80s adults? - WillSleep - 11-19-2017
(11-19-2017, 04:09 PM)Walla Walla Wrote: They both should qualify for Medicare.
If both needed it than you would get two home concentrators.
The Rental company refills the bottles and brings replacements when you call. They make portable O2 concentrators that are light and easy to carry. The problem is they're costly and Medicare doesn't pay for them.
Yes Dad retired from the Air Force so they are on both Tri-care and Medicare. At the moment I think brain fog and tiredness from ongoing Oxygen desaturation might be more of a root cause than lack of Insurance help.
I am truly new to this gear so how is this?
"If both needed it than you would get two home concentrators."
- One concentrator near where Mom sleeps and she uses that all night.
- One concentrator near where Dad sleeps that is also a "home fill" concentrator and produces bottles Dad uses to move around the house.
"The Rental company refills the bottles and brings replacements when you call. They make portable O2 concentrators that are light and easy to carry. The problem is they're costly and Medicare doesn't pay for them."
- For out of the house portability use oxygen bottles provided by Rental company or buy a ~$3k+ portable O2 concentrator.
- Between have a few rental company bottles around and a "Home Fill" concentrator redundancy needs are met
If that is not right anyone please correct me
RE: What does a good O2 setup look like for 2 mid-80s adults? - Walla Walla - 11-19-2017
Not sure about how it works with home refilling. Best bet is to call both Medicare and Tricare and ask about coverage. Here's a link to some info from medicare. http://www.carelincmed.com/Resources/PDF/Medicare%20Oxygen.pdf