Transporting incontinent, wheelchair bound patient

Here is an update. After some searching online, I found this www.usamedcoach.com/equipment.html . It's a luxury bus outfitted with an oxygen concentrator and they have full time nurse staff onboard and two drivers who alternate the driving so it can go straight through.

It's got a queen size hospital bed and they cover the food (including the tube feeding food) and the meals for my wife. They stock up with food before you go and will even let you order from some restaurants and they will get it ahead of time and head it up and serve the meals in the dining area of the bus.

They will even tow one of the cars behind the bus in a trailer.
Total cost for this option is $11K so it is cheaper than the air ambulance.

They also have oversized (standup) vans for shorter trips for less and they also have an affiliation with an air ambulance service.

They say it is 18 hours door to door and that they shouldn't even have to stop for fuel.

We think that may be the way to go (bus) since it is door to door. It even has a separate room with queen size bed for my wife to sleep. Pretty fancy stuff but it beats driving really fast with all the windows down.

Mike

Thanks. I did find something called usamedcoach.com which is a fully outfitted bus with nurse care, oxygen concentrator, etc. Waiting on a call for the quote.

Mike,

My goodness! I don't have any answer for you but I'll pray that someone offers you some alternatives that will work out. You have quite a challenge but I believe you will find a way.

Just wondering if anyone has experience with this that might be able to offer some advice.

We had moved my in-laws here to Colorado from Thousand Oaks, CA about 6 months ago. My mother-in-law had a brain stem stroke and while she has improved over the months, she can't open her eyes, walk, or control bowel movements at all. She's on oxygen and feeding tube.

My father-in-law wants to move back to California with her and I'm looking for options on getting her there. My wife will accompany her (she's a nurse).

When we brought her here she was in much worse shape and she came on a private air ambulance at a cost of around $16K. Since she is much more stable condition, there may be cheaper options. Since she is much more stable, they are now quoting $14K, but it seems like there has to be a less expensive way.

My wife says no to commercial airline because of the incontinence and there is no place that they could change her if there was a bowel movement on the plane. I suggested immodium or something like it but that didn't go over so well with my wife. What do I know?

Another thought is a train, but there is nothing direct. Would have to go Denver to Sacramento and then to Bakerfield. Bakersfield is two hours away from where she'd be going so we'd have to get a wheelchair accessible van or something from there. Still, I'm not sure if that rules things out and I'm wondering if anyone has had any experience with different options.

I suppose there may be some other form of ground transport where they would stop one or two nights along the way at hotels but I don't know of such services. It's about a 20 hour drive from here to there.

Any ideas are welcome. My father-in-law is not indigent but he'd rather spend money on the long term care than have to borrow or sell assets for a $14K transport charge.

Thanks,
Mike