Thursday, February 4, 2010

storing crutches

Yes, you read that title correctly. I'm currently on crutches and that makes me a very sad person. I don't know yet why it is that I cannot bear weight on my right leg without pain, but tomorrow's MRI will tell all and hopefully the solution is simple, quick and easy.
Heck! I'll go for simple, slow as molasses and easy too. Just keep me out of the "complicated" range. Complicated involves scalpels and sutures and icky stuff like that!

In the meantime, I've been glad to have found a local drugstore that RENTS crutches for $2 USD per day. I would much rather rent them or borrow them than have to purchase yet another pair and then give them to good will or some other place that will use them since I have nowhere to store them and no reason to WANT to.

But there is another way, and if you have an unused pair of crutches, a wheelchair, canes, bathroom safety supplies, and/or perhaps a nursery monitor, blood pressure monitor, or some other reuseable piece of medical equipment, I invite you to do a google search for "loan closet" and your city to see what comes up. If you do get a hit, it's generally from the American Red Cross or a local Hospice service. Both great causes to which you can donate your items. Saves you on storage and also, should you need an item in the future, you can contact them to see if they can loan you what you need.

For me, this completely solves the storage issue while allowing me to give something back to the community. After my mother died back in 1989, we donated everything we'd purchased for her comfort to the hospice care that helped us care for her. That included a baby/nursery monitor. So you never know what they may have that might help you out in your time of need.

Times are tough for many, and those folks still get hurt and need crutches or wheels...$50 for a pair of crutches is affordable to many, but too many have to give up some food or heat to be able to buy them. So donate items or cash to your local American Red Cross. They do so much more than just disaster relief.