Rising healthcare costs affect just about everyone.
But the financial burden is particularly heavy for those who pay out-of-pocket for large ticket items like wheelchairs, scooters and other essential medical equipment.
But one man in Pembroke found a way to ease that burden.
NHPR’s Dianne Finch reports.
78 year old Ben Talford of Pembroke spends as much time as possible hunting, ice-fishing and snowmobiling.
But the Korean War veteran has another hobby.
He collects and loans out used medical equipment - free of charge - to anyone who needs it.
And just about every nook and cranny of Talford’s large attic is filled with the stuff …
(AMBI Footsteps in attic)
Talford: “All of this stuff is donated and I give it out with the idea that people that need it keep it as long as they need it when they no longer need it bring it back so I can give it to somebody else.”
He has everything from hospital beds to walking canes in that attic.
Talford: “Well right here we’ve got all kinds of bed rails that go on sides of beds so that they don’t fall out…different types that go on the bed…Of course these are .. all a lot more walkers that some of them have wheels on the front like this one and others they pick them up to walk with but they’re all folding walkers and don’t take up a lot of space.”
And there’s more.
Talford: “Lots of wooden canes … these are called Canadian crutches they fit on the forearms.”
And he moves some walkers aside to get to even more stuff.
Talford: “I’ll have to show you this…Like I say I’ve got to spend some time and get things organized here a little bit (it’s not bad) ….. this is what they call a seat riser for your toilet. And it clamps right onto your toilet and rises it up 4 inches and there are handles on the side to help them up.”
And Talford has just enough room left in his attic to store a few of his OWN things.
Talford: “oh ya well that’s my hobby that’s deep sea fishing equipment there….so your’e allowed a small bit of space for your things’ – yes ha ha.”
And it’s not just his attic – half of his garage and a separate storage unit are also filled with the medical equipment.
Many healthcare workers around the state either know Ben Talford or know about him.
Deborah Belanger, with the Visiting Nurse Association in Concord, met
Talford about seven years ago.
Belanger: “..So I was kind of excited about that because when I would go into a home find a patient that might need a tub seat for example and they really didn’t have any extra money and their insurance wasn’t going to pay for it ….it gave me an opportunity to find out what this Mr. Ben Talford had and I went and visited with him and saw actually what he had and as the years have progressed he actually accumulated so much….that it’s fabulous and helped a lot of people. “
Belanger, who refers patients to Talford, says that his equipment can be found in at least 30 other communities.
And, she says, people who borrow the items are saving money.
“Belanger: “for example a bath bench….which is this seat that actually sticks into the bathtub and extends out so the individual would back up to it and sit on it and then gently put their legs over and have to glide across … those bath benches could range anywhere from $65 dollars up to $800 dollars….Wheelchairs several hundred all the way up to $1000s of dollars..”
And it was wheelchairs that gave Talford the idea to start his venture in the first place.
In 1991, he noticed a few of them in a dumpster behind a VA Hospital where he was visiting veterans.
Talford: “… and I couldn’t understand it two of them looked perfectly good they you know had some age on them but they looked good and one had a bent wheel so I went to the director of the hospital and told him what I saw and said what’s the story how come those wheelchairs are in the dump and he says when the federal government when they give you money to buy wheelchairs you have to spend it on wheelchairs so we get rid of our old ones and buy new ones every year.”
So Talford convinced that director to donate such equipment to him.
And the word spread.
Today most of his items come from people who no longer need them.
Ben Talford says that most people return the equipment in good condition –
with a few exceptions.
He does accept donations – and uses the money to buy spare parts – such as wheels or batteries.
The only downside, he says, is that his attic was initially built to house a pool table where he and his retired buddies could hang out.
But, says Talford, this hobby is a better use of the space.
For NHPR News, I’m Dianne Finch
I had no idea medical equipment could be obtained through donations. Setting up a clearing house for donations and loans would be a wonderful ministry for our church. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Do you think this gentleman would have an electric wheel chair. My mother is in a nursing home and the loaner she had cannot be repaired and the are not obligated to provide one. She is relatively young and will be reduced to manuvering a wheelchair with her feet as she has severe rhumetoid arthritis and lacks the strenght in her hands and arms to push it. We the family cannot afford a chair and have been struggling with rental payments which we will need to cease as of the this month. If he can help or if you have any ideas please let me know. Thank you. Joyce