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He can barely walk out of the house to the car to go to his Dr appointment. I can take him to and from his appointments, but he is so weak and I am afraid he will fall en route. It takes 30 minutes or more to get him from bed to the car. I don't like pushing him mentally to go. He begs to stay home but he MUST go. Doctors don't make house calls anymore!

We don't have a ramp or wheelchair. We have a transport chair that was working ok, but a wheelchair is safer. The wheels are larger and the transport chair wheels don't go over thresholds very well. I almost dumped him out, going into a building! It scared me to death!

Do home health aides come help get him up and out to the car and then come back to get him back to bed? I hate paying for a transport service, when I can drive myself.

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The transport chair I use for my mom has a seat belt, be sure to belt your dad in if you use it! I've never had an issue with going over thresholds - just step on the things near the back wheels so that the front wheels come up off the ground (like doing a wheelie on a bike). You can then get the front wheels over the threshold and then put the wheels back down on the other side.
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What's the medical source of his weakness, or has it been gradually declining? Is he in pain? Is he recovering from surgery? Does he use a walker when he's not on his way to the car?

I'm assuming though that he's been checked for specific contributing factors and is eating properly.

There was a time when my sister was trying to have PT during her last months batting cancer, and the therapist did come and help her get into the car. It was considered a visit and treatment, just not regular PT. But there was still the issue of getting her back into the house.

That's something to consider. I don't know about home health aides but I would think that a physical therapist might be more appropriate. They're trained to know how to move compromised people.

Is there a transit authority in your area? Is so, contact them to inquire if they have a small bus or dial-a-ride service. Sometimes the small buses are equipped with lift mechanisms so that the wheelchair could be raised into the bus. You could follow with your car.

The rates are nominal, much more so than transport services.

Alternately, contact your local Area Agency on Aging and ask if they're aware of any reasonably priced transport services. I know some of them are inordinately expensive.

In our area, there is a physician home service; the AAA might also have information on any in your area.

In the meantime, it might be a wise idea to investigate getting a ramp; you can even purchase temporary ones rather than have one built, but you need to ensure it complies with the local community's slope regulations.
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