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SWANSEA — Before turning that shower chair, wheelchair or crutches over to the metal hawks, or tucking them out of sight and out of mind, consider helping to fill the closet.
Shut down by COVID concerns early in the pandemic, the Swansea Council on Aging’s Medical Loan Closet has reopened. COA Executive Director Laurie Pimentel knows firsthand there is a demand for medical equipment that may not be covered, either in part or in whole, by insurance or Medicaid.
“We get several calls a day,” Pimentel said Tuesday at the COA headquarters at the Swansea Senior and Community Center, 260 Ocean Grove Ave.
On this day, Pimentel, sadly, had to turn down two requests for one of the closet’s most popular items, the shower chair/bench. Later that day, there was a return and Pimentel was about to reach out to one of the earlier callers.
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What type of equipment is available?
The COA lends equipment, as well as incontinence products like Depends, to Swansea residents only, with the elderly given high priority.
Items are loaned out with an expected return of 30 to 60 days. Pimentel said anyone needing a piece of equipment for longer than that is best served getting a prescription from a doctor to be sure they get the right item.
The medical loan closet, in the basement of the Senior and Community Center, is not overly spacious. The COA does not stock hospital beds or electric scooters. There’s just not room. It does have push and self-propelled wheelchairs.
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Pimentel said the closet has operated for at least 20 years, the time she has been affiliated with COA. Demand has grown over the years.
“Whatever we can do to keep a couple of bucks in their pocket may be the difference of them being able to afford medication,” Pimentel said.
The post-COVID return of equipment loans
The COVID scare left COA understaffed and unable to run the closet. Early on in the pandemic, there were even fears about the possibility of the virus being transmitted through shared equipment.
The most notable shortage at the COA loan closet was of a custodian, someone who could not only move items in and out of the closet but also make sure equipment is clean and functional.
On June 7, Andrew Pelland started as custodian. On June 8, the closet re-opened.
The closet relies entirely on donations. Donors get a thank you letter with a description of their gift, which, Pimentel said, is tax deductible.
“If not for (the donors’) generosity, we would not have these things,” she stressed.
How to donate medical equipment and supplies
Those looking to borrow or donate may call the COA at 508-676-1831. The hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pimentel asked that donations be dropped off during operating hours, not left on the doorstep.
The loan closet does not accept diabetic supplies, including test strips.
For those seeking to borrow equipment the COA does not loan — such as hospital beds or electric scooters — Pimentel may be able to connect them with medical loan stores.
“I had a family member who had ALS,” she said. “I reached out to the ALS Association and they were able to provide a hospital bed at no cost.”
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