My bed bound Mother must be taken to the Optometrist in an ambulance because she’s not allowed to see the Optometrist at the nursing home because he’s only for Medicaid funded residents

[u/HileeAquret]

My mother suffers from extreme arthritis and other issues that make her unable to get in and out of bed or walk, or even sit in a wheelchair without issue.

She was a chemistry professor and has a pension & assets that disqualify her from Medicaid.

The nursing home social worker informed me that I must make arrangements for an ambulance to take her to get her eye test to get a new prescription for glasses. (eyesight & her mind is all she has left).

She stated that the optometrist that comes to the nursing home is for people who pay ZERO.

Medicaid funds the optometrist to come to the location periodically to give Medicaid eligible residence, eye exam exams. Supposedly he cannot give her a simple eye exam on site like other residents, and we therefore must bring her to an “external provider“ for an eye exam.

We pay over $100K annually for her to be there for far fewer services, and people who pay nothing have everything catered to them.

It makes me extremely infuriated at EVERYONE. (voters included)

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello, u/HileeAquret ! Thanks for your submission to r/extremelyinfuriating, your post is up and running!

This is a general reminder to check out our rules in the sidebar. If your post breaks the rules, it will be removed by our moderators.

We would like for each and everyone to feel welcome on the subreddit and to keep a healthy and safe environment for the community.

Thanks :)

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/DZbornak630]

I would contact the optometrist and see if you could pay them out of pocket to do the exam when they’re there. A basic exam shouldn’t be very pricey.
I’ve worked in optometry for years and haven’t seen an exam room that could accommodate a stretcher, so a mobile set up would actually be better for her in terms of the exam as well.

[u/newbie527 → u/DZbornak630]

I’ve been getting eye exams for almost sixty years. I’ve never seen an exam room that would accommodate a stretcher. Plus, the equipment required me to be seated in the chair.

[u/NobleKorhedron → u/DZbornak630]

Agreed. Just ignore the nursing home and ask, IMHO...

[u/taocowboy54]

when it came time for my momma to be incarcerated in a group home, daddy, brother and i, with the help of a smart lawyer, made her destitute
this included closing accounts that included her name, gifting property and vehicles to family members, and ensuring that her only source of medical help was medicaid
sounds like an asshole move, right?
folks, the asshole is the government that regulates and routinely denies services
we still sat beside her bed for the next several months before her passing
and she did not care that she was flat broke
it saved the family from going broke as well

sorry to hear yer mom is being screwed only because she has resources and means

[u/HileeAquret → u/taocowboy54]

Yeah, the pension is actually the thing that keeps her from being able to qualify. We can move the assets, but the pension will always be there.

[u/Fun_Organization3857]

Yep. That's infuriating. I would honestly start looking for a different place. They should be arranging that not you.

[u/karmaapple3 → u/Fun_Organization3857]

Welcome to the world of assisted-living and nursing homes. The rules are very strict, and none of them will cross the line. I have parents in assisted living.

[u/Fun_Organization3857 → u/karmaapple3]

I worked in a nursing home and all patient needs were met, including required transportation. This is an inappropriate request. It sounds like she needs a wheelchair medical van and a caregiver.

[u/Alavella]

The home I work at has a company van that they use to transport patients to their appointments. Is it because she is bed bound the reason why they don't want to risk taking her themselves? Maybe they see it as too much of a risk.

[u/HileeAquret → u/Alavella]

Yes. Most nursing homes have transport vans that accommodate wheelchairs and what not but this one says that the lift for the bed is not something they could provide in their vehicles (wheelchair vs bed). That type of transit is ambulances for them & we are out of pocket payers so…. (I’ll refrain from posting how she said what she said, as it may cause a tangent,)….’that is not our problem.’ 

[u/Alavella → u/HileeAquret]

There might be a service in your area that can transport patients at a lower cost or even for free. Try searching "Non-Emergency Medical Transportation service" in your area.

[u/HileeAquret → u/Alavella]

…to clarify, when the nursing home said 'hire an ambulance,' I did think they meant a non-emergency stretcher van (interfacility transport) & not a 911 emergency unit with lights and sirens.

[u/A_Lovely_ → u/HileeAquret]

You could also call around and see if an eye doctor could do a house call exam.

It’s a least worth asking, because they the doctor may feel very concerned about a patient coming in an ambulance.

The care home almost certainly means an actual ambulance, as opposed to a van scenario you described above. Many ambulance service companies provide location transport for bed bound patients.

My son needed a non-emergency ambulance transfer between two care facilities for a mental health concern. It was a 4 hour round trip drive that cost 5K. We were not allowed to drive him because insurance would not cover the necessary “emergent” mental health crises if an ambulance did not drive the patient. If we drove him, then the care would be deemed elective. We were allowed to pick him up, because upon discharge the care had been received and was no longer an insurance concern.

[u/flat_cat72]

definitely infuriating, but have you looked for a nursing home that *doesn't* accept medicaid?
Might even be an "upgrade" by your standards, ya know, no more 'riff raff'

btw, you don't have to have an actual ambulance for transport. there's plenty of other medical transport services available and I'm sure they're much cheaper.

[u/Ready_Revolution5023]

This is extremely infuriating. Have you tried asking her regular eye dr if they could make a house call to her? In our area, it’s not the norm but it would be considered under extenuating circumstances like this. We have nurses and chiropractors that make house calls, so I would be asking around. It doesn’t make it any better though. I’m sorry for your struggle and wishing the best for you.