Q: My elderly father’s independence is diminishing, and he needs some assistive devices, like a home care bed and a gait trainer. My family doesn’t have the means to buy expensive equipment. Is any help available?

A: You and your family may want to turn to the Kansas Equipment Exchange, which helps eligible Kansans obtain affordable medical equipment on a loan basis.

The Kansas Equipment Exchange will provide assistive technology devices including manual and powered wheelchairs, scooters and power-operated vehicles, patient lifts, home care beds, standers and gait trainers, ambulation devices and specialized strollers, and communication devices.

Through the Kansas Equipment Exchange program, medical equipment purchased with public funds is loaned to Kansans who qualify. The state of Kansas retains ownership, but the consumer has the use of the equipment for as long as it is needed.

Once your father receives the needed equipment from the Equipment Exchange, program staff will even conduct follow-up calls to determine whether the equipment is meeting your father’s needs or whether he requires help in using the equipment more effectively.

Equipment entered into the Kansas Equipment Exchange is registered and identified with a tracking label. When your father’s equipment is no longer being used, you’ll just call the toll-free number printed on the label attached to each piece of equipment. The equipment can then be reconditioned and offered to another Kansan who needs it.

The exchange network handles the equipment pick-up, clean-up, and relocation. Five regional Assistive Technology Access Sites oversee these activities, working with other organizations and equipment loan closet programs.

The Kansas Equipment Exchange is a statewide project guided by individuals with disabilities, their family members, and Medicaid. It is affiliated with Assistive Technology for Kansans, a statewide program coordinated by the Kansas University Center on Disabilities at Parsons.

If you are interested in getting equipment for your father through the Kansas Equipment Exchange, call toll-free (866) 666-1470. You’ll learn about eligibility requirements and services, and you can be on your way to outfitting your father with the durable medical equipment he needs.

You also might want to visit www.equipmentexchange.ku.edu.