Medical Equipment

There's no place like home to recover from an illness or surgery or when you and your physician decide it's time to use medical equipment to assist you with daily living tasks.

St. Joseph's Care Essentials gives consumers a local source for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) a term used to describe home medical equipment as prescribed by a doctor. The list of equipment and accessories available to patients includes:

• walkers
• wheelchairs
• fitted walkers
• home oxygen equipment
• commodes and bathroom safety aids
• crutches and canes
• hospital beds
• traction devices
• plus much more

Care Essentials, located in the red barn west of Park Rapids on Highway 34, provides this service to patients and takes it one step further. They also provide knowledgeable staff to help you take the edge off the complicated insurance guidelines and billing matters. Trained staff are on hand to instruct you on your equipment, help with fittings, and offer some technical support. Deliveries can also be arranged in many cases to as far as the Wadena, Walker, Cass Lake, Bemidji, and Ponsford areas.

"We deliver wheelchairs and beds and help set them up at the customer's home," says Diane Anderson, St. Joseph's Care Essentials Manager. A technician drives designated routes for patients on oxygen so oxygen cylinders can be swapped out and concentrator equipment can be checked to make sure it's functioning properly.

The staff is equally passionate about their work knowing Care Essentials services help area residents enjoy the best quality of life at their home (or vacation home) as possible.

An area that has seen growth at Care Essentials is the need for products which aid sleep apnea patients. Care Essentials staff outfits the patient base on their prescriptions and instructs them on care and maintenance. They continue with follow-up visits/calls to make sure the patient is compliant in using the device and is comfortable with its use.

Store hours are from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 218-237-5760.