No More Falling In Fall River

Not long ago, Joe Vallon of Fall River, MA began suffering from orthostatic hypertension, a medical condition which results in a sudden increase in blood pressure when a person stands up. When Joe stands up, he must stand still until his blood pressure goes back to normal. Coupled with some difficulties walking, getting around had become very difficult for Joe. According to his wife Mary, “If Joe needed to move around, he would rise from his recliner, stand up to keep his balance, and then go over to his walker or a wheelchair.” It also resulted in him falling multiple times and injuring himself in the process.

Mary thought that a power wheelchair would give him more independence and reached out for help. Due to some of Joe’s other health issues, his experience wasn’t as quick and easy as it could have been, but Open-AireMobility Division helped him every step of the way. Mary says, “When we first started working with Open-Aire, they set up a meeting with his doctor, but Joe went into the hospital and we couldn’t proceed. His case manager helped reschedule his appointments and got him some time extensions that we needed until he was out and ready to move forward. We had an excellent experience with Open-Aire.”

Now Joe has his power wheelchair and has indeed become more independent. Getting around from one room to the other is just a simple matter of grabbing the joystick and pointing it to where he wants to go. Joe no longer worries about his rising blood pressure or about falling.

King of the Road

William Johnson of Hope Mills, North Carolina loves to travel across the country. After he retired, he and his wife frequently took road trips, and drove over 9,000 miles across the United States. Unfortunately, in October of 2010 his traveling ended, as a series of health issues kept William in and out of the hospital for over six months. “I saw so many doctors in that time, the only one I didn’t see was a veterinarian,” jokes William.

When William came home, he had to use oxygen tanks. His tanks only lasted an hour and a half, which made even short trips around town difficult. Just as he was starting to get frustrated he saw a commercial for Open-Aire portable oxygen concentrators, and he knew that was the solution he needed. It’s been an absolute joy for him. With his portable oxygen concentrator he has unlimited oxygen. Worrying about running out of oxygen is a thing of the past for him because he can charge it in his cigarette lighter, power outlets, and put in an extra battery if he needs to. And with all these ways to keep his portable oxygen concentrator powered, William can travel again!

This past Christmas William traveled to see his kids and grandkids and spent the holidays with them. It was the first time in a year and a half he was able to see them. It was the best Christmas he had in years and says, “I had such a good time I told some of my friends I may never come back.” William is looking forward to being able to get back to his old life in 2013. This February he and his wife already have a trip planned to go to a trip in the mountains, and plenty more after that.

Winning Over Her Doctor

In early 2011 Barbara Lott of Baton Rouge, LA was getting very frustrated with her oxygen tanks. Even though she primarily used them at night, she was too nervous to travel anywhere far from home. She was unable to visit friends, family, and even her son who only lives a few hours north. Then one day she saw a commercial for Open-Aire and decided that a portable oxygen concentrator could be the answer to her problems.

At first her doctor was hesitant to give her a new prescription. Her doctor wasn’t familiar with portable oxygen concentrators and didn’t know if it would be right for Barbara’s needs. But Barbara was insistent. She provided paperwork and information from Open-Aire, and eventually the doctor was convinced to give the portable oxygen concentrator a try. After a few months of seeing how well it performed for Barbara, she became a believer. “Now my doctor recommends it to all of her patients who don’t want to sit at home with their tanks,” says Barbara. And Barbara isn’t sitting at home with her tanks anymore either. She’s able to go where she likes, and is making plans to visit her son again very soon.

Missing Out on Thailand

Nancy Simmons was traveling to Thailand to see her brother when she experienced serious headaches.  Instead of getting on the plane, Nancy had to go to the hospital which resulted in her being diagnosed for oxygen.  Having to use oxygen tanks prevented Nancy from going on her trip.

Life with oxygen tanks was very limiting, particularly for someone who enjoyed traveling as much as Nancy does. Even just going to the store for groceries was now difficult. Fortunately for Nancy, one day she saw a commercial for Open-Aire and their portable oxygen concentrators and she knew she wanted one. Before long, getting around town was easy for her again. "I bring the carrier with me and I can roll it around behind me, or I can just put in my cart if I go shopping," says Nancy.

While she hasn’t made it to Thailand yet she’s still managed to get around. She’s made several trips to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and she’s visited the Appalachian Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. And we're sure that thanks to her portable oxygen concentrator she'll be adding many more destinations to her list soon.

Open-Aire, Fresh Air

It didn't take long for Vincent Deroma of Greenacres, FL to realize that living with oxygen tanks was not how he wanted to live his life. He was tired of the hardships of carrying tanks around, the inconvenience of scheduling deliveries and the constant worry that he may not have enough oxygen.  When he saw Open-Aire's commercial for their portable oxygen concentrators, he didn't wait too long to call.

In just a few weeks an EverGo/EverFlo bundle arrived to his home, and it wasn't long before all of his complaints about tanks were a thing of the past. Vincent tells us that in addition to the obvious benefits of a portable concentrator, he is finding a difference with the quality of the air he is breathing in. Vincent says, "the air smells better. It smells fresher. The air in the tanks always felt stale. My air feels clean now." It was an unexpected surprise that makes him even happier with his decision to switch from tanks to a portable oxygen concentrator.

On the Hunt

Out of all of Open-Aire's customers, it's hard to imagine one who has put his portable oxygen concentrator through its paces more than Durk Lowe of Afton, WY. Durk likes to go elk and deer hunting. But with oxygen tanks it was nearly impossible to hunt, as well as do many of the other outdoor activites he used to enjoy. His portable oxygen concentrator has changed that however. He says, "its given me a lot of mobility and I can keep doing what I used to do." And for Durk that means hunting.

He's able to go out with his 4-wheeler and travel 20 to 30 miles away from home while he’s on the hunt. He just straps his POC on the back of the four-wheeler, plugs it into the power outlet, and he’s good to go! In addition to taking it hunting he uses it when he goes fishing, and when he’s plowing snow during the cold Wyoming winters. Durk’s portable oxygen concentrator has gone a long way in making his life like it used to be.

Grandma Moved Uptown

Gertrude Gray of Festus, MO had been in a manual wheelchair for 5 years. Chemotherapy had left her with damaged bones in her foot, and a bad fall broke one of her legs above and below the knee. All of the trauma had made it difficult to walk without the help of a walker and most of the time she had to use a wheelchair. So many years in the wheelchair came with new problems. "My arms just got worn out with that old wheelchair," says Gertrude. Her osteoarthritis, along with tendonitis in her elbow, had gotten so bad that her doctor wanted her to use her left arm as little as possible. Just getting around the house was getting harder and harder.

Fortunately last month when she discovered Open-Aire Mobility Division, a solution was offered in the form of a power wheelchair. Still she was nervous about getting her hopes up. "Medicare can be hard to work with, and I didn’t want to raise my hopes too high," she says. However her Open-Aire case manager was able to work with her doctor and Medicare and in just over a month she received her new power wheelchair.

Now Gertrude is able to get around the house without trouble, and without straining her arms as she did with her old manual wheelchair. Her family is also very impressed with her new power wheelchair. "All my grandkids think it’s cool. They see me in it and think grandma moved uptown!"