There’s encouraging news for individuals with peripheral artery disease (PAD), a debilitating condition that can occur from smoking or diabetes and can increase a person’s danger of developing a heart attack or stroke, and sometimes result in limb amputation. Medicare will now pay for the cost of treadmill therapy once prescribed and supervised by a medical professional.
With limited treatment solutions, individuals struggling with PAD experience aches and cramping in the legs described as “feeling as if their leg is in a vise,” according to University of Minnesota’s Diane Treat-Jacobson. Medications have proven unsuccessful in reducing pain, and while stent or bypass procedures can help, they’re costly and come with their own associated risks. The most recent analysis is demonstrating that treadmill therapy can be equally effective, at a dramatically lower cost, and with Medicare on board to pay for that cost, a large number of rehab centers are planning for a wave of people willing to try it out.
The expectation is that other insurance providers will soon follow suit and offer coverage for treadmill therapy, which is usually the case whenever Medicare covers a treatment option. At this time, over 2,000 hospital-based rehabilitation centers are preparing to offer treadmill workouts to people whose medical doctors prescribe and oversee them.
Because people that have PAD frequently reduce exercise as a consequence of leg pain, the advantages of monitored treadmill therapy go beyond decreased hospitalizations and cost savings to strengthening cardiovascular and lung health, lengthening the distance a person with PAD can walk with no pain, and also potentially extending length and quality of life.
If your senior loved one is one of the 8 million Americans fighting the difficulties of PAD, or any other medical condition that makes living in the home independently challenging, contact our senior care experts in Battle Creek, MI and the nearby neighborhoods. We can provide help in numerous ways, including:
- Offering transportation and accompaniment to treatment along with other medical-related appointments
- Helping with responsibilities around the home, like light housework and laundry
- Preparing nutritious and appealing meals
- Running errands like buying groceries and picking up prescriptions
- Offering encouragement for seniors to participate in doctor-approved exercise programs
- Offering friendly companionship – a person with whom to take walks, delight in favorite hobbies and pastimes, and to get more earnestly engaged in the world around them
- And much more
Call us at (866) 229-2505 to learn more about our personalized senior care in Battle Creek, MI and other Michigan communities. For a full list of the communities we serve, visit our Locations page.