Hospital beds, wheelchairs, canes, walkers, and commodes, all of which can be cleaned and reused, are examples of durable medical equipment. Two companies that provide this type of equipment are Homedco and Coastal Med Tech.

On Dec. 1, 1995, TLC Medical Services, a Maine company with offices in Brewer, Calais, Houlton, and Caribou, will merge with Homedco, a large national company.

The merger will boost Homedco’s statewide visibility and give it more buying power to pass savings along to consumers. Their joining makes a fully-rounded company that offers all services with specialties in pediatrics, home IV therapy and oxygen therapy.

TLC, with its strong pediatrics focus, did specialized home-sleep studies on infants to learn if children have breathing abnormalities. The company offers a strong home apnea-monitoring program, with equipment that can test if children are having episodes of apena.

Some equipment is considered life support, so Homedco provides 24-hour service, with a licensed clinician standing by to respond to emergency calls. The company plays a critical role in the coordination of home care. Good communications on all sides is vital, from effective discharge planning to assessment of the home and teaching home caregivers about the equipment.

“If we have to go in, it’s not just a matter of dropping off the equipment,” said Lauri Soltys, branch manager of Homedco in Bangor, who is also a registered respiratory therapist. “We need a detailed assessment at home.”

Teaching is the backbone of the company’s work. They provide in-service education, which covers the kind of equipment to use and safety precautions, for nurses and home-health agencies New equipment is forever on the horizon, emphasizing the importance of continuing training.

Coastal Med Tech, another durable equipment provider, serves Knox, Waldo, Hancock, Washington, and Penobscot counties. Phil Black, general manager, said his company, located on the Lamoine Road in Ellsworth, has grown tremendously during its six-and-a-half-year existence.

With 25 years of experience under his belt, Black has seen the industry grow in leaps and bounds. To prove that bigger may not always be better, Coastal Med Tech’s small size belies its staff’s wealth of experience, including a 24-year veteran respiratory therapist and a nurse with over 20 years’ experience.

To survive in this competitive environment, companies need to respond to customer needs. “We’re patient advocates,” Black said. “The patient comes first.” America’s aging population has given the medical equipment providers a boost, since “the older we get, the more of these things we need,” he said.

As technology advances, patients can receive more therapies and treatments at home, to maintain or improve their quality of life and eliminate their need to stay in the hospital. “The greatest therapy in the world is being with your loves ones,” he said. “Family will take better care of you than anyone; and it’s full-time, not an eight-hour shift.”

In his 25 years in the business, Black has seen all kinds of cases. He related a tale of an oxygen patient who was living with his wife in his summer camp on a remote lake with no electricity. While this situation might have thwarted a less experienced person, Black used a liquid-oxygen system that requires no electricity, so the patient could stay in the place he loved the most.

“That camp was his life. He retired there and wanted to stay there. As a matter of fact, he died there,” Black recounted. “I can’t think of a business that’s more rewarding than this one.”