The doctors want my husband to get radiation therapy for the next six weeks, five days a week. I don’t drive, and I’m afraid my husband won’t feel well enough after his treatments to drive himself.How is he going to get back and forth for his treatments?

75. The doctors want my husband to get
radiation therapy for the next six weeks,
five days a week. I don’t drive, and I’m afraid
my husband won’t feel well enough after his
treatments to drive himself.How is he going
to get back and forth for his treatments?

Insurance policies seldom cover the cost of transportation
to and from routine medical appointments, but
check his insurance plan anyway, just to be sure. If your
husband is being treated at a major cancer center at
some distance from where you live, you can ask the
doctors at the center if there are other medical centers
closer to your home where your husband can receive
the same treatments. This will make arranging a transportation
schedule easier with the assistance of family
and friends who might be able to provide rides for
your husband to his appointments.

Sometimes help from friends and family is not enough;
you may need to explore other options. One is to pay
privately for car service or an ambulette, if you have the
financial resources. Hospitals close to home may provide
free or low-cost transport services to and from medical
treatments, such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
Financial assistance is also sometimes available from
local chapters of national cancer support organizations,
such as CancerCare, Inc., and the American Cancer
Society, if you can demonstrate financial need.


Ambulette = A transport service for patients, usually a 
van that can accommodate patients in wheelchairs.


Another option is to look into public and nonprofit
transportation programs for the disabled or aged, if
your husband qualifies. Most communities, for example,
have paratransit programs to complement the
local public transportation system. If you are unable to
use public transportation because of a physical impairment
or medical condition, paratransit may be available
to take you door-to-door to your desired
destination for the same cost as taking a bus. Advance
reservations are required, however; contact your state
or local Department of Transportation for details
about their program and how to apply for service.


Paratransit program = A local public transport 
system for those with a physical impairment
or medical condition.


Similarly, there may be van service available for senior
citizens in your community, sponsored by the government
or by community organizations such as churches
and voluntary charities, to help you get back and forth
between home and the hospital or clinic.

Another problem that can arise, even when patients or
family are able to drive, is the availability and cost of
parking. A handicapped parking permit, available
through your local municipality, may help. You don’t
need to be wheelchair bound to qualify, but usually a
letter from a physician is required. The cost of parking
in a parking garage per visit can also quickly add up
over time, so if you and your husband are on a fixed
income with limited resources, ask the social worker at
the hospital or clinic where you are being treated
whether there are any philanthropic programs or parking
vouchers available either through their institution
or organizations like CancerCare, Inc., that might be
able to provide financial assistance.