Guides

• Setting up a hospital bed at home: Pick the spot, clear the path and make the bed safe before the first night.
• Using a patient lift safely: Train first, check the sling every time, and move slowly with a calm voice.
• Fall-proofing each room: A room-by-room walk to find and fix the things people trip on.
• Bathroom safety: Seats, bars and small changes for a room with hard floors and wet surfaces.
• Cleaning and caring for CPAP equipment: A simple daily and weekly routine that keeps the mask, tubing and machine clean.
• Home oxygen safety: Oxygen makes fire burn faster. These habits keep the home safe.
• Traveling with portable oxygen: Plan ahead for batteries, airlines and time away from home.
• Choosing between a walker, a rollator and a wheelchair: What each one does, and questions to bring to the doctor or therapist.
• How the TRICARE equipment process works: From the doctor's visit to delivery, one step at a time.
• A military move (PCS) with medical equipment: Keep equipment and care going before, during and after the move.
• Caring for the caregiver: You cannot pour from an empty cup. Small habits that keep you going.
• Does TRICARE cover a hospital bed?: Yes, when a doctor prescribes it as medically necessary. Here is how it works.
• How to get a breast pump through TRICARE: From 27 weeks pregnant: one pump per birth, supplies for up to three years.
• Does TRICARE cover a power wheelchair?: Yes, if medically necessary. A scooter or a power chair, not both.
• Does TRICARE cover CPAP supplies?: Yes, but it's a limited benefit. What's covered, and what isn't.
• What TRICARE For Life covers for equipment: Medicare's rules come first. Here is what that means for equipment.
• What TRICARE doesn't cover, and what to do instead: Incontinence supplies, stair lifts, humidifiers and grab bars. The honest answers.
• Does TRICARE cover home oxygen?: Yes, as long as it's medically necessary. Rent or buy, and when a backup counts.
• Does TRICARE cover a walker or rollator?: Walkers are durable medical equipment. One walker, chosen with the doctor.
• Does TRICARE cover diabetic shoes?: Yes, for people with diabetes. One pair of shoes a year, plus inserts.
• Does TRICARE cover a continuous glucose monitor?: Yes for some conditions. Two routes: medical equipment or the pharmacy.
• Does TRICARE cover an insulin pump?: Yes, for certain kinds of diabetes the doctor documents.