15 replies to this topic

[jennyau]

I buy my catheters from Intouch but I have to do it by phone order as the website keeps telling me my email adress isnt recognised. I have told them but they just brushed it off on the phone.Besides Brightsky are there any other suppliers I can buy from here on the web as I would rather order the products I need online.
Jenny.

[cathie]

Hi jenny,
Are you using the CAPS scheme?
There is a list of suppliers, but I have not yet ordered anything this financial year. Towards the end of last financial year I had trouble with Intouch not recognising my email address either.

Here is a list of suppliers that came from the CAPS scheme, but not sure which companies sell what.
continence suppliers in Australia

Some do online orders and others over the phone.

Hope this helps

Cathie

[Bevan-L]

BrightSky and Intouch were the only 2 i know of??

[cathie]

there are quite a few suppliers now, it was hard to know under the old scheme what was around and in victoria it was only intouch. the list I posted last night is the most up to date one I could find. It came from the continence australia site.

[jennyau]

Thanks for the link its been a great help,I was under the old scheme but because my injury was earlier this year I am unable to change over until late August so I am still waiting for the medicare letter.Maybe having more competition will make it less expensive.
Jenny

[cathie]

that is strange that you are unable to change over sooner. I was one of the people that didn't get the forms to change over in time and I went in on the 2nd of July got the forms handed them in that day at the medicare office and a week later the funding had come through. I was only put on the old system late last year and they simply use your information from the old scheme. If you were eligible for the old scheme you are automatically eligible for the new one, but have to provide banking details for the new one. Don't sit and wait for medicare to send stuff out, I waited 3 months and ended up having to chase it up and my local medicare office were more than helpful.

[partygirl]

I'm from Victoria. I use the 'Aids and Equipment Program' as well as the aforementioned CAPS (or CAAS). With A and EP you can get a wide range of equipment funded, from wheelchairs to catheters and anything in between. i get my catheters from A and EP and other continence stuff from Intouch (before the changeover) The catheters from a and EP are free, you just have to get your continence nurse to help you apply for the funding, which is a maximum of about $1200 per year i think, much more than CAPS.

[cathie]

Partygirl, I'm also from victoria but due to my doctors not wanting to put SCI on my A&EP form and my files disappearing since I turned 18, I am not eligible for anything from them. I just had a funding application put through for a shower bench (which will hopefully be approved this time) and am still not eligible for a wheelchair or anything else. Hopefully being referred to my local spinal unit will help this. Anyway, I was told by my last continence nurse that A&EP will not fund for catheters unless they are foley caths and even then they are unwilling to do so. Trying to get any sort of funding out of them is a huge problem in country/rural areas as the amount of funding available is much less than in city areas. For example if I were eligible for funding for a chair I would have to put in 80% + of the cost myself as the funding is not available for any more than that in the areas I have lived in. I don't know about you but I can't afford to fund 80% of a chair (rigid customised)that is $5000 (quotes from local mobility shops that A&EP will deal with).

[partygirl]

cathie, I'm from country vic as well, warrnambool actually, but know bendigo very well, i used to live and work up that way.

i have been able to get 50% A & EP funding for my wheelchair and it was $7,600! i have an ultra light (titanium) with carbon fibre 'spinergy' wheels, made by 'mobility plus' in preston. i am t7 complete and drive myself.

i use foley catheters as i have a suprapubic, but A&EP certainly does fund other types of cath, before i had my SP i was self cathing and they funded those caths, no probs. hey, that doesn't sound too good about losing your file, and why not put SCI on your form??

[cathie]

I was in Mildura last time I applied for funding so they are apparently lower priority. However my shower bench turned up today!

I will talk with the continence nurse from the spinal unit about A&EP funding for catheters.

The Docs wouldn't put SCI on my form because I was a walking quad until recently and my files that are to do with my injury disappeared when I turned 17 (I was treated at the Royal Children's). I have had to go through everything again to try and prove to doctors that I did break my neck and it is not all in my head. My current GP has seen my decline over the last 6 months and is one that is listening to me rather than seeing more recent (but outdated) files with psych written all over them. It has been a long 5 years to get to this point and trying to find out what is available has been hard without any supports or something to put on forms. (I found out the hard way that if your dr won't write things on forms, not only do things not happen, but in some cases it can be permanent.)

[MrBump]

i had the same prob regarding my email, but they fixed it up pretty quickly.......

[pistol_pete]

jennyau, on 18 August 2010 - 12:31 PM, said:

I buy my catheters from Intouch but I have to do it by phone order as the website keeps telling me my email adress isnt recognised. I have told them but they just brushed it off on the phone.Besides Brightsky are there any other suppliers I can buy from here on the web as I would rather order the products I need online.
Jenny.

Try these guys https://store.indepe...store/index.wsp

They're slightly cheaper with alot of their stuff than intouch, and they courier your order free of charge really quickly.
I live in rural WA, I ordered over the net on monday and the parcel was on my desk on wednesday. They're a victorian mob too.
Not Bad.

[jennyau]

pistol_pete, on 26 August 2010 - 03:07 AM, said:

jennyau, on 18 August 2010 - 12:31 PM, said:

I buy my catheters from Intouch but I have to do it by phone order as the website keeps telling me my email adress isnt recognised. I have told them but they just brushed it off on the phone.Besides Brightsky are there any other suppliers I can buy from here on the web as I would rather order the products I need online.
Jenny.

Try these guys https://store.indepe...store/index.wsp

They're slightly cheaper with alot of their stuff than intouch, and they courier your order free of charge really quickly.
I live in rural WA, I ordered over the net on monday and the parcel was on my desk on wednesday. They're a victorian mob too.
Not Bad.

Thankyou for the link toIindependence Australia I rang them and have a customer number and just waiting for my email to buy online.Thier prices are slightly cheaper and I like the free delivery.I also got onto medicare and they were sending out the forms that day so I should have it all sorted.
Jenny

[cathie]

I had an appointment with the continence nurse at the spinal unit and she asked how I was getting my catheters and when I said CAPS she was horrified. I have an urgent funding application going through A&EP plus all catheters will be ordered by the continence clinic who can get them for $0.50 each. finally getting stuff happening here

[jennyau]

Cathie,
Glad to hear things are coming together with funding I just found out my hubby can get a payment from centerlink that isnt income tested on his wage so ive aranged to have the forms sent out every little bit helps.
Jenny

[cathie]

That's great to hear Jenny! Dealing with Centrelink can be a real pain, but finding things like that out are great. My brother applied for carer allowance and they approved both that and carer pension even though we only applied for the one payment, when we questioned the decision we were told it was correct. So we are not going to argue the point there as it means more of an income coming into the house and as you say every little bit helps!