Equipment Loan Program

Who can request equipment?

Health care professionals who work with the person living with ALS. This includes the neurologist, family doctor, occupational therapist, respiratory therapist, and physiotherapist.

Please see the following pages for a list of general equipment available. We are able to answer general questions about what we provide by calling or emailing. However, we are unable to answer questions about a specific piece of equipment until we receive the official equipment request.

I have questions about the status of my equipment request. Who do I contact?

The typical wait time from when we receive the equipment request to the time it’s delivered to a client’s home or to a vendor is two to six weeks. When breathing equipment is requested, it is a much shorter wait time. Typically, we are able to courier out a piece of breathing equipment within one business day of receiving the request. In order to receive a power chair from the ALS Society’s Equipment Loan Inventory, the home must be accessible.

Sometimes. When the equipment has been sanitized and our equipment technician has made any necessary adjustments, it may be able to be picked up at the office in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. There may still be a waiting period to pick up the equipment until we have it available and ready to be loaned out. However, not all equipment can be picked up. Equipment such as hospital beds must be delivered and set-up by our equipment technician.

For all regular wear and tear on equipment, the ALS Society of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia covers the cost. Damages due to neglect or misuse of the equipment is at the cost of the client. If equipment is returned and is damaged due to neglect or misuse, the ALS Society may not be able to fulfill future equipment requests. All services for repair and maintenance on the equipment must go through the Client Services Team at the ALS Society. The ALS Society of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia is not responsible for any bills for equipment repair/maintenance if it does not get arranged by the ALS Society with a service provider.

The ALS Society of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia supplies the breathing unit to the family at no cost. For health and safety reasons, breathing machines do not come with any of the supplies. The cost of the supplies such as dehumidification chambers, hoses, and masks are at the client’s expense. Emily Wells will inform the client of these costs and where they are able to purchase them.

For equipment that the ALS Society does carry, but may not have a unit available, there are several options. There is a waitlist for the requested equipment, on a first come, first serve basis. Once we receive that equipment back into inventory, we will work on getting it delivered to the client. On a case-by-case basis and when funding allows it, the ALS Society makes a co-payment on a piece of equipment for clients with insurance with the understanding that the equipment goes to the ALS Society once it’s no longer needed. For example, if a power chair is requested and the ALS Society does not have a power chair in inventory that matches the needs of the client, Emily Wells will discuss the possibility of doing an insurance co-pay.