Long-distance travel is daunting, even for the heartiest of travelers. Long lines at TSA screenings and customs, oversold flights, and crowded airplane cabins put people in close contact for long periods of time. Most people manage to bear the stress, but for others it may be beneficial to work with medical transportation companies that can provide the care and skills required to travel safely and comfortably.
As their description suggests, medical transportation companies provide medical-related transportation, most often by van, ground ambulance, air ambulance or helicopter, or fixed-wing aircraft. Some medical transportation companies also offer medical escort services. Medical escorts typically travel with patients in non-emergency situations to provide medical care and assistance as needed during their journey.
Although many people think of medical transportation companies as emergency-service providers, many provide non-emergency transportation. In fact, the services that medical transportation companies offer can make long-distance travel possible for a range of people with special needs, including those who are:
- Elderly. The standing and walking required to navigate an airport can be hard on people who are frail or elderly. A medical escort can assist travelers throughout the screening, pre-boarding and boarding process to ensure that they arrive at their destination safely and receive any necessary medical care along the way.
- Recovering from an accident or injury. People who must travel long-distances to return home after an accident or injury may require supplemental oxygen, wheelchairs and assistance with medication or regular monitoring of their vital signs. A medical transportation company can handle all the logistics of travel for these patients, from discharge at a hospital to the receiving medical facility.
- Cognitively impaired. For people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, a change from their daily routine can be frightening. Medical transportation companies can work closely with an individual’s family to determine what form of transportation is most appropriate and to arrange for a medical escort to provide medical care and assistance as needed.
- Living with a chronic illness. People who have a chronic illness that requires medication or treatment throughout the course of a day may benefit from the services that medical transportation companies can provide.
- Mentally ill. The stress and uncertainties that come with long-distance travel can be overwhelming for a person who has a mental illness. If the person is unable to travel alone or with a loved one, a medical escort can accompany him or her and assist with any underlying medical and mental health needs.
- Medical tourists. Medical transportation companies can help patients who want to travel outside their home countries for medical care on one or both legs of their trip. Such services may be essential for patients who need assistance to travel back to their home countries after heart or joint replacement surgery, for example.
Medical Transportation Services from SentinelMED
A medical transportation company, such as SentinelMED, can help individuals and their family members make important decisions about and arrange medical transportation. SentinelMED provides domestic and international medical transport and medical repatriation services for travelers, the elderly and others who need assistance to travel, including those who have more serious or complicated medical concerns. SentinelMED also can arrange for medical escorts to accompany travelers and help them navigate the complexities of long-distance travel.
The SentinelMED team is experienced in working with hospital case managers and can arrange door-to-door transportation for patients from a discharging hospital to a receiving medical facility or the home of a family member.
The SentinelMED team understands the complexity of delivering exceptional care to patients who need assistance during travel. Please contact us to learn more about the services that SentinelMED offers or its staff.
