Dear editor,
Do you have a plan if one of you has a health scare? This week it happened to us. My husband had a stroke. He was first at the ER, then an acute care hospital and now in a rehabilitation center. Will be in hospital for at least another 14 days.
Why am I speaking about this? To tell you to talk about the “what ifs” now, not while it is happening.
Do you have a support system? Do you have anyone who can get to you wherever you are? Can you do all things if your spouse is in the hospital? The mundane of RV living-type things. I didn’t always realize the little things that now will be up to me. He will recover but we do not know how much he will regain. We are waiting to get out of crisis time before we make any decisions.
Do you plan to continue RV living, or do you plan to get off-road at that point? Please plan. Know the options. There are going to be health issues that pop up but if you talk about them now, things will not be so mind-boggling. Stay safe. —Lisa Adcox
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Thank you for this important message, Lisa. We hope your husband has a complete recovery so you two can continue on your RV adventures. —All of us at RVtravel.com
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##RVT1025
As others have mentioned we joined FMCA for just such an event. We also belong to ESCAPEES who have similar resources.
Both are very low cost and I’m told relatively reliable.
We will be updating our health care directives after the holidays (we are stationary for the winter). I have a great health care plan through my former employer. Part of our future planning was to join FMCA. Not only for the information and rallies, but the FMCAssist if needed. We are workcamping in Alaska next summer (so this was a prudent decision and we’re not getting any younger (drat))! The two biggest costs in retirement for fulltimers are fuel and healthcare (maybe vehicle and rig maintenance).
We had a medical emergency in Mexico. I thought our charge card limits were already enough. However, Medicare doesn’t work in foreign countries, so I had to max out 2 charge cards and 2 ATM cards, move money from savings to pay off accounts and start over the next day! Our secondary insurance paid us back, but healthcare is expensive. We increased our spending limits on our charge cards just for emergencies.
Sad for your experience. For foreign travel, as well as US we carry a permanent travel insurance policy. For an annual fee we are covered for med emergencies, return to US God forbid the unthinkable happens, and even theft…we had a cell phone stolen once and it paid us back on a prorated amount….better than nothing. We use one called roam right but there are many to choose from. Even covers unexpected cancellations for those places that are non refundable…makes the paying up front a little more doable. Check it out..it might be of interest. Safe travels!
Name of company of your travel insurance policy. Thanks
Roam Right Travel Ins….roamright.com
There are others too but this is who we like. They have great customer service, various levels of coverage, single trip and multiple trip 12 month coverage. We have used them since 2014(?) First for single trips out of the US then found an annual policy was more cost effective for us. You can check it on line then call CS for further info.
Just google travel insurance and many others will come up but we like the coverages Roam Right offers.
Thanks Sandi! I will check into this insurance. We keep on going… traveling is wonderful! Safe travels to you as well!
Why I am a member of FMCA for the included Assist that will transport me, my pet and my rig home if I need it.
An older couple we know taught us a simple tip to get EMTs to a campsite faster. They were camping far from home when the husband experienced a serious health emergency that rendered him unconscious. His wife called 911 but, in her panicked state, she couldn’t remember the campground name, address, or site number. It took precious time to look up those details. Fortunately, he survived, despite the delay. Their advice to us was to post a sticky note with location information on our RV’s refrigerator door for each campground stay. If the campground is gated after hours, include a management or site host phone number to call for access.
This is the biggest reason we decided not to full time. Even a one-bedroom condo which would give us something to return to was discussed. Then we actually had a medical emergency and the experience was enough to make the decision for us.
We decided that for us, medical emergencies are stressful enough — they are not the time to be house hunting.
Please remember to have “ health care directives” completed. This is valuable should you or loved one be suddenly near life’s end. This affidavit relieves the survivor of end of life decision making. I recently lost my best friend and love of my life, having this affidavit stating his wishes was incredibly relieving.
We have a plan with Emergency Assistance Plus that offers:
Medical Evacuation, Medical Assistance, Assistance for Companions, Transportation Home
My wife got a group plan through American Airlines’ AAdvantage program for less than $200 a year. (They claim over 100 other group discounts.)
https://www.emergencyassistanceplus.com
I lost my beautiful wife of 39 years to cancer in late September. We were living in our motor home and all set to go. Due to Covid restrictions, I was not allowed to see her until the doctors decided she was terminally ill. Although it was not needed, a legal affidavit for medical decisions might be a good thing to have for each other. If you or your significant other is unable to speak for themselves this legally directs medical staff that you have the decision making process.
Ask your health care provider or local hospital for a “Power of Attorney – Health Care” form. Go over it with someone who knows what the various phrases mean and what the possible outcomes are. You need two witnesses to sign the form to verify that you and your spouse signed the form in their presence. It really helped when my wife went from ‘dementia’ to ‘Alzheimer’s’.
We found while staying in an RV park down in Houston close to the hospital I was being treated at, that many in the park became our ‘family’ as time went on. Many were there for the same reasons, at the same hospital. It made it considerably easier, especially on my wife when I was actually in the hospital for 30 days, to have folks who understand your problems and can truly sympathize.
My husband and I are in our 70’s in relatively good health. Husband started having hip/back issues that were exasperated when he drove. So we moved up our timetable and bought a house in a 55+ community nearer family and will summeer there and winter in Florida in our motorhome until such time we can’t.
Thank you for the reminder on this important subject. We will update our plan before we head south this year. We are members of FMCA which has an informal system to help our their members under these circumstances until they can acquire definitive care. We need to review the procedures so we know who and where to call if this happens. Also we will again discuss whether or not we will continue to RV. I pray for your husbands fast recovery so you can get on with your lives. Hope to see you on the road.
Thank you very much. This ordeal started Oct 25th. There is a possibility of him coming home on Monday or Tuesday. The whole In House Rehabilitation Team have a meeting Monday to see where he is and if he needs longer. We were lucky that I seen the signs and we acted fast. In 24 hours our oldest daughter had arrived to be that support person. Her job allows her to work from anywhere. She is back home now and my support has been people here in RV Park where Rick has been doing Electrical, Plumbing and Remodeling.
It could of been far worse. Thanks to all who offered prayers and well wishes.