Home › Assistive Technology › Respiratory and orthotic supports

Equipment

Respiratory and orthotic supports

Braces, collars, and airway clearance aids. Everything here should be fitted or prescribed by the care team first; this page explains what the items are, not whether you need one.

Respiratory and orthotic supports: 8 items

How to use this category

Everything here should be fitted or prescribed by the care team first. This page explains what the items are, not whether the person needs one. Braces and collars change how a body moves, and a poorly chosen one creates a second problem.

A collar for weakness is a different device from a collar for an injury

An injury collar is built to stop the neck moving after trauma. A collar for neck weakness is trying to hold the head up while still allowing swallowing and speech. They are not interchangeable, and collar fit can change the swallow. See head drop and neck weakness.

Support from the chair rather than the neck

Often the better answer is a headrest and a tilted seat, so the chair carries the weight of the head instead of the neck. It is less obvious than a collar and usually more comfortable over a long day.

Airway clearance is about the cough, not the mucus

A weak cough is the thing to watch. Suction removes what has already reached the mouth. A cough assist machine helps bring it up from the chest. They do different jobs and neither replaces the other. See using a cough assist machine.

Foot drop

An ankle foot orthosis holds the foot up so the toe stops catching on the floor. It has to be fitted to the leg and to the shoe, and shoes usually need to be a half size larger with a removable insole to make room for it.

What this equipment costs, and who pays

Medicare Part B covers medically necessary durable medical equipment when a provider prescribes it for use at home. After the Part B deductible you pay 20 percent of the Medicare approved amount. Hospital beds, commode chairs, walkers, wheelchairs and scooters are all on Medicare’s own list.

Whether one specific item qualifies is decided case by case, so ask the clinic’s social worker before paying out of pocket. Check that the supplier is enrolled in Medicare and accepts assignment, and ask whether the item is rented or bought, because that differs by equipment type.

Our guides to free and low-cost equipment programs and financial resources cover the routes that are not Medicare, including loan closets and nonprofit grants.

Coverage details from Medicare on durable medical equipment.

Guides on this site

• Breathing changes: what to watch for
• Using a cough assist machine at home
• BiPAP and non-invasive ventilation at home
• Head drop, collars and head supports