Apr

20

Aging In Place: Take a Ride on the Stair Chair

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When my client first called and asked for one of these, a Stair Chair, I gave her a ballpark price on a new one. It’s a good thing I was talking with the Executor and not the heart patient we  are working for! She couldn’t believe that the simplest, well made stair chair would cost a minimum of  $3-5K, and that was just for the chair lift and installation. Modifications that had to be made to the stairway, including installing a new power source for the chair battery, would be extra. If we needed the chair to take  a curve of any sort coming down, the cost could have doubled. AND, we are talking about a reconditioned stair lift! It’s not even new to you. Those prices are $10-15k!

Our other challenge in this home was to be able to get in and out of the garage. With the chair at the bottom of the stairs, that wouldn’t work. So, we built a bigger landing for turning around, and the client uses the remote to send the chair up the stairs and out of the way of the garage door! We also had to remove half the grab bars and handrails we had just installed 3 months ago once the chair took over the space. Plus rewire some very challenging electrical work. We selected a Stannah stair chair, as their reputation seemed quite good overall. There are many other companies that sell chairlifts, but the best thing is to find the company in your area that sells, reconditions, installs and warrantees the work. And DO get the insurance and annual maintenance. It is worth it for this type of investment.

But the reward is the freedom it give our lovely lady so she can finally do her own laundry, carrying it on her lap as she glides downstairs to her lower level, which houses the laundry room. That step forward is huge, as it means another step toward independence, and a move toward freedom from having a 24 hour caregiver living with her. 

We have done a lot of small jobs here, we’ll be putting up some hooks and working on getting the client to put in a better bathroom. We have also seen progress with the client, as she becomes more active and social. You have to really believe in what you do if you work in the field of Aging. Seniors, or people with mobility issues. It did take two visits and standing over the installer asking a lot of questions to get things perfect!

Apr

9

Aging In Place: Half Moon Bay Senior Coastsiders

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The party started EARLY. These folks don’t want to be late for the annual Senior Coastsiders Dinner!  Our Dates for the evening made sure we’d be picking them up 1/2 hour before the start of the party, even though they lived only 8 blocks away!

The Senior Coastsiders of Half Moon Bay are a special group of caregivers. A non profit that has been in existance since 1977, Senior Coastsiders has become the focal point for senior services on the coastside. They strive to create an atmosphere that acknowledges and affirms the value, dignity and self worth of seniors and adults with disabilities.

The agency also serves as a resource for the entire community for information on aging, support of caregivers, and development of innovative approaches to address issues of aging. They also do fundraising, and a special Home Repair day where the community’s handy men & women get out and build ramps, stairs, install new doors, windows, locks, fix bathrooms, you name it!

Last night’s Senior’s Night Out was a dressy affair, with community members donating money for the dinner, acting as escorts for seniors with mobility issues, and those who don’t get to go out much at night. Dinner was served by community volunteers, and I especially liked being served by my Financial Advisor, Howard Hayes! This is just one of the many, many services our active Coastside Seniors are part of each week. From Case Management to Thrift Store Management, and everything in between, our Coastside Seniors have a wealth of opportunities.  Their participation led to the room being full of happy, motivated people in spite of their mobility problems, age related illnesses, hearing problems – none of it mattered, it was just socializing with members of the community. And it extends their life…we had 10 people over 90 years and 25 over 80 participating!

Brian, Bob and I attended with our dates, “New York” Mary, and John & Marja Gullmes. We all made plans to meet again, Marja & John, both from Finland, are very interested in hearing the SF Lyric Chorus this month.  And NY Mary was very pleased with her handsome date, who promised to stop by and check out anything she needs doing around the apartment.

We decked our partners out in roses, and the Black + White ball theme was a real hit. But the best part was the lively conversation at our table and the wonderful interaction between young & old, and such divergent interests that combined to make our Aging In Place community center the brightest spot on the coastside this week.

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