"The Virtual Center for Independent Living for West Virginia""The Virtual Center for Independent Living for West Virginia"Home > Advocacy in Action > Mountain State Centers for Independent Living Service Stories
Mr. D
Project: Assistive Technology
Total Project Cost: $1,200.00
Mr. D is an elderly gentleman with a significant hearing loss that lives with his wife in Raleigh County. Mr. D contacted MTSTCIL requesting assistance with the purchase of hearing aids stating he was having trouble communicating with his wife and family members, hearing on the telephone, and was concerned about safety issues related to his hearing loss.
Through the Community Living Services Program, Mr. D received binaural amplification. He called our office when he received his aids and in a tear filled voice said, "Thank you! This is the first time I have heard my grandchild's voice." He also laughingly said, "it sure is nice to know when someone calls you to dinner".
Mr. H
Project: Home Modifications
MTSTCIL Cost: $8,600.00
Total In-kind Cost: $2,175.00
Total Project Cost: $10,775.00
Mr. H had been on the Community Living Services Program waiting list since November 2004. He is 41 years old and lives alone in a trailer in rural Raleigh County. He has limited mobility due to respiratory, orthopedic and cardiac issues. At the time of referral he used a walker inside his home for mobility but needed a wheelchair when he left his home for medical appointments, trips to the grocery store, etc. Mr. H has no transportation and relies on a friend for transportation. He has an in-home service worker who provides limited supports.
Mr. H requested assistance in the form of bathroom modifications and a ramp. In May 2007, his name finally came up on the waiting list. Due to limited funding he could only receive one significant independent living service per year so he requested bathroom modifications. MTSTCIL contracted with Brooks Remodeling to complete the bathroom modifications. After the bathroom modifications were completed, Mr. Brooks realized that Mr. H could not enter or exit his home independently without the ramp. Mr. Brooks was also concerned if there was an emergency, such as a fire, that he would be trapped in his own home. Then and there Mr. Brooks decided to donate the materials and labor and completed a ramp for Mr. H. (Read more about Mr. Brooks.)
Mr. H reported the bathroom modifications have "changed my life. I had to go 3 to 4 weeks without a bath, except for sponge baths. I felt dirty. This shower makes me feel like a whole new person."
Ms B
Project: Home Modifications
Estimated Project Cost: $7,500.00
Ms B lived alone in Cabell County. She contacted MTSTCIL requesting independent living services through the Community Living Services Program in 2005. Due to difficulties with mobility and other physical disabilities, she was unable to access her bathroom. Due to the length of the waiting list and the lack of adequate program funding, Ms B had to move from a home and community she had lived in all her life because she was unable to access bathroom modifications. She relocated to Ohio to live with one of her daughters until they can sell her property and she can get an apartment near her daughter.
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