MTSTCIL Service Stories

Mr. E
Age 69
Project: Assistive Technology
Total Project Cost: $811.84

Mr. E lives in Cabell County and contacted MTSTCIL requesting independent living services in 2003. Mr. E has polio with limited mobility and is hearing impaired. Mr. M wanted to be able to bathe independently, receive assistance with getting up and down from a seated position and to improve his ability to hear. Due to limited funding Mr. E was added to our Community Living Services Program waiting list.

In May 2004 Mr. E received a hand-held shower. This inexpensive device along with other bathing aids empowered Mr. M to bathe independently. In December 2004 MTSTCIL was able to purchase a lift chair for Mr. E. He said "it really helps me to get up without straining myself and has improved my life so much!" In March 2005, Mr. E received a hearing evaluation and a hearing aid. Mr. E reports "he can hear so much better and everything is great!"

Ms. V
Age 30
Project: Home Modifications
Project Total Cost: $1440.00

Ms. V received services through the Community Living Services Program. She contacted our office in November 2003 requesting independent living services. Due to limited funding and a very long waiting list for services, Ms. V finally received her ramp in May 2005. Below is her story in her own words.

I live with my daughter in Raleigh County. I am 30 years old and before receiving my ramp I was a prisoner in my own home. It would be weeks and often months before I would be able to get out of the house.

When my ramp was built, I felt liberated and free. I have a daughter who just started school this year and I can now take her to and from the bus stop. I can visit my daughter's school, attend parent-teacher meetings and other special events at school. It has been liberating to be able to schedule appointments to the doctor at my convenience and to be able to go to the store anytime I need.

The ramp has certainly changed my life for the better. My life is much different than it was a year ago. I am more independent than I have been for a very long time. This is a great program and with additional funding more people would be able to get out of their homes and be involved in their community and not need to be dependent on services for the basic freedoms of life.

Mr. T
Age 51
Project: Assistive Technology
Total Project Cost: $661.65

Mr. T contacted MTSTCIL in October 2004 requesting independent living services, specifically hearing aids. Mr. T reported he was having problems understanding what people were saying to him and often had to read lips. He missed out on a lot of conversations due to his hearing loss, and his television was so loud it "blasted other family members out of the house".

Through the Community Living Services Program, in October 2005, Mr. T received his hearing aids. He called our office when he received his hearing aids and said, "say something, K" and quickly said "Now I can hear you!! Everything is fantastic!". Mr. T loves his hearing aids and reported they have changed his life and he is enjoying hearing the world again.

Mrs. A
Age 83
Project Assistive Technology
Total Project Cost. $600.00

Mrs. A lives in Raleigh County and contacted MTSTCIL requesting assistance in obtaining a lift chair so that she could get out of bed occasionally and be part of her family again. She indicated that her arthritis prevented her from being able to get up and down from a seated position so she just stayed in bed. She had been restricted to a hospital bed for the over six months.

In May of 2005, MTSTCIL was able to provide a lift chair for Mrs. A.. When she found out how easy the chair was to operate and how little pain she suffered when she used the chair she was so excited she cried. She told staff, "Nobody can imagine how bad I had been wanting to sit up with my family members and how much I am going to enjoy being part of the family again".

MTSTCIL Waiting for Service

Mr. M
Age: 47
Project: Assistive Technology and Home Modifications
Project Cost for Assistive Technology: $291.84
Estimated Project Cost for Home Modifications: $2500.00

Mr. M lived alone in his own home in Cabell County. He was divorced and the father of two grown children. Mr. M had Guillian Barre Syndrome, a disease that affected his nervous and muscular system. Mr. M had no gag reflex, had difficulty walking and used a power wheelchair for mobility and was unable to get up and down from a sitting position.

When Mr. M contacted MTSTCIL in July 2004 he was very depressed that he could no longer enter and exit his home independently. He was unable to leave his home without significant assistance - he required at least two individuals to lift his power wheelchair and physically carry him and his chair out of his home. Mr. M also explained that he was unable to get up and down from a seated position so he would often sit in his chair for hours until someone was available to help him transfer to his wheelchair. Due to limited funding Mr. M was put on a waiting list for independent living services.

In December 2004, Mr. M received his lift chair through the Community Living Services Program. Mr. M told staff "this lift Chair is a life saver"! He was very happy with the chair and frequently showed staff how much easier it was for him to get up and down from a seated position and transfer into his power wheelchair independently. However, he continued to need a ramp to be able to enter and exit his home. The ramp was critical to his independent living needs. Without the ramp he was confined to his own home and was unable to exit the home in the event of a emergency situation.

Due to limited funding, the Community Living Services Program could only purchase his lift Chair in December of 2004 - we had to wait for more funding before construction of the ramp could be scheduled. While awaiting funding, in January 2005 Mr. M passed away from complications related to his medical condition. He never had the opportunity to realize his goal - being able to leave his home and participate in the community.

Mrs. H.
Age 70
Raleigh County
Project Assistive Technology
Estimate Project Cost $2500.00

Mrs. H lives alone in Raleigh County. Mrs. H contacted MTSTCIL in January 2005 requesting independent living services through the Community Living Services Program. She has heart, back and arthritis problems. She has a power wheelchair but is unable to use it because she has no way of getting it in and out of her home. She is confined to her home and desperately needs a ramp.

She has been on the waiting list since January 2005. Due to inadequate funding and a significant waiting list for independent living services it appears it will be at least another year before MTSTCIL will be able to provide this ramp for her.