Ideally, everyone should be able to age in their home; however, aging in place comes with many challenges that senior citizens and their families aren’t always prepared for. As they age, many seniors find that the stairs leading into their home, once easy to navigate, are now difficult to use. By the time they realize a ramp is needed, the resources to have one built may not be available.
The Healthy Home Initiative, a partnership between NCCAA and BlueCross and BlueShield of North Carolina, provides resources to reduce, and eliminate health and safety risks for qualifying homeowners.
Many other programs help with home improvements. Much of those funds, however, are restricted to very specific projects, and often don’t allow for the building of ramps. Our Healthy Home Initiative provides unrestricted funds that can be used to fill the gaps in home improvements.
Through I-CARE's weatherization team, John and Nellie Norman of Charlotte recently had a handicap ramp installed at their home. The family expressed its gratitude as follows:
"We just love the look of our new handicap ramp. Thank you so much for this service!
“My husband and I feel lucky and blessed that we were eligible to have I-CARE, Inc. build a handicap ramp at our home. The ramp is sturdy, strong and built with treated lumber which allows us to safely walk out to the car without the fear of losing our balance and falling. The handrails were very much needed as well. We also have a porch to sit on to enjoy the sun when the weather is nice.
“The process was very simple and the time frame to install did not take long at all. Upon completion of the ramp, the agency followed up with us to make sure the work was acceptable and there were no issues to report. The crew was very nice and professional and did an awesome job!
“We look forward to working with I-CARE, Inc. in the near future to see what services your crew brings to us.”
We are glad Nellie and John can now get safely in and out of their home! This isn’t just a home improvement, it’s a life and safety improvement. Now they don’t have to worry about injury, and no longer hesitate to leave the house because of the stairs. This ramp provides them with more freedom and peace of mind. Thank you, BlueCross and BlueShield of North Carolina, for providing the grant for this and other projects! And thank you, I-CARE, for helping the community not just escape poverty, but be a safer place to call home.
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