Seniors get help with home repairs

Three strokes knocked Scotty Paterson into a wheelchair, and life in his home changed in unexpected ways.

Household problems he once fixed stayed broken, such as window latches and loose hand railings. Scotty’s wife, Joan, had no experience with home repairs. She mentioned her dilemma in conversation once at the Aging and Adult Services office in Coeur d’Alene. A day later, her home was repaired.

“I keep supplies in my truck,” says J.D. Baker, the Post Falls man who volunteered to help Joan the moment he heard her home needed repairs. He opens the back of his truck to show a toolbox nearly the size of a door and boxes of light bulbs. “I find it rewarding to see a quick response to problems.”

J.D. coordinates the aging agency’s Safe at Home program. Safe at Home helps seniors repair problems in their homes that could endanger their lives. Troubles are as simple as burned-out light bulbs that some seniors can’t reach to change. Volunteers in the Safe at Home program secure carpets and stop water leaks. They install wheelchair ramps and railings in bathtubs.

The program started about a year ago to help seniors stay in their homes. Research shows that people are happier in their homes and that health tends to nosedive after they leave home permanently for care centers.

But homes people bought before they retired often don’t fit their needs in their senior years. Doorways and halls are too narrow for wheelchairs. Stairs become difficult to climb. Snow covers walkways to the doors and homeowners are no longer able to wield a snow shovel.

Even single-story homes have their problems for seniors with fixed incomes and limited physical abilities. J.D. visited a man in his 80s with no smoke detector and water on his floors from a leak.

A branch of Aging and Adult Services turned to Habitat for Humanity, hoping the two nonprofit agencies could team up to help seniors stay in their homes. Habitat helps working poor families build and buy their own homes. It has projects that keep it busy year-round. But Jim Erlanger, Habitat of North Idaho’s leader, saw the value of keeping seniors safe in their own homes. He steered Adult Services to J.D., a Habitat volunteer.

J.D. is a lifelong builder. He began hammering next to his father and then owned his own building company in Coeur d’Alene in the 1960s. After he retired a decade ago, he had more time on his hands than he liked. He’s a doer, not a talker. He volunteered his skills to Habitat.

“I had good health. I felt like I wanted to reach out,” he says.

He coordinated building projects for Habitat. When Adult Services asked him to coordinate its new Safe at Home program, J.D., 75, was interested. He’s hearty and healthy enough to fix just about anything in his house but understands how quickly that could change.

Adult Services hears about needed repairs from its caseworkers, who visit regularly with homebound seniors. As they discuss any number of needs, caseworkers scan the safety of the home and leave notes for J.D. He handles most simple repairs himself. For projects that demand more manpower and time, he calls several volunteer groups he met working on Habitat homes. J.D. organizes the project; the groups work on their own.

“We do the things people need but don’t have the means to get,” says Bill Phillips, leader of Craftsmen for Christ.

Bill assembled his volunteer crew at Lake City Community Church. A friend had started Craftsmen for Christ in California about 15 years ago. Bill started a chapter in North Idaho after he moved here.

“Women are welcome, but it’s mostly men,” he says. “Carpentry skills are great, but they don’t have to have any to participate.”

After J.D.’s minor repairs at the Paterson’s Coeur d’Alene home, he suggested a wheelchair ramp would help Scotty get out of the house more. Joan bought the materials and Craftsmen for Christ did the work. They devoted one Saturday to the job. Joan supplied them with lunch.

“They were very friendly and nice,” she says. “And they did a beautiful job.”

Homeowners usually buy building materials, but Safe at Home has a fund for people who can’t. The program extends only to Kootenai County residents now.

If you’re a senior or you know a senior whose home needs minor repairs to improve safety, call (208) 667-3179.