December 2000 Life@Home, Inc. Nashville Tennessean, Williamson A.M., December 18, 2000 Offers Customized Housing Options, Peace of
Mind. Two houses being built side by side in the Wheaton Hall area of Fieldstone Farms may look like others going up, but these homes are special. They're universal. Martha Kirkpatrick and her daughter, Kathryn, have slowed completion of the houses to make the structural changes necessary for them to live there safely and comfortably. Martha, who is elderly, wants to live on her own as long as she can. She worked with the contractors to reduce common household hazard areas. Kathryn, who is battling a degenerative muscle disease, eventually will use a wheelchair. She wanted to be able to maneuver her new home. Their homes, however, will not look or feel like handicapped residences. The changes make the homes universal, or user-friendly to everyone. To accomplish this goal, the Kirkpatricks enlisted the help of Life At Home, a Nashville-based company that provides home modification products and services for senior citizens and people with disabilities. Life At Home helps people retain or gain independence in their own homes. The company consults with clients about how to make a home safer and can source and install everything from wheelchair ramps and grab bars to safety lighting. Being able to stay in her home was an issue Martha faced as she looked for a home in Franklin. She couldn't find many one-story homes with no steps leading up to the front door. And she certainly couldn't find two together. "I want to stay in my home as long as I can," she said. "I just hope someday people can stay in their own homes as they age." Ella Chadwell, general manager for Life At Home, said the company gives people their dignity back. "Most of what we do is simple modification and mostly in the bathroom because that's where most accidents happen," she said. "We go in and put in a grab bar and hang a towel on it instead of a towel rack that will pull out of the wall. Customers have lived with their barriers, so they become great architects." Lucy Morgan is another client who sought help from Life At Home. Morgan, 71, was hospitalized last summer and now needs stabilization to walk. Life At Home installed railings by her steps and in the bathroom and put in a device to help Morgan get in and out of her bathtub. "They were looking out for my good and I knew that," Morgan said. "Ella looked at things like my rugs and things that could make me fall. She noticed things that were accidents waiting to happen. ... All of us would prefer to be safe in our homes." |