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Cobb County Senior Services installs stair lifts to improve home access for local resident
Summary
Cobb County Senior Services, through a newly created assistant technology case manager role and funding from Cobb-Douglas Public Health, helped a resident obtain two stair lifts to improve home access and safety.
Darlene Hettinger, assistant technology case manager at Cobb County Senior Services, said the agency installed two stair lifts for resident Sarah Hampton to improve access to her garage, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.
"My position is a newly created position with the goals of being able to help people age more safely in their homes and educate them on assistive technology and devices that are available for their use to do so," Hettinger said. She told meeting attendees that Cobb County Senior Services partnered with Cobb-Douglas Public Health to conduct home safety assessments and prioritize work with available funding.
Hettinger described how staff coordinated with the county fire department’s CARES team and Cobb-Douglas Public Health to identify needs and fund modifications: "Because of the funding that we got from Cobb Douglas Public Health, we were able to put in these 2 stair libs for Sarah." She said the lifts allow Hampton to access primary living spaces that were previously difficult or unsafe to reach.
Resident Sarah Hampton described the difference the equipment has made. "As you can see, it has dramatically changed her quality of life, her functional performance in her home, and of course her safety," Hettinger said when referring to Hampton; Hampton added, "Through the senior service, I went through a lot of advocates to get to where I got. When they came, they was very polite. They laughed. And it seemed like when I called them, they would just wanna come on just to talk to me. I'm very thankful that I met Darlene with the senior service." Hampton also said, "She has been excellent, and also the company has been excellent to me."
The account given in the meeting highlights a locally funded home-safety effort to help a resident remain in her home by modifying stair access. Meeting remarks identified the new assistant technology case manager role and Cobb-Douglas Public Health funding as the means by which the stair lifts were assessed and installed.
