Maricopa County Human Services’ Mobility Assistance Program, funded by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, provided a mobility scooter and home accessibility work that helped Dawn Rayfeld leave her house for errands and trips, a county caseworker and Rayfeld said.

The program supplies scooters and carries out minor home repairs and accessibility improvements, county staff said. “We did everything minor repairs from, ramp installations to door widenings to, bathroom safety,” one presenter said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32,000 seniors die every year from falling — a statistic cited during the presentation to underline the safety impact of mobility and home modifications.

Rayfeld, a participant in the Maricopa County Human Services Mobility Assistance Program, described how her health limits walking and standing. “I have severe neuropathy, which has gone to extreme neuropathy. My right leg is hard to move, so it makes it hard to to walk, to stand, to sit,” she said. Her caseworker, Laurie Lyon, described the assessment that led to the scooter and other work: “Through my assessment, you know, I I I find out what her needs are, and 1 of them that we talked about was her, mobility issues. I call her Gladys.”

Rayfeld said the scooter — which she calls Gladys — has allowed her to travel farther than the mailbox and on longer trips. “I went to New Mexico, and I went to Colorado with her, with Gladys,” Rayfeld said.

The meeting transcript states the Mobility Assistance Program is funded by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and lists specific services as minor repairs, ramp installations, door widenings and bathroom-safety work. The transcript does not specify program-wide funding totals, eligibility criteria or how many seniors receive services each year.