renovation cold christmas

hi everyone, i'm in rural indiana and take care of my dad who used to help elderly in a nursing home for twenty years on low wages (cna.) he's becoming more handicap everyday and in need of some bathroom renovation work with grab bars and sit down shower. I asked the local senior place and they brushed me off putting me on a list, there is no habitat for humanity here. my neighbor contractor gave me a price of fifteen thousand dollars which we can't afford. nobody ever taught me how to do rehab work on houses when i was younger and don't know the first thing about making a floor square. I will gladly pay for all the material and supplies needed. can anyone give me some ideas on who to ask for help?

Reply to
topdog
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Did you try your local Craigslist? I'm sure there are a lot of nice helpful folks all over the country no matter what anyone says about Americans. Even with the economy down, there are always people around to give a helping hand. Are you a member of any church? I've done work for smaller churches that seem to be more charitable than mega churches. I guess the members don't attend the services just to be seen, they really believe. The Salvation Army and United Way may have some programs in place to help those in your situation. Sometimes a company will do the work for a tax right off as a charitable contribution. If you could get a reporter to tell your story, people will see that a wonderful person like your father who spent his life helping others is in need of help himself. Someone may see or hear the story and come to your aid.

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

Fifteen thou? You are considering gutting or adding a complete bathroom? It would help to know what you are starting with and specifically what you need to accomplish....just adding grab bars and a seat, or ripping out a bath tub to change to shower? It would also help to know more about your dad's limitations....total care or just a little help? Walker? Wheelchair? Most cities and counties have agencies for aging, which can sometimes provide financial assistance. My county has a "211" phone number to call for any and all social service needs. Even your local Red Cross might know of resources. If you are doing the work yourself, get a book at the library for basic remodeling ...installing a sink or a toilet will give you a good idea of the issues involved in altering a bathroom.

The most important issue to begin with is to provide good lighting and eliminate trip/fall hazards...loose throw rugs, accumulated junk he might fall over, etc.

Reply to
norminn

I forgot to mention....larger nursing homes have personnel who are familiar with resources for handicapped individuals...call them "social workers" or "activity directors" or whatever. Call them.

Reply to
norminn

on 12/7/2009 1:37 AM (ET) topdog wrote the following:

There are various programs for the elderly to get grants for home improvement. The link is very long, so here is the Google link by TinyUrl

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Reply to
willshak

Find out if there are other senior help programs available. My elderly aunt had someone come in and install the grab bars and such at no cost, but that is in a different state. Most every state has some sort of program though. You may want to ask a couple of elderly neighbors if they have had anything done like that and who did it.

New flooring and painting or cosmetic is not covered, of course, but aid for assistance are.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Every county should have something like a Council on Aging that might be able to help, too. United Way might have an agency.

Reply to
Kurt Ullman

Freakin A right. The government is giving away lots of dollars, and it sounds like this would be a good project. Heck, they recently gave someone $400,000 to study the sex lives of college freshmen. I'd a done it for free, but just the girls.

Steve ;-)

Reply to
Steve B

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