Friday, Mar. 4, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Town works together to provide a wheelchair rampBy BEN NELMS It was a simple matter of people helping people. And in the case of Rachel Murphy, help came in the form of a much needed wheelchair ramp. Networking by the Palmetto Seniors Center, city firefighters and the non-profit Ramps for Champs provided Murphy with an easier way to enter and exit her home. Palmetto Senior Center Director Patty OBrien said she was initially contacted by Palmetto firefighter Mike Laster about the need for a wheelchair ramp at Murphys residence. OBrien then set out to find a solution to the problem. She stressed that the current relationship between the needs of seniors and the resources available to them has undergone a type of transformation in recent years. It is a new day for seniors in terms of having so many of their needs met, she said. Were not the old familiar type of Seniors Center people think of from the past, OBrien said. Today we are vital in the community. A part of that vitality was evidenced when OBrien went to work to help solve the problem. She contacted Danny Overstreet, Field Director for Ramps for Champs, affiliated with Stone Mountain-based Friends of Disabled Adults. Once contacted by OBrien, Overstreet found the materials for the ramp. From there it was the Palmetto firefighters that responded in mass last week to build it. A new wheelchair ramp and the ability to more easily get in and out of her home makes a real difference for Murphy, including with her frequent trips for dialysis. The addition of a ramp makes the difference in sometimes having to be carried up and down the stairs and having the capability to be more independent, said Overstreet. With a ramp she will be able to be more independent, he said. And independence is something we feel strongly about. Rachel Murphy has lived on the same street for 68 years. Speaking in her living room while Overstreet, OBrien and more than a dozen firefighters worked in the chilly February weather to build the ramp, she said the wheelchair ramp is short of a blessing. Though sometimes able to negotiate the steps on her front porch, she said the ramp will make getting in and out of her home much safer. Its wonderful to be getting this ramp. It will make a lot of difference with the wheelchair and it will be a lot safer with my walker instead of using the steps, Murphy explained, her eyes smiling and acknowledging the efforts of OBrien, Palmetto firefighters and others. Its good to see so many people out here helping. I know so many of them. Overstreet said Ramps for Champs, now in its fifth year, assists in providing 75-100 wheelchair ramps each year throughout the metro area. Overstreet normally hears about the need, conducts an interview to assess the need, then locates the materials and volunteers to bring it to life. Projects like this are always a puzzle that you put together, Overstreet said. We rely on donated lumber and volunteers to make it happen. For OBrien, the challenge of meeting the needs of Palmettos seniors comes with the territory. It is a territory that is constantly being explored. It is one in which solutions are created. There are hundreds of resources out there for seniors, said Palmetto Senior Center Director Patty OBrien. They just need to know where to go to get them. |
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