Safe Seniors

Ramp Program

Provides necessary handicap ramps for disabled senior citizens with emphasis on those with low or fixed incomes. Habitat for Safe Seniors has completed 10 of these ramps, 2 of which were over 75 feet long. This program ensures that all seniors can safely access their homes giving them piece of mind and quality of life. This also allows cost savings to the senior, government and health care providers by preventing slips, trips and falls. This program is supported in part by the kind hearts of MLU Services of Florida that had donated some prefabricated handicap ramps with nonskid surfaces. The funding in 2007 from the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation had allowed us to purchase the necessary fasteners and angle iron to assemble these ramps. We expect the remaining ramps to be installed in 2008 through our volunteer organizations. In some situations it is not feasible to install a prefab ramp due to the terrain or structure of the home. In these situations we have to fabricate a ramp from wood or other materials. In the Texas hill country some of these homes and trailers are so high off the ground that the proper ADA slopes for ramps can not be achieved. In some cases vertical lifts would need to be installed to address safety, home accessibility and/or terrain issues. Vertical lifts can cost in excess of $10,000 depending on height. In cases where vertical lifts may be necessary we seek additional help from other organizations for support. These ramps are critical especially in fire or EMS emergencies where the elderly are unable to exit their home safely.