If you’re a caregiver for someone disabled or an elderly relative, you’ll want to do what’s best for them to keep them safe and comfortable.
One aspect is ensuring their house is safe and supportive of their existing and future needs. That’s exactly what TruBlue Home Service Ally provides.
“We specialize in aging in place,” TruBlue franchise owner Brian Winton said. “What we do is home modifications that help individuals stay in their homes longer, as well as people with disabilities to be able to safely stay in their house. We do bathroom modifications, grab bars, handrails, walk-in showers, ramps, lighting and home automation that help individuals turn on lights and appliances and alarm systems with just their voice. Basically, we do everything to help someone stay more convenient and safer in their homes.”
Winton said his mother had suffered a hip injury and he realized that things around the house needed to be moved around or altered to aid in her rehabilitation and recovery. It made him realize there was a need for this type of service. He came across TruBlue’s website and bought a franchise, seven years ago.
The first step is a complete 140-point home evaluation. And it’s completely free.
“We start right at the mailbox,” he said. “We walk through any steps they’re going to have to take on their property to get to the door and inside. We look for any type of hazard. We’re evaluating their outdoor lighting, checking to see if the sidewalk is in good shape and if the step case has handrails. We’re looking for any landscaping obstacles and trip hazards.”
Winton said that same attention to detail is done inside the home.
“We're going through the house and we're looking to make sure there are good pathways through the house,” he said. “Making sure they’re no safety hazards like throw rugs or furniture that might be in the way and cause them to have to stumble around to get around. We're looking for good lighting. We're looking for grab bars in the showers and bathtub areas. Again, we're just looking for anything that could be an obstacle for them to trip over.”
After a complete evaluation, Winton reviews the information with the client to create short-term and long-term plans.
“We give them our recommendations, and we can do all the work,” he said. “We can do the repairs or the installs. However, they don't have to use us. We’ll leave the recommendations with them but if they have a family member that’s handy, they are more than welcome to do the job themselves.”
Winton recommends getting a home evaluation in households with people aged 50 and up.
“Because it's not necessarily things that have to be done right now,” he said. “We can start with a plan and can develop from there. For example, we have a client that has Parkinson's disease. We went out and did the assessment and will periodically do so as his disease progresses. There's no sense in doing it all at one time if you don't need it right now. We can start with the grab bars in the bathroom, but as things happen, they can have a plan already in place that they can start budgeting for and start looking at how they want to do it.”
Winton said studies indicate that people do much better if they’re able to age in their own home. He said there are circumstances where an assisted living facility might be the best option, but if the person is able to stay at home with familiar neighbors and family members, that is the optimal outcome.
Booking a home evaluation is easy. Visit www.trublueally.com/chattanooga