In response to the letter to the editor in this week’s paper, the Fitzhugh looked into possible avenues for a patient looking for support to install a safety bar given to her by an occupational therapist.

Local occupational therapist Nancy Fitzgerald said a program called Alberta Aids to Daily Living (AADL) pays 75 per cent of the cost of things such as grab bars to assist people with their daily living.  Fitzgerald said  unfortunately, the program does not provide people with the funds to install the bar. “The installation is the responsibility of the client,” said Fitzgerald. She also said that when she could, she was more than happy to assist her patients with the installation of grab bars in their homes, but sometimes it was beyond her knowledge to install them. “There is also the liability factor,” she said.

So then, where does one go if they can’t afford to pay someone to install the bar? Jennifer Guzwell, public affairs officer for Alberta services and community support,  suggested community support programs were often the best resource. However, she added the bars do not need to be installed by a professional, so a family member or friend could assist in this situation. She suggested “bigger cities do tend to have more options” than towns such as Jasper.

Kathleen Waxer, director of Community and Family Services in Jasper, said that there were services designed to help people in a similar situation as Williamson, but it was not a situation they come across often.  For clients that have been working together with a community outreach worker there is an opportunity for some financial support in this kind of situation. Waxer clarified that there was certain criteria that had to be met prior to financial support being offered “its only for people who are working with outreach workers to overcome barriers to their optimal wealth.” She also said that all other avenues would be exhausted first before offering financial support as there was generally somebody that was associated with the individual that would be capable of installing the bar.

Waxer said it was often the case with seniors, rather than other age groups in society, that there was no support for installation of things like grab bars to assist their daily lives. “I believe that it’s important to have services embedded within the community to provide that as a link for a person that’s struggling to figure out ‘How do I install this?’,” Waxer said.