Akron firefighter paramedic Mike Fuller was at Gene and Nancy Bishop’s Ellet house recently.
But Fuller wasn’t there to put out a fire or help someone who had fallen — common reasons for visits from the fire department.
Fuller was there to install some grab bars by the garage door, in the bathroom shower and near the toilet to prevent falls and to install a bed rail to help Nancy get out of bed.
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The Bishops received the equipment as part of a free program at the Akron Fire Department for city residents. The initiative is designed to help prevent falls for those at highest risk.
The program is part of the city’s REACH program (Resources Education and Advocacy for Community Health), which started in the spring 2019 to cut down on 911 calls. The fire department budgets $5,000 for the program, in addition to seeking grants.
Fire departments have a high volume of calls from people who fall and need assistance getting up, Akron EMS Chief Chris Karakis said.
Through the program, Fuller will go out to Akron residents’ homes and do a safety assessment. Based on the assessment, he will install needed safety equipment such as shower chairs or detachable shower heads for free.
“Maybe their issue is in the bathroom and when they get on the toilet, they can’t get up. Or a lot of people will fall in the shower or certain hallways have loose carpets,” said Karakis.
There is no income level or age requirement to qualify for the REACH program.
Akron residents can request a free assessment by calling 330-812-7590, emailing REACH@akronohio.gov or www.akronohio.gov/cms/AkronReach/index.html
Referrals also come to Fuller from EMS calls the department receives or another fire call to a home that could use the fall-prevention assessment. Fuller also receives referrals from the community or professionals who work with patients, such as from rehabilitation services when someone is discharged after a surgery or stay at a nursing home or rehab facility.
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Through the program, Fuller also can connect resident to needed social services or other programs to help them safely stay in their home, Karakis said.
Karakis can also refer people who need free smoke detectors to the American Red Cross program, which works with fire departments around our community and across the country to provide and install free smoke detectors.
The American Red Cross Smoke Alarm Hotline is 330-535-2030.
Grateful for help, program
The Bishops heard about the REACH program from a physical therapist who was working with Nancy at their house. Nancy, 80, has been recovering from a stroke she had in early November, which has left her weak on the left side of her body. She’s been improving, she said, but she’s not as mobile as she used to be before the stroke.
When Fuller came over for the assessment, he suggested another grab bar at Nancy’s height to help her get into the kitchen, a grab bar in the shower and a grab bar near the toilet since the Bishops already had a toilet that was higher to get up and down more easily. (Sometimes Fuller will suggest and provide a toilet riser for toilets that have a lower profile).
Additionally, Fuller installed a small bed rail with a handle that Nancy could use to get out of bed.
Fuller estimated the equipment cost the department about $160. But it was free for the Bishops.
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“We thought that was pretty terrific,” said Gene, 73. “We’d never heard about it before.”
“It’s going to help a lot of people,” he said.
Gene said the couple’s medical insurance paid for the grab bars they already had and Gene installed them. He was shocked when he got a $250 estimate per rail from a handyman to install the grab bars.
“So if the city of Akron is doing this for free, that’s a good thing,” he said.
City of Green program also offers free fall prevention program
The city of Green has a similar program for its residents. It is part of its Community Paramedic Program through the Green Fire Department, said Vince DeLuca, a paramedic firefighter who operates the program.
Green’s program is three years old and is funded by $3,500 by the city, with additional opportunities for grants, too. Similar to Akron, DeLuca gets a lot of referrals from people in his department, as well as community partners and physicians’ offices.
“The EMS kind of format is unique and it gives us the opportunity to get into folks homes where their primary care physicians, their cardiologist, whatever it may be, they don’t have that opportunity,” said DeLuca. “We get kind of a deeper insight into the way they live and some of the things that may be going on in the home with regards to fall prevention and safety in the home.”
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DeLuca will also pair his assessment with a fire-safety inspection. Green participates in the American Red Cross free smoke detector program, and the city provides free carbon monoxide detectors, DeLuca said.
To schedule an assessment, call DeLuca at 330-896-6609.
Beacon Journal consumer columnist Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ. To see her most recent stories and columns, go to www.tinyurl.com/bettylinfisher.
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