February 2019:

When my husband, Gary, was rear-ended by an inattentive driver October 15, 2012 and sustained a neck and traumatic brain injury, I had no idea what our future would be. During hospital, rehab facility and nursing home stays for over one year, we returned to our 1904 farm house on December 20, 2013.

Having learned a lot during that time, such as what “total care” and “tilt space wheel chair” meant, I initially doubted we could ever return to our home with eight steps to climb, many smaller rooms and all bedrooms on the second floor. Our home, as most homes, was not made for someone with the special needs Gary required.

Fortunately, during our time away, Amy heard of our situation, contacted me and offered to help work with the builder and excavator we had hired to remodel our home. She knew of modifications required for Gary’s condition that I couldn’t possibly have realized with my limited knowledge. There are few people who can imagine the many details to incorporate into a remodel project for someone with special needs. However, with Amy’s OT background and passion for making people’s lives “livable” again, she really did make living comfortably in our home again a reality for us.

Builders can make a home ADA compliant, but there are so many more modifications that can be incorporated into a building or remodeling project that someone with Amy’s background can envision and suggest.

We highly recommend that if there is someone in your home who has or will have aging related needs or are faced with a sudden, life challenging injury, having a knowledgeable, professional, caring person on your team will help immensely. We know that from our experience working with Amy.

Thanks, Amy!