Walter, now 63, was in a serious motorcycle accident when he was 17 years old. He was in a coma for three months and had many broken bones. Walter still experiences quite a bit of pain due to bone-on-bone connection in his knees, for which he receives daily injections. In addition to the physical limitations of his injuries, Walter now has dementia. He lives by himself and requires a caregiver to help with daily tasks.
Walter is a high fall risk. He has fallen several times navigating the stairs out of his home; one time fracturing his skull. Walter connected with Disability Network Southwest Michigan to have a ramp constructed so that he can safely remain active in his community. Through our Ramp Up program, we were able to coordinate the resources to provide Walter with a ramp and safe access to his community.
Walter is a go-getter; with the help of his caregiver, he visits his local senior center at least four days a week to do yoga, water therapy and Tai Chi. Now that the ramp is complete, Walter is also part of singing group that performs at nursing facilities in his area. He is very grateful to be able to safely navigate in and out of his house.
Our Ramp Up program is funded in part by our annual RAMP-A-THON campaign. Thank you to our Corporate Sponsors for supporting the work we do to remove barriers in our community. This year’s sponsors are: Allied Mechanical Services, Integrity Back & Brain, Senior Services of Southwest Michigan, Charles River Laboratories, Ron Jackson Insurance, AVID an Employee Resource Group of the Whirlpool Corporation, Aetna Better Health of Michigan, Northside Ministerial Alliance and Paragon Ophthalmology.