Low Interest Loans Offer Help For Independent Living

As Carol looks around her newly renovated room she can’t help but be thankful that she found Easter Seals loan program that helped create a welcoming, safe and accessible room for her brother who uses a wheelchair. “The room has been everything we hoped for, a nice warm or cool haven with lots of windows and a comfy sofa to entertain guests or sleep someone overnight,” Carol says. “The room is close to the bathroom with no steps to access the room and plenty of space for someone in a wheelchair to navigate around.”

Are you looking to make modifications to your home so your aging parents can move in? Would you benefit from a computer that accommodates for visual limitations? Do you need an adapted van to transport your child with special needs? If you have hesitated to make these changes because of cost, Easter Seals can help! As part of their Community Outreach Program, Easter Seals is now assisting Delawareans in securing lower-interest loans to purchase assistive technology or make modifications for accessibility.

A lower-interest loan through Easter Seals FYI: Finance Your Independence Assistive Technology Loan program was a huge help to Carol and her brother Steve. Before the home modifications, Steve was limited to certain areas of their house. With the help of low-interest financing, Carol was able to renovate a previously inaccessible area to make a room built for someone using a wheelchair. It includes lowered light switches and window frames, accessible outlets, floors with no carpeting and a level entry from the house allowing easy access without assistance.

“Steve is alone while I am at work and having this room for him makes the house more comfortable, plus with the lowered windows, it is like bringing the outdoors in to him,” Carol says. “This modification gives him more space to enjoy.”

The loan program is made possible through lending partners Del-One Federal Credit Union and DEXSTA Federal Credit Union. Along with home modifications, loans can be used for work equipment and more. Even lower cost items, such as hearing aids, can be funded through this program.

The FYI program is part of Easter Seals Community Outreach Program (COP). Under this program Easter Seals also provides grants to support family caregivers providing care to a person of any age or disability. Easter Seals’ Case Manager is on site every day to provide information, resources and support to family caregivers.

One of the more unique aspects about Easter Seals Resource Center is the focus on Assistive Technology, or “tools for independence”. There are hundreds of pieces of assistive technology on display, like pill reminders and large print calculators, which promote independence and quality of life. This gives individuals the opportunity to try out products prior to purchasing. A virtual tour of the Resource and Technology Demonstration Center can be found at: www.de.easterseals.com/resources.

For more information about any of the services provided through the Community Outreach Program, please contact Joyce Medkeff at 302-221-2076 or [email protected]. Visit our site: www.de.easterseals.com.