Home Improvements Restore Independence, Privacy and Dignity
Like most people, Hector Villareal just wants to feel comfortable in his own home. That feeling became one of the hardest things to hold onto after he lost his leg.
Hector relies on a motorized scooter and wheelchair to get around. He can still drive, but he couldn't safely leave his own home without someone else's help because the entrances and exits weren't built for a wheelchair. His wheelchair was also too large to fit through the bathroom doorway, so the door had been removed entirely.
He’d lost his independence outside the house and his privacy inside it until the Area Agency on Aging of Tarrant County (AAATC) stepped in.
Through AAATC's Residential Repair program, which helps older adults and people with disabilities live at home comfortably, crews installed accessible exits at Hector's house. For the first time in a long time, he could enter and leave his home without assistance. Grab bars made the house safer to move through, and bathroom modifications gave him back the privacy he'd been missing.
"I am very thankful for the ramp. I can leave my home, get in my truck, and drive. Before, I had to call for help and needed two people every time I had to go somewhere. It was embarrassing and annoying,” said Hector. “I like to live alone, and it was becoming very hard after I lost my leg. Now I even go to my backyard to make my carne asada.”
AAATC’s Care Coordination Manager, Gabriela Hamadneh, coordinated the repairs and saw firsthand what they meant for Hector.
“Seeing him regain the independence and privacy he valued so much was incredibly rewarding,” she said. “Knowing that something as simple as a ramp and bathroom modification can restore a person's freedom and improve their quality of life is why I find this work so meaningful."
Stories like Hector's happen because AAATC exists to serve older adults and people with disabilities across Tarrant County. Our services are provided at no cost to those who need them. Learn more here: https://www.unitedwaytarrant.org/what-we-do/area-agency-aging-aaa.