Ramp replacement requires group effort

Muriel Morse, 92, survived back-breaking farm labor and bombs in England during World War II, but a poorly constructed ramp caused this former Land Girl a huge amount of stress.

“I was terrified to go down that,” she said. “The only way my son Barton could take me down was backwards.”

An Evergreen resident since 1978, Morse lived on her own until April last year, when she fell and couldn’t reach a phone. Her son didn’t discover her until the next day.

“I reached over to get something and the walker tipped over,” she said. “I was there all night and most of the next day.”

Barton said he had stopped by just to surprise her. Instead, he got a terrible shock when he found his mother disabled on the floor.

Imaging showed that she had shattered her left femur near her hip. Dr. James Blasingame put her leg back together in surgery at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

After a month in the hospital and several months at Heritage Place, Morse was released to come home in a wheelchair. She was glad to leave, but she faced difficulties since her mobile home was not handicapped-accessible.

“We brought her home and got her in, but there was no way to get her out,” Barton recalled.

Morse and her son tried to find a carpenter to build a ramp for her for a reasonable price. They got one estimate of $1,000 and then another of $500, which they too quickly accepted without enough questions.

When the first too-steep ramp was completed, Barton said the contractor demanded $1,000 instead of $500. They had little choice but to pay him and try to make it work, as Morse had doctor appointments that required her to leave the house.

Agency on Aging came to the rescue a few months ago. According to Jim Atkinson, a Meals on Wheels driver let him know that Morse’s ramp was too steep for her to use.

“I went out and looked at it and found that it was way out of [Americans with Disabilities Act] compliance and actually dangerous for her to use, even with help,” Atkinson said. “The Senior Home Repair Board looked at it and decided to change it out for one that worked.”

While everyone agreed Morse needed a new ramp, the high cost of labor and materials remained a large barrier to overcome. Since mobile homes don’t qualify for federal housing improvement programs, Agency on Aging must rely on private donations of cash, labor and materials to make them safe for seniors.

Ironically, the people with the lowest incomes with the most housing repair needs often live in mobile homes, so the fund rarely has enough money to address more than the most pressing needs. It was the same story with the ramp Morse so desperately needed.

Atkinson solicited a bid from Great Bear Builders for the work.

“The initial bid was quite expensive, but a group effort helped to bring the cost down and thus save our slim funds for other projects,” he said.

He credited Morse’s son with helping save money by carefully disassembling the old ramp and preserving as much wood as possible for recycling to the new ramp. Plum Creek Timber Co. next stepped up to donate the plywood for the project.

“Wells Fargo, Glacier Bank and a local foundation paid the rest of the cost, saving the Mobile Home Repair Program nearly $1,000 off the original bid,” Atkinson said.

Morse said Great Bear Builders built her sturdy new ramp in one day a few weeks ago during a warm spell. They plan to apply stain as soon as the weather is warm enough.

Although still a little wary, she no longer dreads the prospect of having to leave the house. Barton now easily controls the chair from behind, sparing Morse the feared ride backward.

Things have begun to look brighter for her in spite of a small setback in her rehabilitation, when she slipped and injured her right leg.

She has help now from Karen Bernt, who lives with her. The two work on her recovery with exercises they learned during visits from Home Options.

Morse now has a button to push to summon help if she falls again. She also expects to fully recover from her falls.

“I’m going to walk again,” she vowed.

Atkinson adds Morse to a long list of seniors the Mobile Home Repair Program has helped over the years. He invites people and organizations to consider donating to the fund by contacting him at the Agency on Aging at 758-5730.

“When we work together on a local basis, we can get a lot more done with a lot less money and feel a lot better about it when it is done,” he said.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.