Occupational therapist Kendra Orcutt has learned that life can change in an instant.
A Norman resident, Orcutt works with people every day who need physical help, but her specialty is helping people and their families make home modifications for better inclusion and accessibility.
Those needing Orcutt’s services have included a man whose wife had been in a terrible accident, a young mother who suffered a stroke, a teen paralyzed by a car accident, an elderly couple plagued by falls and mobility issues and a teen on a ventilator after a gunshot wound, among others.
While traumatic events can create a dramatic life change, Orcutt believes aging is the most common factor affecting mobility.
“Modifying our houses is not a luxury,” Orcutt said. “It’s going to become a necessity. We’re all getting older.”
Orcutt often works with local architect and University of Oklahoma professor Dave Boeck to modify housing to meet the needs of people with disabilities and the people who love them and live with them.
Frequently, changes are required to keep someone home rather than in a skilled nursing facility. Boeck and Orcutt call their partnership Oklahoma Independent Living Resources and they’re working with local builders to encourage more accessible housing.
“It’s obvious that there is a universal need for accessible housing,” Boeck said.
While most of their work is in and around the Norman area, Boeck and Orcutt have modified homes throughout the state. They are very pleased with one of their most recent projects, a remodel of an Ada home after a 17-year-old was paralyzed in a wreck.
The young girl was in therapy for a year, and during that time, her family threw themselves into making their home more accessible. The family couldn’t change what had happened to their daughter, Orcutt said, but they could make sure her home was comfortable and accessible.
The now 18-year-old’s best friend worked with Orcutt and the family on the décor for the girl’s bedroom and adjoining bathroom.
“It was really important for her to feel like it was home, not another hospital room,” Orcutt said of the bedroom design.
A beloved member of the community, the teen was known for her big heart and mission work, even doing stints at an orphanage overseas before a vehicle hit her car and t-boned it, causing extensive damage to her neck. Orcutt said it was important to her family that their socially-inclined daughter not be isolated to her bedroom and bathroom because of her injury.
To that end, they needed to open the family room and kitchen to make it accessible.
“We reconfigured the living room, dining room and kitchen and opened them up to allow her to get around,” Boeck said.
Two fireplaces in the downstairs area were taken out as part of the modification.
“They took up a lot of space because they had two walls that were masonry,” Boeck said. “But they weren’t structural so we could take them out and open it up.”
Boeck and Orcutt said the Ada home is an example of what can be done when a family has the resources and the will to do a complete remodel and reconfiguration.
Unfortunately, often people with disabilities do not have the money to revamp a home or an apartment and finding out what resources are available can be challenging.
“Nobody knowns were to start,” Orcutt said. “There are a lot of little groups springing up but that just means there’s more duplication and confusion.”
Boeck and Orcutt believe the city of Norman or Cleveland County needs a coordinator who can work with the multiple city, state and federal agencies who offer services in order to make it easier for people to get help with home modifications.
“It needs to be local,” Orcutt said. “Then that model could spread.”
Another problem is finding affordable, accessible homes for people with limited incomes in Norman and throughout Cleveland County.
“That’s where the coordination that needs to happen,” Boeck said. “It’s not like there’s an organized plan in Norman.”
While it’s easier to build homes with an accessible bathroom and bedroom from the start, remodels of existing properties are also possible.
“The big issue is how do you pay for it,” Boeck said.
It’s not uncommon in Norman for local developers to buy homes, do a remodel and either rent them or flip them, selling them for a higher value with the improvements. Orcutt said if the people flipping homes would make one bathroom accessible it would help to open up that market.
“If they would just widen the door,” Orcutt said.
Adding grab bars and ramps isn’t enough to make a home accessible if the person can’t get into the bathroom or bedroom in the first place. That means wider doors and zero entry or ramps are needed.
Event renters can apply for help.
“There’s a $6,000 tenant grant through the city of Norman, but the tenant has to apply for it,” Orcutt said.
The down side is the tenant must get the landlord to agree to the remodel and then live through the discomfort of the construction process.
Orcutt has worked with the city of Norman for money available through Community Development Block Grants, but sometimes people don’t realize what they need to make their homes accessible.
Keith Patello and Jan Jansing with city of Norman will help anyone fill out the form to get grant money to help with homes needing aging in place or other quality of life improvements, Orcutt said, but people may want to consult a professional to figure out how to best use the money to open up the space and eliminate trip and fall hazards. The grants are available regardless of age.
“Applying for the grant is not the problem,” Orcutt said. “It’s not driven by age, it’s driven by income. The real problem is how it gets used.”
One example of a couple Orcutt worked with were the Gadberrys of Norman. Doyle and Evelyn Gadberry knew they needed ramps and a grab bar, but when the city brought Orcutt onboard to help, she quickly saw they needed much more remediation to make their home safe.
“The reason I tell the story is they were living in their garage. They had retreated from their house and were living in this little space in their garage,” Orcutt said. “We touched almost everything in the house. That money is there.”
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