A Stair Lift Named “Bert” Brings Relief, Hope, Energy

When Hurricane Harvey tore through Texas in 2017, it flooded Diane A.’s entire neighborhood, leaving displaced, with nothing. With the help of her best friend, Martha, Diane moved to Minnesota to start anew in 2018. Diane has lived in her split level townhouse in Coon Rapids ever since.

Unfortunately, the hardships continued as Diane was diagnosed with breast cancer and tore both rotator cuffs after a fall in 2022. If that wasn’t enough, she also has ischemic colitis which causes her to feel weak and tired a lot of the time.

Despite all the setbacks, Diane’s social work background kicked in and she searched for resources in her area. Using the Senior Linkage Line and support from Anoka County, she found Age Well at Home. She contacted our staff in February 2024 while receiving treatments and recovering from cancer. In April, our staff visited Diane’s house to talk about safety modifications to help her stay in her home. Being in a split level, Diane was having a very hard time leaving the house for appointments, tasks, and chores. After discussion, Diane decided the stair lift would be a valuable addition to her home.

A few months after researching and getting in touch with us, we connected Diane with Arrow Lift (our partner stair lift contractor), who installed a stair lift for Diane.

Today, Diane says the stair lift (which she affectionately named Bert) has helped her survive.

Before the lift, Diane did not have enough energy to go up and down stairs with all her injuries and overall health. Now, she says, “I have energy to do things. Bert is reliable. He even helps us [Diane and her friend, Martha] with groceries and heavy things.” 

Diane is paying attention to her health and still takes things slowly, but is relieved to have more hope and energy. “Not a lot of people will listen to you and try to understand what it is like to lose everything. Age Well at Home was so welcoming and kind. You [AWAH] are truly doing a service to the people,” Diane concluded at our last post-program check-in.