Discover how accessibility can transform lives. Jeneen Phillips of Next Day Access discusses mobility and accessibility solutions that help older adults and individuals with disabilities to live safely and independently.
Jeneen shares an overview of the services they offer, including wheelchair ramps, stair lifts, grab bars, and bathroom safety modification. She also discusses how impactful these solutions have been to clients. Whether adjusting to a sudden injury or creating a more accessible space for daily living, Next Day Access is committed to making a difference in the lives of the people they serve.
Learn more about Next Day Access here
Or call: 719-259-5846
Aging with Altitude is recorded in the Pikes Peak region with a focus on topics of aging interest across the country. We talk about both the everyday and novel needs and approaches to age with altitude – whether you’re in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida or Leadville, Colorado. The Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging is the producer.
Transcript
CYNTHIA MARGIOTTA, HOST:
What do you do when you can’t get in and out of the house anymore? When you have multiple stairs? When you’re having balance issues and you can’t get up and down off of the toilet. What do you do. and how do you resolve those problems? Our guest today will be talking about that.
VOICEOVER:
This is a Studio 809 podcast. Engage.
MARGIOTTA:
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening. This is Aging with Altitude, a program striving to provide answers, assistance and advocacy for us elders through the Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging. We’re coming to you from the Studio 809 Community Podcast Studio The Next Us, a professional cooperative environment for small businesses in downtown Colorado Springs.
I’m your host, Cynthia Margiotta, a geriatric social worker and volunteer with the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging and CEO of the P.E.A.R.L.S. Program of Colorado and All About Dignity.
Today we have Jeanine Phillips. She is with Next Day Access. She’s been with them about four years and moved here to Colorado with her son about five years ago from San Antonio, Texas. Welcome this morning.
JENEEN PHILLIPS:
Thank you.
MARGIOTTA:
Can you give us a little more info about you?
PHILLIPS:
Myself, like you said, I moved here from San Antonio, Texas. Back in Texas, I spent most of my time battling drunk driving where I taught DUI classes and I owned and operated a nonprofit where we gave free designated driver rides to anybody that wanted them.
MARGIOTTA:
Wonderful. And. And what do you do at Next Day Access?
PHILLIPS:
I run the front office, I’m the administrative representative where I answer the phone, schedule appointments. And of course, take care of the grant the triple-A grant.
MARGIOTTA:
A grant. Wonderful. What fun we’re having with that grant this year, huh?
PHILLIPS:
Yes.
MARGIOTTA:
So we do have some questions. Tell us more about Next Day Access.
PHILLIPS:
Next Day Access sells and installs things like stair lifts, ramps, vertical platform lifts, which we call VPL, to help make people’s homes more accessible.
MARGIOTTA:
OK, so railings in the bathroom, stuff like that. Is there a minimum of time that needs to be spent in each home? Like, can you come in and put one bar up and be happy with that? Or do you need more extensive time.
PHILLIPS:
Yeah, we can go in and install one grab bar, one railing, or we can do an evaluation to see exactly what is it that they need.
MARGIOTTA:
Oh, good. So you evaluate as well.
PHILLIPS:
Yes.
MARGIOTTA: Nice. So you can look through the house to see what their needs are.
PHILLIPS:
Yeah, they tell us where their problem areas are and then that’s what we focus on.
MARGIOTTA:
Great. And how long has Next Day Access in Colorado Springs been involved with Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments?
PHILLIPS:
I believe the first grant that they were awarded was in 2017.
MARGIOTTA:
OK, so long time, good.
PHILLIPS:
And then we’ve been doing it every year since.
MARGIOTTA:
Right. They’re a great organization.
PHILLIPS:
Yes.
MARGIOTTA:
And actually they are our hosts. What services does Next Day Access offer to the local senior community.
PHILLIPS:
Through the grant, we install grab bars, railings, things of that nature. But we also, for the whole community, we can do the things like I said, like stair lifts, ramps, railings. We also do bathroom modifications, which include things like a tub to shower conversion.
MARGIOTTA:
Nice, right? Much needed. For many of the homes we have here. You all are paid by Medicaid to help people with special needs.
PHILLIPS:
Yeah, we’re a contractor for Medicaid.
MARGIOTTA:
OK, oh good.
PHILLIPS:
As we’re a contractor for the Veterans Administration as well.
MARGIOTTA:
OK. Oh, good. So you have several different contracts going out there.
PHILLIPS:
Yes.
MARGIOTTA:
Nice. That helps more people.
PHILLIPS:
Absolutely.
MARGIOTTA:
Yes. What area do you serve under the grant that you have with PPACG?
PHILLIPS:
That would be El Paso County.
MARGIOTTA:
Just El Paso, not the three that they work with. OK. Are there any other services that you offer through the grant?
PHILLIPS:
Right. We do offer financial assistance for some of the larger items. Like, and this is something that’s been fairly new for the past year or so, but we can offer some financial assistance for things like stair lifts and ramps, you know, and in this economy, sometimes we all need a little bit of help.
MARGIOTTA:
Yes.
PHILLIPS:
Yes.
MARGIOTTA:
So, like a discount on the stairlifts.
PHILLIPS:
Yes.
MARGIOTTA:
So, the things that are more expensive you have. Grant money to help support those. Wonderful. How are you doing so far this year, or this grant year?
PHILLIPS:
Pretty good. Yeah, we stay pretty busy.
MARGIOTTA:
Good. Do you still have some of that? Because we’re nearing the end of the grant period.
PHILLIPS:
Yes.
MARGIOTTA:
So do you still have some of that money available to help people with stairlifts?
PHILLIPS:
We have enough to last us about another three months I believe.
MARGIOTTA:
Yay, right? You know, it’s hard to keep that straight.
PHILLIPS:
Yes.
MARGIOTTA:
I, I know that problem so trying to do it correctly. So how do our seniors and our community access Next Day Access.
PHILLIPS:
Right. A lot of it is word of mouth, neighbors talking to neighbors, churches. We also have occupational therapists. We’ll refer a lot of their clients over to us.
MARGIOTTA:
Ah, OK.
PHILLIPS:
And then all they have to do is call the office, where I answer the phone, and then the process is really simple.
MARGIOTTA:
Good. OK, so you get them lined up, get it organized, get your team in action and send them out, to see people and see what they need.
PHILLIPS:
Absolutely.
MARGIOTTA:
Wonderful. Great. Let’s see, how has Next Day Access services changed over the years? How long has Next Day Access been around?
PHILLIPS:
I would say about 10 years long, long before I got there.
MARGIOTTA:
Right.
PHILLIPS: the grant started in about 2017. In the beginning, it was just grab bars and like handheld showers. So, you can see how we’ve evolve, and added more items and some financial assistance. And whatever the grab bars and the railings that the clients get through us through the grant is at no cost to them.
MARGIOTTA:
So, it’s evolved, become more extensive.
PHILLIPS:
Yes.
MARGIOTTA:
And is that because you’re seeing more need for stair lifts and things?
PHILLIPS:
Yes, Next Day Access has gone to Pikes Peak and told them that there was more need. And the different, different items that were needed, and then we’ve just added little by little, we’ve added more and more.
MARGIOTTA:
Right. More people are staying home longer, so they have more needs.
PHILLIPS:
Yes, and that is actually one of our goals is to keep people in their homes as long as possible.
MARGIOTTA:
Right, good, right. That’s my goal too.
PHILLIPS:
Mine too.
MARGIOTTA:
Hence I have a one story house. Sorry, we do have some steps, not many. Has the local area agency on aging provided any other things that, or any other funds, that you haven’t had a chance to share with us.
PHILLIPS:
Yeah, through the grant, we were able to get AED’s, the automatic defibrillators, that are now in all of our company trucks. We have in our showroom and we have them in the office. And so they went to triple-A and asked them that these were some things that we thought we needed. They were able to provide that, as well as all of our, all of the employees are trained in CPR, first aid and the AED operation.
MARGIOTTA:
Wonderful. I didn’t know that. That’s great because I can see where there’ll be times when we need those.
PHILLIPS:
Absolutely.
MARGIOTTA:
Yeah, I like that idea.
PHILLIPS:
Well, when the grant has evolved, we have relationships with a, a local railing company that fabricates custom made railings under the grant for individuals like they need. They have a couple of steps going up to their front door and they need a little bit of assistance. And we’ve also, we have a great relationship with a company that does indoor railings as well. Because most stairwells have the one railing going up, we can come in and put a railing on the other side.
MARGIOTTA:
Right, I’ve noticed that problem lately. Not everybody needs one on the left side or on the right side.
PHILLIPS:
Right. We can come in and put the second railing in, so they have one on both sides.
MARGIOTTA:
Good, OK, wonderful. And can you give us one happy story that’s happened through Next Day Access?
PHILLIPS:
My goodness, there’s so many. There’s so many.
MARGIOTTA:
One or two.
PHILLIPS:
OK.
MARGIOTTA:
So we’ve got lots of time.
PHILLIPS:
We have gone and installed a stair lift in a home and we had the client come and say that they have been crawling up and down their stairs and it would take forever, and now that they have this stairlift they can get up their stairs safely and quickly.
MARGIOTTA:
Right.
PHILLIPS:
More than crawling. Another time we went and installed a ramp, and they told our installer that was the first time they’ve been able to leave their house in six months.
MARGIOTTA:
See how essential that is, how that is amazingly essential for folks. Yes, I as a child, I remember having to crawl backwards up stairs because I couldn’t walk up the stairs. And that’s something new in my world to have those kinds of things available to people.
PHILLIPS:
Right. Or it may be a new issue for them.
MARGIOTTA:
Right, right.
PHILLIPS:
You know something they didn’t think of when they bought their two-story house years and years ago. Now, all of a sudden, it’s become more and more difficult.
MARGIOTTA:
Right.
PHILLIPS:
So when we get those stories, it just
MARGIOTTA:
Right.
Makes what we do worth coming to work.
MARGIOTTA:
Yes, very much so. I, I remember a number of years ago, I, we had some friends moved to town and they invited us, they retired and they invited my husband and I over to visit and see their new house. And as we’re walking in, my husband’s behind me, and he says, ‘Don’t say it. Don’t say it.’ Through the whole tour. Because here’s this older couple with a two-story staircase up to their bedroom. And he would just wanted me to just let it alone. And about a year later, they sold the house. Because it’s very difficult. Stairs are hard, and people don’t realize how hard they are.
PHILLIPS:
Yeah. And we can do straight stairs. We can do a curved stair lift. So it kind of follows all along. We can do stairs with folding rails at the end so if there’s a door at the end of the stairs, so the rail can fold up so that it doesn’t block their doorway.
MARGIOTTA:
Nice. OK. Yeah, the fold up chair that goes up. I like that. That way people who can use the stairs can still use them.
PHILLIPS:
Right.
MARGIOTTA:
Do you have different widths of seats? You know, for people who live in a house with narrow staircases?
PHILLIPS:
We’re able to put them in stairs that are pretty narrow. Because once they fold, fold up, you know, the seats fold up, the foot rest folds up, everything, you can still walk up and down the stairs so.
MARGIOTTA:
Great. Anything else you want to share with us that we can share with our community here in the Springs.
PHILLIPS:
We really, really have a great team at Next Day Access. We can come out and do evaluations, you know, see what they need. We can talk to them, find out what, what it will help them the most. And then our installers go out and everybody at Next Day Access has such a huge heart.
MARGIOTTA:
Yes, the folks I know from there are very good and very kind. So, I appreciate you coming in today to visit with us and I hope that you get lots of people giving you a call.
PHILLIPS:
Oh, the phone never stops ringing.
MARGIOTTA:
So you’re getting a break today.
PHILLIPS:
Yeah.
MARGIOTTA:
Alright.
PHILLIPS:
But there is someone still there answering the phone even though I’m here.
MARGIOTTA:
They’re sitting there at the desk saying, ‘when’s she coming back?’ Thank you very much for being here today.
PHILLIPS:
You’re welcome.