SimplyHome, LLC has been awarded a Specially Adapted Housing Assistive Technology Grant (SAHAT) by the Veterans Benefit Administration. The purpose of the SAHAT grant program is to improve home adaptions or enhance a Veteran's or Servicemember's ability to live independently, such as voice-recognition and voice-command operations, living environment controls, and adaptive feeding equipment.
Read MoreBefore the Charles Lea Center outfitted the apartment with “smart” technology, Dodd had to have someone with him at all times. That Dodd is able to live by himself is a remarkable achievement given what he's gone through medically. During a visit to the hospital for surgery a few years ago, Dodd told the staff he wanted them to help him find an apartment in which he could live on his own. “They said, 'Oh, you can't do that.' And I was like, 'I'll show you I can do it. I know I can.'
Read MoreIn August, the three men, all who use wheelchairs, moved into a home together where they live more independently than ever before.
The house, which is in Cowpens, is a part of the Charles Lea Center’s Residential Services program, in which adult clients with special needs are put into homes that use SimplyHome, made by a North Carolina-based company.
SimplyHome designs and installs wireless technology products geared toward the aging and disabled. The doors open with the push of a button, and the cabinets, microwave and sink in the kitchen are all lower so the men can access them in wheelchairs.
Read MoreZane Garrick can't wait until June. Confined to a wheelchair with cerebral palsy, the 39-year-old will finally move into his first home. Once there, he will be able to open and close doors, control the TV and lights, and cook by himself. He will live more independently than ever before. “I'm excited,” Garrick said. “I want to be able to keep moving. I like being able to do things by myself.”
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