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Pinellas Park Fire Department (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Housing
└ HomeFit Modifications
└ HomeFit Modifications
Older residents in Pinellas Park faced high fall risks at home, often relying on emergency services after accidents. To improve safety, the fire department installed grab bars in homes of residents age 50-plus identified as high-risk. The project strengthened community ties and raised awareness about home safety, helping older adults feel more secure and confident. Participants expressed gratitude, saying the changes made them feel safer at home.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Philadelphia, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: HomeFit Modifications
Description: Older adults in Philadelphia faced home safety hazards that threatened independence and increased fall risk. To address this, the program hosted three workshops led by health professionals, teaching practical strategies for aging in place. Participants received tailored products like shower chairs and collapsible tubs, installed to improve safety. Eighteen older adults now live more confidently at home, and many reported immediate habit changes. One client said that these improvements made her routine safer and more comfortable, and the project fostered increased safety and independence.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Sugar Land, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: HomeFit Modifications
Description: This project will conduct five educational trainings on making homes safer and more comfortable for all ages, focusing on older adults and their families.
South Fulton, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: HomeFit Modifications
Description: Many older adults with mobility limitations were living with hidden fall risks at home, often adapting with unsafe workarounds because they lacked information or support. Facts to Thrive addressed this gap by hosting hands-on workshops that demonstrated practical home modifications and encouraged open conversations about safety. Participants received raised toilet seats and slip-and-fall prevention items. Staff used these visits to identify additional repair needs inside the home. These assessments revealed broader challenges, leading to follow-on support for grab bars, steps and other fixes. The workshops also helped reduce stigma, making it easier for participants to admit concerns and take action earlier. One participant recovering from surgery had been using a portable setup over her toilet; after a raised seat with handles was installed, she cried with relief. Her reaction reflected how small, targeted changes helped older adults remain independent and safer at home.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
St. Petersburg, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: The Dream Center works with low-income families throughout Pinellas County, focusing on improving safety and livability for older adults in their homes. This project made home repairs and accessibility modifications to 25 houses, including widening doors and installing grab bars, chair lifts, wheelchair ramps, handrails and toilet seat lifts. Project organizers say these repairs shielded families from facing potentially expensive fines for code violations. The Dream Center also provided food assistance and hygiene items to older adults. Today the Center continues to provide home modification assistance through its Adopt A Block program.
Pinellas County, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: The Florida Dream Center helps older adults in Pinellas County age in place, relying on federal grants and other funding sources to assist with home repairs and modifications. However, this funding is typically limited, meaning the nonprofit can only improve homes belonging to residents over the age of 62. To serve a larger subset of older adults, the Florida Dream Center created a program for residents between the ages of 50 to 61. Modifications include installing grab bars and handrails, replacing flooring, fixing holes in exterior walls, painting, rewiring exterior lights and mitigating rodents and other pests. By tapping a wide volunteer network to help make repairs, the Center has since expanded the services it offers to older homeowners.
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