Budget
$393,600.00
Description
Tucker's House supports families of children with disabilities by assessing and retrofitting their homes to provide a safe and accessible environment that is conducive to greatest independence for the child. A licensed therapist and an architectural designer meet with families to develop an individualized plan which takes into consideration the current diagnosis/prognosis of the child and the current conditions of the home. Caregivers can lift a child up to 5,000 times a year, putting all involved at risk for major physical injury. Once the plan is developed a program manager oversees all aspects of the retrofit including budget, schedules, and volunteer involvement. Projects can include solid surface flooring, ramps, roll-in showers, widened doorways, and lifts. There is a great need for affordable retrofit services for these underserved families, and Tucker's House currently maintains a waiting list.
Program Successes
Grace is 16 years old and has a diagnosis of spastic quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. She lives with her parents in a two-story home in Nashville, but her living space is downstairs. Grace requires maximum assistance with all of her activities of daily living due to the severity of her disability. The most significant challenges facing Grace and her family are transfers and bathing. Presently, Dad is the only caregiver capable of lifting Grace as she is not able to assist and it is difficult for him…and will only become more difficult over time.

To assist this family, Tucker's House completed the following modifications:
-Retrofitted Grace's bathroom with a zero-entry shower so a mobile shower chair can be utilized.
-Widened doorways where possible and input expandable hinges on doorways where widening was not possible.
-Installed a wall lift that will allow Grace and her caregivers to be safe during transfers.
Category
Human Services  - Children & Youth Services 
Beneficiaries
People with other disabilities and/or are neurodivergent
People with physical disabilities
Economically disadvantaged people
Long-term Success
We are in our 16th year serving families across Middle Tennessee. Since our inception, we have served nearly 1,500 individuals, positively impacting future generations.

Our overall outcomes include:

-80% reduction in manual transfers (research shows caregivers provide 5,000 transfers annually)
-60% of clients experience greater independence
-100% of caregivers experience physical and emotional relief
-100% of homes are safer
Short-term Success
AIM addresses both short and long-term needs by partnering with families of children with physical disabilities in Middle Tennessee to provide home renovations, retrofitting services, and the resources necessary to make their homes safer, more inclusive, and more accessible at no cost to them. By removing both physical and financial barriers, AIM immediately helps children with disabilities live more independently and reduce the physical and emotional strain on their families.
Program Success Monitored By
Pre and Post-Retrofit Surveys: Conducted before and after modifications, where family members and caregivers rate various aspects on a Likert scale from 1 to 5, including difficulty of transfers, quality of life, and safety concerns.

Objective Assessments: Licensed therapists use tools like the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) or Function Assessment Measures of the Evaluation of Disability Inventory at the start and end of each project.

Long-term Follow-up: Approximately three months post-project completion, we conduct follow-up assessments to evaluate the effectiveness and integration of modifications, ensuring they meet the family's needs and expectations.

Mental Health Assessments: Starting in 2024, we include mental health assessments to quantify long-term emotional relief from home modifications, with data captured before modifications and at intervals up to five years post-completion.
Program Areas Served
None