Improving a Life

By Catherine Lyons, Staff Writer
Reprint Daily Breeze Newspaper
Photography by Robert Casillas
Feburary 6, 2008
Hugh Finlay flashes a big smile and gently pats his chest at the prospect of living in a house he can really call home. The 78-year-old suffered a stroke almost 30 years ago that left him paralyzed on his right side and unable to speak more than a few words at a time. He owns a condominium in New Horizons, a retirement community in Torrance, but his home was unequipped for his disability.

"He couldn't take a shower because the tub was too high," said Jack Rennie, Finlay's legal caretaker and friend for almost 60 years. "Once or twice a week, I'd drive him to the clubhouse to take a shower in the pool showers there." But Finlay won't have to do that anymore. In a few months, he will have a walk-in shower and all the modifications necessary to live comfortably with his disability.

Finlay is the recipient of an extensive remodel sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Torrance and the Los Angeles chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers as part of its "Aging in Place" program. The concept of the program is to design houses in a way that allows senior citizens, especially those with disabilities, to stay in their homes as they age. "You live longer if you're not institutionalized," said Torrance City Councilwoman Hope Witkowsky, a volunteer in the project. Going to a nursing home was never an option for Finlay. He has too much to do. Every day at 11 a.m. sharp, he walks almost a mile to the local YMCA, where he meets his friends for lunch. He walks to the grocery store up the street to do his shopping. And his dog, a wheaten terrier named Jackie, won't leave Finlay's side. "He's very much an optimist," Rennie said of Finlay. "He was always positive during his recovery. He never lost hope and worked hard to regain his speech." Finlay gives an enthusiastic thumbs-up, as if to say his hard work has paid off.

The native of Scotland likes the home he's made in Torrance since moving there in 1984. The retirement community is well kept, complete with a golf course and fountains dotting the landscape. And he has a view of it all from his two-bedroom condo. But Rennie knew that if Finlay was going to have true independence and an improved quality of life, some changes would have to be made at his home. So when he heard about the Aging in Place program, he knew he had to apply for his best friend. "I saw the brochure in a store-front window, and I thought, `This would be great for Hugh!' I knew that he needed this," Rennie said. Finlay fit all the criteria required by the start-up program. He lives in Torrance, owns his own home, is in a lower-income bracket and has a severe disability. Besides all that, he's a charming fellow.

"He's a very deserving candidate because he's so humble and grateful," said Ellen Cantor, a member of ASID and chairwoman of the L.A. chapter's Aging in Place committee. "When I met him, all he wanted to do is hug us. He wouldn't let go of my hand," Witkowsky said. "He's got a great personality." Finlay was chosen for the program last spring and remodeling on his condo started last month. Originally, only the bathroom was to be remodeled. But as more people and vendors donated their time and resources, the project expanded to the whole house.

"As we got in there and started ripping up everything, we realized we have to do this right," Witkowsky said. That meant Finlay had to move everything out. Asked about the ordeal, he rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He's got a lot of stuff, including his prized collection of Scottie dog figurines, but volunteers came to help with that aspect of the remodel process too. "It's unbelievable, the support and response we've gotten," Cantor said. Plans for the remodel now include combining the condo's two bathrooms into one equipped with a walk-in shower, upgrading the kitchen with new appliances and countertops, installing a new lighting system, new windows and vinyl floors throughout the house, and making all doorways and hallways wider. Finlay will receive new furniture and window treatments as well.

"The idea is that when we design for universal accessible design, we design for the future of the person we're working for," said Evelyn Grodan, an accessibility expert and the project manager. "He's not in a wheelchair, but everything in the house is going to be wheelchair accessible."

Much of the funding for the extensive project has come from fundraising efforts of the Kiwanis Club of Torrance. So far, the club has raised about $6,000 for supplies and other basics. Tony Molino, who chairs the Kiwanis Club of Torrance Aging in Place committee, said he got involved after seeing many struggling senior citizens. "When I worked for Meals on Wheels, there was one lady who would ask us to take her trash in when we would come up and give her her meals. She couldn't get around her house," he said. With those experiences in mind, Molino organized a committee to raise money for Finlay's cause, which he said is easily a $75,000 project.

Witkowsky said she hopes this project is the first of many to aid the growing elderly population in Torrance. "There are so many seniors like Hugh out there that slip into the abyss of `I need help,"' she said. As for Finlay, he enjoys watching the progress on his house from afar. That's because the city's cable channel is following the work on a show akin to ABC's hit TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

So far, he's happy with what he's seen. "Change," Finlay said with a smile, when asked about his refurbished home. Added Rennie: "He needed a change."

catherine.lyons@dailybreeze.com

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