By Clyde Noel

Town Crier Correspondent

It’s the time of year when seniors find little things wrong with their house and need someone to help fix it. The sprinklers are broken, the toilets leak, the faucets drip, and maybe something else is having trouble.

“We try to help a lot of seniors who can’t do minor repairs and don’t have a handy neighbor around to fix the little things that go bad around a house,” said Charles Steele, coordinator of the Senior Home Repair Service. “Our clients must be over 60 years of age and must be residents of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and the surrounding unincorporated areas.”

Most senior citizens will tell you they have no desire to move into an assisted living center or retirement home. That’s not the place that holds the memories or the place they raised the kids, so they want to live in their home as long as possible. The senior in-home program helps widows and widowers to realize that desire.

“This is a wonderful program. It makes a difference for people to stay in their own home and stay independent,” said Phyllis Semple, coordinator with Volunteers Enriching Government Action. “There are some things that really upset a senior homeowner, and this program takes care of many problems.”

The Senior Home Repair Service program was started in 1987 by the Senior Coordinating Council. Volunteers were recruited to evaluate repairs and assist with minor repairs and home maintenance.

In June the senior in-home repair program did its 5,000th job. A woman’s sprinkler didn’t work, and there was a wire hanging from her stove. Volunteer Marv Emerling of Los Altos was assigned to the work.

Steele said the majority of home repairs seniors request are dripping faucets that need seals, blocked drains, inoperative toilets and malfunctioning electrical switches.

The program presently has 10 volunteers, but two are inactive because of sickness. Lorriane Hancock of Portola Valley is the only woman in the program.

Alice Putnam, director of the senior center, said she receives 25-30 requests for repairs every month. Volunteers are assigned to the task according to their specialty. Volunteers become members of VEGA and come under the City of Los Altos volunteer program. Each volunteer carries a photo ID issued by the Los Altos Police Department.

“When I couldn’t replace the battery in my electric garage door opener, I called the senior center. They sent out a volunteer, and he fixed it in no time … and was courteous in doing it,” said a home repair client.

“Fixing old, rusty faucets where you have to crawl under the sink are some of the worst jobs,” Emerling said. “The easiest are when the son comes home and does the job before you arrive.”

“There is no charge for the service, but a client is expected to pay for parts and materials,” Steele said. “If a person wants to make a donation to the senior center after the work is completed that’s up to them.”

The program needs additional volunteers. “We don’t ask for many qualifications, only a little knowledge of how a house works,” Semple said.

To volunteer, call Semple at 948-1491, ext. 229.