A loose handrail can cause a fall and a trip to the emergency room. Prevent the trip with help from Senior Home Repair, a service provided by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center.

Senior Home Repair workers are efficient, friendly and handy to have around. Performing minor home repairs around Eureka are workers Dan Haskins, Tom Cone and Danny Heavilin. They like the work they do, and many seniors have come to rely on their services.

Small home repairs are done on a sliding scale, and much of the work can be done at no cost for seniors. The workers can help with almost any small job that will maintain the health and safety of seniors and keep them in their homes - the restricting guideline is the job cannot require a licensed contractor or a building permit.

The repairs can include floor boards, porches, steps, railings, installation of grab bars, hand rails, smoke detectors, weatherization of windows and doors. Also safety repairs such as tacking down loose carpet and other minor tasks that would be difficult for seniors\ such as changing light bulbs in ceiling fixtures, changing batteries in smoke detectors, and minor electrical or plumbing work.

Each job begins with an initial on-site assessment of the scope of work needed, the materials required, the approximate costs involved and the estimated time to complete the work. Once approval is obtained, Senior Home Repair workers purchase materials and get to work.

Dan Haskins has been helping with the program since 1997. Haskins previously worked in banking for 35 years, and when he is not fixing something around town, he can be found enjoying his stamp or coin collections. Each year Haskins enjoys a road trip visiting his five children and nine grandchildren who live mainly on the east coast from South Carolina to Pennsylvania.

Tom Cone, a rancher, has been with the program for three years. He was a Navy corpsman and also taught vocational agriculture to high school students. In his younger days, Cone could be found on the rodeo circuit where he suffered 29 different broken bones throughout his career.

Danny Heavilin said the seniors are appreciative of the work he does, and he enjoys helping them stay independent. He is retired from the U.S. Forest Service where he worked for 34 years.

Leilani Wieselquist is the first person seniors should talk to when they need repairs. Wieselquist has been with the Senior Resource Center since 2000 and says the home repair program is the most rewarding to her. "I see immediate benefits for seniors staying in their own homes," said Wieselquist. "This program could not operate so successfully without the three outstanding men who work so hard to repair and keep people safe and independent. Dan, Tom and Danny are the backbone of this program and bring their own expertise to the Eureka Home Repair Grant Program." Wieselquist and her husband drove through this glorious area in 1990 and 11 years later they finally made it back to the redwoods and are loving every minute.

In 2005 Senior Home Repair workers helped more than 327 seniors with projects. The Senior Home Repair program is funded by a grant from the city of Eureka.

If your home is in need of minor repairs, call the Humboldt Senior Resource Center at 443-9747 ext. 240.