Grant to aid nursing home transitions

UTICA » The Resource Center for Independent Living (RCIL) has received a $40,000 Nursing Home Transition grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

The award was one of seven grants totaling $280,000 awarded by the Reeve Foundation to Centers for Independent Living (CILs) nationwide for nursing home transitions. This grant program is part of the Quality of Life Grants Program, conceived by the late Dana Reeve, which has awarded over 2,900 grants totaling over $22 million since 1999.

RCIL will use the grant to assist people who are transitioning out of nursing homes to communitybased living. RCIL’s mission is to support the decisions of people with paralysis regarding their life choices, and this funding allows RCIL to fill any gaps in necessary equipment or home establishment goods not covered by other sources. Whether it is a ramp, grab bars, adaptive silverware, a wheelchair battery, or any other needed item, the Reeve Foundation grant can help to cover that cost and help that person move out of a nursing facility and into a home.

RCIL is a nonprofit organization offering individuals with disabilities a wide range of independent living and advocacy services so they can live their Lives their Way, at home and in the community as safely and independently as possible. For more information about RCIL visit www. rcil.com or call (315) 7974642.