If your home is damaged in a storm, costs can quickly escalate and no one feels this financial strain more than the Island’s seniors. To provide a more cost-effective service, Age Concern introduced the Handyman Programme in June last year.

“Since then we have received about 134 inquiries, of which 64 jobs were undertaken and successfully completed,” says Age Concern’s executive director Claudette Flemming.

Mrs. Flemming explains that the programme was created to not only offer a home maintenance service to senior citizens to help improve their home environment, but also to protect them from sometimes “unscrupulous” contractors.

“We found that some contractors were just not doing the work on time and were ripping seniors off,” she adds.

Age Concern operates as a broker of sorts for the several handymen connected to the project, and Mrs. Flemming says most of the time the contractors are retirees: “But each undergoes screening, including Police screening, before being allowed to participate in the project. They also have to provide references.”

The project is led by Age Concern’s Handyman co-ordinator who visits the seniors’ homes to see what work needs to be carried out and then finds the appropriate contractor: “This person is then introduced to the senior and a quote is worked out,” she states. “The co-ordinator always makes sure the quote is reasonable, preferably below market price.”

Once the work has been carried out, the co-ordinator returns to the seniors’ home to make sure the work is up to par and the senior then pays Age Concern, who then in turn pays the contractor.

“The contractor does not get paid until the work is done and the senior is satisfied,” Mrs. Flemming reiterates.

The service is not limited to repairs following storms either, as seniors are calling on the Handyman for other jobs around the house.

“We thought work would entail minor repairs, but most of the time it’s intermediary work and they are asked to build ramps, do carpentry and install shutters,” she concedes.

However these handymen are also expected to be able to handle electrical work, moving, plumbing and painting and another service recently added to the list due to high demand, is grass cutting.

Mrs. Flemming is proud of the fact that customer satisfaction is at 100 percent and points out that each senior is given a client satisfaction form to return once the work is complete.

Seniors wishing to contact a handyman can call Age Concern on 238-7525.