On the Holcomb Farm property at 113 Simsbury Road, West Granby, lives the Granby Durable Medical Equipment Closet. Okay, in fairness, it’s a little closer to a garage than a closet—but not quite a barn despite its location. At the end of October, on Halloween no less, we celebrate 14 years of neighbors helping neighbors by donating the equipment they no longer need.
The closet runs entirely on the volunteer time, energy, and assistance of nearly 20 of your neighbors. Request calls are sent to the Granby Senior Center. The message is forwarded to the DME volunteer coordinator who returns the call to the person making the request for equipment. The two determine a mutually convenient date and time to meet at the closet to select the needed equipment. Once selected, the device is taken to be used as long as needed, at no charge. The transaction is documented by the DME volunteer to keep track of the piece of equipment. When a resident no longer needs them, the devices are returned to be available for the next one in need. The closet is straightened and cleaned by volunteers from the Commission on Aging, organized by Jean Donihee-Perron.
The Granby Durable Medical Equipment Closet was developed by Jean Violette, a retired physical therapist. Through her profession working with people in recovery, she had observed first-hand both the waste of incredibly costly medical equipment and, at times, the desperate need of that equipment during recovery after surgery or accidents—often for relatively brief periods of time. Violette recognized that developing a Durable Medical Equipment Closet would bridge the gap between items no longer needed but often too costly to discard, and patients perhaps hesitant or unable to meet that temporary need in their lives.
Violette teamed with the Granby Senior Center’s Civic Engagement Team to create and facilitate the loaner closet. The Lion’s Club was instrumental in purchasing equipment that was in high demand. This invaluable service of a cost-free local health benefit relies on the donation of goods from neighbors in Granby and the nearby communities that have also been helped.
If you or your loved ones are facing a medical challenge, please reach out to see if the closet might contain just what you need to help recovery at a tough time. And if you have non-electrical medical recovery items you no longer need, the Commission on Aging hopes you will donate to the Granby Durable Medical Equipment Closet. Requests for assistance, donations and offers to help can all be handled by calling the Granby Senior Center at 860-844-5352 and asking your message be relayed to the DME Closet Coordinator.