Giving and receiving is at the heart of the newly reopened Loan Closet, a free lending center for medical and rehabilitation equipment for older adults at the Long Reach Village Center in Columbia.
The closet, a collaboration between the county's Office on Aging; the Rotary Club of Columbia; Rebuilding Together Howard County; and the Way Station, a nonprofit behavioral health organization, serves as a clearinghouse for Howard County residents to donate medical equipment and find equipment they may need. Volunteers receive, process, deliver, pick-up and maintain the equipment.
It fulfills a critical and growing need in the county, said Mary Becker, the county's Office of Aging's manager for the Aging in Place program. Many insurance providers do not cover large, durable medical equipment, allowing residents to take advantage of a key service, said Becker.
Existing services do not sufficiently address the projected growth in the number of older adults, according to a report on aging by the county government released last year. The number of adults aged 50 and older living in Howard County is projected to increase by 61 percent between now and 2035, more than double the growth rate of the total population.
The expanded location, a 3,000-square-foot area painted dark blue and with several rooms, distances the Loan Closet from its name.
Less a closet and more what Howard County Executive Kittleman jokingly called a "boutique," the new location is triple the size of the former location off Route 108 in Columbia. The operating hours also increased from six to 21 hours a week, and the increase in size allows the organization to serve around 2,400 people annually, up from 800.
"How many times do we really bump into a situation that is truly a win-win-win?" said Scott Rose, president and CEO of the Way Station. "In times of struggle, one response is to give to those who struggle."
The space, which includes a room for supplies, refurbishing and a "scrub hub" to sanitize equipment as it moves into the center, also allows the organization to accept equipment like electric scooters, portable ramps and stair glides.
The closet began in one room at the Way Station of Sheppard Pratt Hospital more than 12 years ago. Becker, an occupational therapist, identified the need for a loan center to address a growing number of residents without durable medical equipment.
The Office of Aging lacked a procedure to serve as an intermediary with clients to donate and provide medical equipment. Then in search of a Centennial Project to mark the Rotary Club's centennial, club member John Starrt of the joined on to bring the idea to fruition. The closet first opened in 2004.
"We have better space, a better facility to focus on our goals," said Becker, adding she was not concerned about the location of the Long Reach Village Center, a blighted community with high vacancy rates. "We are happy to be here and serve the community."
Ryan Wilson, a 24-year-old volunteer who graduated from Centennial High School, said he is especially enlivened about the increased space and upgrades to store more medical equipment.
"I just love to help people," said Wilson. "We have plenty of good services and products to help."
Volunteering at the closet has helped him build his vocational and social skills, his father, Don Wilson, said.
Kimberly Robinson, 50, volunteers at the closet three days a week to dole out medical equipment and help manage the organization. She often comes in on days she's not scheduled to volunteer to see how things are going.
She's learned the quirks of each piece of medical equipment over the years — that a shower chair's two legs should hug the outside edge of the tub, a cane should sit comfortably at the user's elbow and that certain chair adjustments require a calculated strategy in getting up and sitting down.
For Robinson, volunteering at the closer gives her "something meaningful to do.
"I'm no longer inverted within myself. I can give back," she said.
The closet, located at 8775 Cloudleap Court in Columbia, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Residents can donate or receive equipment by calling 410-313-0363. The time frame the equipment can be borrowed depends on the equipment and specific individual needs. More information on the closet is available on the county's website howardcountymd.gov/loancloset.