LAS VEGAS – Twenty years ago, Favil West and his friend Chuck Davis began talking about the help they would eventually need as they aged. They decided they wanted to provide their community with a variety of services.
“We all spend our lives working and raising families. We all make a promise. Well, someday, we’ll give something back. Most often, we don’t,” West said.
But, they did. In 2002, they created the Foundation Assisting Seniors – supplying seniors in the valley with a number of services. Among the items they provide are necessary medical equipment, free of charge.
“Just about everything a person needs to rehabilitate themselves we have in here,” West said.
It began with a few items inside a warehouse in Henderson. The organization served approximately 400 people in its first year. Today, the Foundation Assisting Seniors has more than 500 items and assists 12,000 to 14,000 people each year.
“We use a lot of these shower seats for people getting hip replacements,” West said.
He and his team of more than 100 volunteers deliver the items within 24 hours.
“We don’t rent anything out. We loan it out, and, if necessary, if it’s a long-time affair, we’ll give it to the people at no charge,” West said.
The organization made a significant difference to William Campbell. He went into the hospital for an operation and developed a terrible staph infection.
“The response by the foundation was absolutely overwhelming,” he said. “They came in with a walker, wheelchair, a companion walker, a bedside commode. They came in with a hospital bed.”
The Foundation Assisting Seniors is working on a new program called the “How Are You? Call Assurance Program”. People sign up to receive a daily check-up phone call from the organization.
