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Giving Mary a helping hand

DEVIN HEILMAN/dheilman@cdapress.com | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 1 month AGO
by DEVIN HEILMAN/dheilman@cdapress.com
| December 3, 2014 8:00 PM

photo

<p>Tappan strokes the ears of her 14-year-old wire-haired dachshund Jack who suffers from a heart problem in the front yard of her house in Dalton Gardens. Tappan suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, methicillin resistant staph aureus (MRSA) in her lungs and a broken hip which affects her walking. “The golden years have been hard on Jack; they’ve been hard on both of us,” Tappan said.</p>

DALTON GARDENS - Mary Tappan sleeps in a cramped trailer in her driveway, warmed by a space heater, an electric blanket and the comfort of her dachshunds.

The house on her Fourth Street property, where she has lived for 42 years, is presently unlivable because of a mouse infestation that occurred when she broke her hip last winter. She spent about five months recovering in Life Care Center and in her absence, the rodents overran the place.

"Her house was neglected while she was away," said Dustin Kloos, the new executive director of ElderHelp of North Idaho. "It definitely, obviously needs all-new flooring, definitely going to need paint ... it's as if it's not been lived in for three years and there have been animals living in it."

Kloos met Tappan through ElderHelp's firewood program, which serves lower-income seniors so they can heat their homes. Kloos discovered that Tappan's problems went well beyond needing home repair.

Tappan, 69, suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and breathes with oxygen tanks. She regularly battles lung infections.

Tappan said when one of the infections was discovered, her doctor at the time was morbidly surprised.

"He said, 'My God, Mary, I've never seen that other than in a dead person,'" she said, her voice soft and frail. "There's two or three other things in there, too, and I have congestive heart failure."

Tappan's house has been treated to eradicate the mice, but in the process it was turned inside out and still remains uninhabitable. Her front lawn and driveway are covered in furniture, appliances, odds and ends and bags of trash that are ready to be hauled to the dump. On an income around $700 a month and with her health conditions, Tappan cannot take care of everything on her own. Her trailer has no indoor plumbing, the small wire fence by the entrance provides no protection for her or her dogs, and her outside fire bowl will only provide a small amount of heat.

"When we learned of her other situations, we learned that a number of groups were called to help her but didn't follow through," Kloos said. "It's a dire situation. If we can't find her some temporary housing while we're trying to fix the home, then there's a possibility, depending on the winter, that she could freeze in that trailer."

Tappan's situation has also come to the attention of the city of Dalton Gardens. City planner Cheri Howell said Tappan is violating the city's municipal code by continuing to live in her trailer.

"Our municipal code does not allow you to live in a recreational vehicle," she said. "Mary is currently living in a trailer, which is a recreational vehicle. We consider that as being a violation of the code. We consider that substandard housing for a permanent resident."

Howell said she has been in correspondence with Tappan about the situation since the beginning of the summer. Tappan has been allowed to continue living there because Howell knows of her troubles and knows that other organizations - such as churches, the state of Idaho, senior care agencies and Adult Protective Services - have been contacted to assist Tappan with returning to into her house.

"The city wants what's best for Mary," Howell said. "But we are concerned at her situation."

Howell said the Dalton Gardens City Council will also be considering a nuisance order in the near future that may affect Tappan. The nuisance order focuses on accumulations of garbage and dangerous appliances around homes as well as other unsafe living situations.

"She is currently living in an RV with an extension cord plugged into her house," Howell said. "That, to me, is a safety issue for her, and I am concerned."

Tappan has a deep love for animals and other humans. Her speech is sometimes punctuated with deep coughs, evidence of her respiratory ailments. But despite her financial and health issues, she is proud to be a homeowner and does not want to leave the house where she raised her five children. She can feed herself and wash her own clothes, but the work that is needed to clean her house and raise her property to city standard is overwhelming.

"I worked hard, paid for it," she said. "Nobody's perfect, but I've tried. Things just got out of hand."

Tappan's granddaughter, Alex Schofield, 23, of Post Falls, said any help from the community to clean and repair the property would buy them some time before the city enforces any fines or legal actions.

"I believe that there are a lot of good people out there," she said. "Any outside help would be appreciated. Just even a little bit of help would be amazing."

Kloos has been staying in touch with Tappan and keeping a watchful eye on her progress.

"I just want to remind people that giving is something we get to do," he said. "We get to give, we don't give to get. We have hundreds of clients; some are like Mary, some are very capable, but they all need help."

ElderHelp is the only nonprofit of its kind in the area, serving seniors without having to charge. Kloos said the need in the community is growing and the organization needs the community's support in order to continue in its mission to help seniors in need, seniors like Tappan.

"It's very important we get that help," Kloos said. "It's a very serious situation. It's a life or death situation."

To donate, participate or learn more, email Kloos at dckloos@gmail.com or visit ElderHelp's website, www.elderhelpofnorthidaho.org.

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