Pinellas Park woman helps financially-strapped seniors get medical equipment

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - Kelli Casto supplies medical equipment to seniors who can’t afford it through her grass-roots effort called ‘Saving our Seniors’. 

"Many of them are living on less than $800 a month," she said. "So, it's like, do I pay for my medication and my food this month or do I buy a shower chair."We have transport wheelchairs, we have hospital beds, we have oxygen concentrators, four-wheeled walkers, we have up walkers, you know, top transfer benches, different types of shower chairs."

Casto started the initiative five years ago while working as a therapist.  

"I think I'm kind of a different founder because I've been sitting beside seniors for years as a therapist and advocating for them and, you know, being able to give them a shower chair or a hospital bed or a power wheelchair just improve their quality of life," Casto explained.

"We try to deliver within 24 to 48 hours or some seniors don't have transportation," she commented. "So a power wheelchair is their ability to get out of the house, go to the store, so we're truly filling in a gap."

The organization began from her home and now she has a warehouse filled with hundreds of medical items.

"I always say we must be doing something right because we've helped over 10,000 seniors in our community," Casto stated.

Seeing a thankful client is the biggest payoff for Casto.  

"We're just here to help them and help them thrive in their in their community and in their home," Castro explained. 

Casto says her organization needs a truck and some volunteers.

LINK: Learn more about ‘Saving our Seniors’ at https://savingourseniors.org.

MORE GOOD NEWS: Download the free FOX 13 News app for more #WeLiveHere stories like this