JODY STEINBERGER AND HIS SERVICE DOG, NICK. PHOTOS COURTESY OF WEST SHORE HOME

What began as a regular Thursday last week ended with an incredible act of kindness for local veteran Jody Steinberger, who is the director and vice president of Folds of Honor Western PA.

Steinberger, who is fully disabled, recently purchased an Allison Park home that was not accessible for him. While he has learned to navigate life as a disabled vet with Nick, his service dog, at his side, some tasks — such as bathing — remain difficult.

Prior to the renovation, Steinberger had a serious fall while bathing, which can be incredibly dangerous. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 80 percent of falls in the home occur in the bathroom.

Adapting older homes to current accessibility needs can also be a constant and costly struggle for those with disabilities — so the folks at Mechanicsburg-based West Shore Home stepped in to help, adding a new shower to fit Steinberger’s needs.

West Shore Home general manager Matt Sloan calls bathroom renovations for veterans program the highlight of what his company does.

“Each year, select, deserving veterans across the country are gifted a new, safety-enhanced shower,” he says. “It can be life-changing, as many have service or age-related injuries that make bathing difficult.”

Sloan adds the West Shore for Warriors is just one way West Shore Home gives back to the Pittsburgh community.

“The program’s mission is to serve U.S. veterans, active military members and their families,” he says.

That includes Steinberger, who has a long and decorated career with the United States military. Enlisting in the Navy at age 18, he served in the Gulf War for two years while in the Navy and then in the Army for eight years as a communication and intelligence specialist.

Since medically separating from the military, Steinberger has invested his passion and skills into serving Folds of Honor in western Pennsylvania.

“Folds of Honor is an educational charity that provides $5,000 scholarships to service members who have been killed in action, who are 100% service-connected, disabled and also first responders and police officers,” Steinberger says. “The money raised is given to the family members of those affected classes.”

Like many he works with through the nonprofit, Steinberger has personal experience with a career-ending disability that forever changed his life.

“Through my tenured service in the Army and the lifestyles conducive to that, I was medically separated and retired due to multiple areas of disability,” he says. “And through those disabilities, I’ve progressively gotten worse; hence my medical concerns now.”

The bathroom at his home, while kitschy with a vintage robin’s egg-blue tub and tile surround, was not accessible in any way, he says.

“I had a shower that I just didn’t fit into, as far as cleaning my leg wounds and such,” he adds.

Often, he opted to do a “hospital shower” by sitting on the edge of the tub, which comes with its own set of hazards and drawbacks.

“I’m not able to stand still without falling, and I’m too big to fit in a tub to give myself a hospital shower,” he says. “So, it made it difficult to take a bath or shower on a daily basis.”

That all changed Thursday when the team from West Shore for Warriors showed up early in the morning. By dinner, they had completed the entire tub remodel, removing the inaccessible tub and replacing it with a glass-walled, step-in shower with a flip-down seat so that Steinberger can safely bathe without assistance.

Grab bars at the head of the tub and along the back wall also allow Steinberger to seat himself safely with little risk of slips and falls — making an everyday task infinitely easier and safer.

“It is the least we can do for him and other veterans who took the oath and served our country,” says Sloan. “We strive to bring happiness to every home, and I believe we accomplished that mission today.”

Steinberger says he felt jubilation when he saw the finished product in his bathroom — and when he realized how much it would change his day-to-day life.

“The experience was beyond anything I could have hoped for,” he says.

For more information on West Shore for Warriors, visit here.