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Adaptations to your home are changes that can make it both safer and easier for you to move around the house and live independently for longer. Home adaptations such as a stairlift or grabrails can help elderly or disabled people to better manage life at home.
For example, adaptations could help you get up and down the stairs and using the bathroom and toilet, make rooms wheelchair accessible or enable you to use kitchen equipment safely.
You should get minor adaptations to your house for free as your local council should be able to cover the costs of adaptations below £1,000.
Adaptations to your house could be improvements such as making your house wheelchair accessible by widening doorways or putting in ramps, or small adaptations such as installing a grab rail to help you get out of the bath.
Adaptations that help the elderly and disabled manage at home include:
- Fitting a stairlift or banister
- Adding grab rails to the bath or by the bed
- Adding a bath lift
- Installing a walk-in shower or bath
- Fitting a wet room
- Installing an outdoor ramp or step rail
- Installing motion sensor lights at your front door
- Lowering kitchen tops
- Widening doorways
Benefits of home adaptations
1.
Making adaptations to your home instead of paying for care can turn out to be a cost-effective solution long term. It can also allow you to continue living in the comfort of your own home even if you are in later life or have a disability. Making changes to your home can be greatly beneficial to accessibility and independence in day-to-day living.
2.
There are lots of options available, and your local authority can help you figure out what adaptations would work the best for you through a home assessment. The assessment will also determine whether you have to pay for the adaptations yourself or if you can get help with the costs.
3.
Improvements to your home such as lowering the kitchen worktops can make it a lot easier to prepare meals while fitting grab rails can help you avoid falls and injuries.If you are in a wheelchair, adapting your house by adding access ramps, widening doors and lowering or raising tables will help you move around the home safely.
How to get a home assessment from your Local Council
Home assessment from your local authority’s social services is free and looks at your house and recommends what changes could help you live as comfortably and independently as possible.
To ensure any potential changes to your home are tailored to your individual needs, an occupational therapist will visit your house to make the assessment, which generally lasts an hour.
During the assessment, you will be asked questions about your circumstances, how you manage life at home and any difficulties you have with everyday tasks.
It is vital that you are completely honest in your responses because the more the occupational therapist knows about you and your struggles, the better they will be able to understand what adaptations should be made.
To request a home assessment, contact your local council by phone or you can start the process online.
In addition to having a home assessment, it is advisable to request a free needs assessment from your local council as well to see if you would benefit from extra care or help at home, what support you are entitled to and how the council can help you with costs.
You have the right to request a needs assessment at any time and you could do this before your home assessment.
Getting help with costs of Home Adaptations
Depending on if the changes you are making to your home are small or large, you may not have to pay for them yourself.
Whether you need to cover the costs yourself should be clear after the needs assessment and home assessment as they have a duty to offer support if your needs are eligible.
For example, if specialist disability equipment is recommended by the social worker or occupational therapist who visited you for the assessments, you will be provided with this for free.
Your local council should pay for minor home adaptations if they cost less than £1,000, such as grabrails, outside lights and ramps.
Larger home adaptations that require building work, such as fitting a wet room, will be more expensive and the council will not be able to pay for it.
Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG)
The Disabled Facilities Grant is a grant offered by local authorities to help a disabled person to make large modifications to their home. It is available to people over the age of 18 with any permanent disability, including physical and learning disabilities as well as mental illness.
Home adaptations for disabled people can include widening doors, installing ramps, provide a heating system and more to make disabled living easier to manage.
How much can you get?
DFG is means-tested, so the amount you can get depends on your household income and savings. As each local authority has its own criteria for the means test, contact them for specific information.
- In England, you could get up to £30,000
- In Wales, you may get as much as £36,000
- In Northern Ireland, £25,000 is the upper limit
Be aware that a grant application can take some time, particularly if you need to apply for planning permission.
