Various mobility products are now in the market which can be used to increase mobility within the household. Such daily living aids allows individuals to travel between rooms, take showers without dangerous bathroom accidents, go up and down the stairs and many other simple tasks that everyone takes for granted. The market identifies the needs of the disabled and continuously comes out with mobility products that will greatly benefit the disabled.

Importance of mobility aids

Without a doubt, personal safety and independent living are the topmost reasons for the innovative mobility aids that we see today. Innovators are continuously looking to improve the lives of disabled people and provide them with devices that may work as daily living aids in order to make every day a little bit easier. Not only are these disability aids now being widely used, they are becoming an important part of thousands of individuals’ lives who are benefiting everyday from some form of household mobility aids.

These mobility products are designed for the handicapped, as well as the senior and elderly who have lost the control of one of more muscles in their body and have difficulty getting around. Some people have difficulty with the smallest of tasks which we take for granted, such as bending down to pick up a dropped towel, washing plates, walking up the stairs or even just turning a key. These mobility aids provide make such tasks easy again for disabled individuals and allow them to lead a normal life.

Useful aids for daily living

There are innumerable amounts of mobility aids that are now available in various stores and locations. These are specifically create to address certain common issues faced by disabled and mobility challenged individuals. Some of the most commonly used and sold items today are:

• Stair lift chair : This mobility aid device is created for individuals who have stairs within their house. This electric mechanized device allows the individual to be transferred up and down the stairs while being seated on a wheel chair.

• Bathroom chair : These chairs are specifically designed for bathrooms to assist in handicap mobility. They are water resistant and have non slip handles and wheels. It allows for easy transfer to and from the bathtubs. Custom designed swing doors are often required and preferred in order to allow such chairs to be accessible.

• Mobility scooters : are very convenient disability aids that allow individuals with weak walking abilities to move around over extended periods of time.

• Bed mobility aids : Several custom adjustments can be made to beds in order to make it more comfortable for a disabled individual. Adjustments may include adjustable back rests, side railings, leg raisers or attached bed tables.

• Grab rails : These mobility aids can be installed in virtually all parts of the house. Simple railings can make it much easier for the mobility challenged to move around all over the house.

• Key extenders and turners : A small key may be impossible to use for some people. A key extender may be attached to a regular key to extend the surface area of the key. A key turner may also be used to get a better grip on the key.

• Grips : Grips may be put over things like a door knob, on tables, or even on the floor. The non-slip feature of this disability aid allows a person to get a better grip on slippery objects and ensures safety around the house.

Accessibility within one’s home is the most important thing to all individuals. Increasing mobility through disability aids gives more freedom to a person and allows them to do daily tasks with little or no help from others. Simple daily living aids like the ones mentioned here and many more contribute to a much better and safer home environment for disabled people. Everyday there are new mobility aids that are being discovered which makes it a little bit easier to complete daily chores.

Wheelchair Accessibility

Easy Wheelchair Access Indoors

• Remove loose carpets or rugs to facilitate movement.
• Change doorknobs to lever-type handles.
• Replace narrow doors with pocket doors or even curtains so you have no trouble getting from room to room or even entering the house while you are on your wheelchair.
• Move furniture to allow at least a 32-inch path and a 5-foot turning radius. There is nothing more annoying than not being able to move freely within your own home.
• Add a 36-inch string to each door handle. A wheelchair user can use this to pull the door closed when moving through the doorway.
• Add furniture coasters or decorated, small blocks of wood to raise tables and desks above knee level.
• Tack or glue down small, wedge-shaped pieces of wood or metal to serve as mini ramps over high door thresholds.
• Use drop leaf, roll-away carts for kitchen work areas.
• Change bathroom vanity-style sink fixtures to pedestal types.
• Change the toilet to a taller, narrower handicapped toilet to permit access by commode wheelchair.
• Install grab bars as necessary in the bathroom.
• Install a nonslip floor in the bathroom.
• Install a hose/nozzle system in the shower.
• Put in a water-powered ascending/descending tub seat.
• Install lever handles on kitchen and bathroom sinks.
• Consider changing appliances to front-control, front-access types.
• Plan an emergency exit for the wheelchair user.

Easy Wheelchair Access Outdoors

• Install a ramp for at least one entrance/exit of the dwelling. The ramp should be built at no more than a 1-to-12 gradient.
• Convert gravel walks to concrete for all-weather access.
• Construct ramp access to the garage or carport to allow sheltered entrance into and exit from a vehicle.
• Move the mailbox to an accessible point.

Making some of these changes to your home might seem tiresome and you might even get put off by the costs of these wheelchair accessibility changes. However, you must understand that if you are confined to your wheelchair for the long term, it is important that you maximise wheelchair accessibility for your home. Therefore, even though it might be expensive in the beginning, it is a capital investment that will prove to be very useful and helpful in the long run.

Blind Person’s Kitchen: Getting Organized

• Develop a system so you know where your utensils, spices and ingredients are stored. And make sure that other family members are aware so that they return things to their proper places.
• Labeling with large print or braille as well as tactile markings can help distinguish similar types of containers or the right setting on an oven or microwave. Wrap a rubber band around the juice container, for example, to tell it apart from the milk.
• Use all your senses. Touch and hearing can help you identify ingredients and operate appliances. Do you know how to tell a can of cream soup from noodle soup? Listen and feel as you shake the cans – the noodle soup will splash and feel looser. Some stove dials click as you turn the knob to various temperature settings. You can smell toast getting brown to know it’s done or burning. Meat is brown when it’s rough to the touch.
• Know your lighting needs. Install under-the-counter lighting and/or use gooseneck, adjustable arm lamps to position light directly onto your work area. Seat yourself so windows are behind you or to your side.

Getting Started With Your Disability Kitchen

• Keep cabinet doors fully closed or fully open. Contrasting tape on the insides or backs of cabinet doors can make it easier to tell if one is open. Install contrasting knobs or handles.
• Use a cutting board that contrasts in color with the items that you’re cutting. Long armed oven mitts, dish towels and utensils that contrast with countertops can make them easier to find.
• Use a timer when heating foods. You’ll not only know when the food is done, but get a reminder to turn off the appliance.
• Divided measuring cups are more accurate and easier to use than a standard measuring cup for both dry and liquid ingredients. It can be difficult to detect the lines for each measure on a standard measuring cup and divided measuring cups are available in a variety of colors, so you can utilize color contrast techniques.

Disabled Kitchens :Using Appliances

• Many appliance manufacturers offer large-print or braille dials, overlays, contrasting color features and marking kits, so ask before you buy.
• A popular addition to many kitchens, the George Foreman Grill allows you to cook food on both sides simultaneously, without setting any dials or needing to flip or turn the food.
• Easy-to-set bread machines, crock pots and rotisseries can simplify the cooking process.
• Install counter-level outlets for easy access, or use battery-operated appliances. Some people feel more in control when using manual appliances.
• Small countertop appliances – including toaster ovens, coffeemakers and microwaves – may be safer and easier to use for heating food than the oven or stove.

Cooking Tips For The Blind

• Record your recipes for easy access. There are cookbooks available in large print and braille as well as on audiocassette. If you’re online, you can access recipes from Web sites and print them in an accessible format.
• Pay attention to the sounds of food cooking. When asked how long a pan of enchiladas needs to be baked, one man said, “When they’re talking loudly, not whispering, but fairly shouting, they’re done!” Listen for the rolling, bubbling noise that becomes louder and more forceful as liquids boil. Wait to hear the popping of frying food to know it’s browning. When the sounds die down, food usually is ready to be turned.
• As food cooks, odors change. Often you can smell when something is done, for example, when cookies are baked.
• Smell spices before you sprinkle. There’s nothing like mistaking pepper for cinnamon.

Disability Kitchens : Setting Your Table

• Use contrasting plates, tablecloths, placemats, and napkins. Use light or dark colored plates, glasses, or cups to contrast with food and beverages.
• Plates that are pattern-free make locating food much easier.
• Use tinted rather than clear glasses for greater visibility.
• Push chairs under tables.
• Use a tablecloth to cut the glare from shiny or polished surfaces such as Formica tabletops.
• Eat in a well-lit area. Sunshine streaming into a room can cause glare. Consider adjustable window curtains or shades.

Showering, bathing, shaving, brushing your hair, brushing your teeth. Though these are activities that many take for granted, people with limb differences can find them very difficult to do alone. Your daily grooming routine is made up of movements that require hand and wrist dexterity and flexibility, arm extension and rotation, balance, strength and coordination. When these movements are difficult or painful, grooming can be a frustrating or even risky experience without the aid of assistive devices.

Unfortunately, because assistive devices for independent living are produced by only a small number of manufacturers and there is only a small market for them, they can be expensive. Moreover, Medicare does not cover the cost of bathing equipment, including bath seats, hand-held shower heads or grab bars.

With a little thought and ingenuity, however, you can find ways to do these activities with homemade or easily available and inexpensive aids. You shouldn’t neglect safety for convenience, however.

Disability Safety: Dental & Hair Care

Prosthetic hands and hooks often do not grip small or thin items as well as the human hand does. As a result, these items might be difficult to control or might slip out of your prosthesis. A simple and inexpensive solution for this problem is to add thicker, less slippery handles to such items as your toothbrush, comb, hair brush, bath brush and flossing device.

If you can’t find these items with readymade built-up handles, you can make their handles larger and easier to grip by wrapping them with a short section of foam rubber tubing. Or you can simply insert some of the items into a bicycle handle grip. Also, if your prosthetic device has a limited range of motion and you can’t quite get to those hard-to-reach spots with your bath brush, try attaching it to a wooden dowel or a flexible wire.

An easy technique for brushing your teeth without arms is to use a battery-powered toothbrush. If you can get toothpaste on it, turn it on, and get it in your mouth, you can use your mouth to move it around inside, letting the vibrating toothbrush do the rest.

Flossing with the traditional string-style floss would clearly be difficult for a onehanded person. Today, however, a onehanded person can take advantage of the newer “tuning fork” flossing tools, which do not require two hands.

If you have no hands and normally dry your hair with a hair dryer, you can mount it on the wall and simply move your head around in front of it until your hair is dry. The bracket that holds the dryer should allow movement, however, so that the dryer can be tilted in various directions.

When it comes to shaving, an electric rotary razor is much kinder and gentler than a blade. Flexible-headed razors require less hand movement to reach awkward places, and are often bulky enough to be used with a prosthesis.

If you use a wheelchair at the sink, any exposed pipes underneath should be wrapped to avoid burning your legs. Whether you’re seated or on your knees in a locked wheelchair, a folded towel or a thin pillow on the front edge of the counter will make long periods at the sink much more bearable.

Finally, you’ll probably like to look at yourself in the mirror to make sure you don’t leave toothpaste on your chin or unknowingly leave the house with “bad hair.” Two simple ways to make sure that you have access to a mirror where you need it is to install a full-length mirror or to mount a magnifying mirror in a convenient location, preferably next to an electrical outlet.

Safety Tips For Disabled: Grab Bars

Grab bars help support you while you are getting in and out of the bathtub, reducing your risk of a fall. They can be installed on the walls or on the side of the tub. Wall-mounted grab bars, installed properly into walls that are in good condition, are considered more stable than tub-mounted bars. Tub-mounted bars don’t require structural support from a wall and have the added advantage of easy removal, but they must be used with caution because they can easily (and suddenly) detach if fastened incorrectly. Test them carefully in advance by applying force in several directions before relying on them for support.

Although they come in different shapes and sizes, grab bars have common safety characteristics and requirements. Flanges on the ends of the bar should have sturdy screws for installation, preferably into wall studs. There should be enough room between the bar and the wall for you to get a good grip. They should be made of plastic or rust-resistant metal, with a rough surface to prevent slipping.

Keep Things Handy

Bathing is easier if everything you need is close at hand. If you bathe in a tub rather than showering, you can buy or make a shelf to sit firmly on the edges of the tub to hold soap, brushes or a magazine.

A more flexible option is a wire-frame shower caddy with suction cups that can be attached wherever you wish. You can also find a variety of rings and hooks to add more items to the caddy; the classic “soap-on-a-rope” is always handy, and some squeeze bottles of soap and shampoo are designed to hang on a hook as well. Other soaps and shampoos are available in pump dispensers.

Slippery When Wet

One of the most common problems that amputees encounter is maintaining balance while bathing and climbing in and out of the bathtub. Most tubs don’t have adequate slip-resistant finishes. To reduce the chance of a slip injury, your bathtub floor should have either a rubber mat anchored with suction cups or nonslip adhesive strips. Bath strips should be placed close to each other so that very little of the bathtub floor comes in contact with your foot.

Various floor materials respond differently to being wet. Some new ceramic tiles and rubber-based linoleum have better slip-resistance. Keep the floor clear of rugs or small objects on which you could slip or trip, and use cleaning products that don’t leave a slippery film.

Showering Tips For Disabled Safety

Scalding is another hazard of showering. Always check the water temperature before you get into the shower. This is particularly important for people with diabetes. Diabetic nerve damage can leave your feet numb and unable to feel heat, cold or even pain. And if you can’t feel pain, you might not notice any blisters until you have an infection.

You might want to try one of the many hand-held shower heads on the market, particularly if you shower in a seated position. Handheld units also allow getting into the tub without stepping directly into a stream of water, reducing the chance of slipping. Some models are made of rubber to fit over the tub tap, while some require installation but allow more freedom of movement. Make sure you can reach the mounting bracket from your seat and that the hose is long enough for you to spray all parts of your body. The handle should be easy to grip, and any knobs or controls should be easy to use (even when wet).

For more ideas, consult an occupational therapist or independent living specialist in your area. These professionals are trained to work with people of all ages and levels of ability to identify and recommend assistive devices or methods to help them cope with daily living activities

Senior Adult Day Care: What Is It?

According to Help Guide, “Adult day care is a planned program of activities designed to promote well-being though social and health related services. Adult day care centers operate during daytime hours, Monday through Friday, in a safe, supportive, cheerful environment. Nutritious meals that accommodate special diets are typically included, along with an afternoon snack.”

Adult day care centers may be run by the state or federal government or can be privately operated as well.

Senior Adult Day Care – Purpose

As per the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA) there are more than 4000 adult day care centers across USA. The proliferation of centers over the past two decades corresponds to the “mushrooming demand for home and community based services” to meet the needs of a rapidly escalating elder population. Many wonder what the purpose of an adult day care center. It is in fact pretty much the same as a child care center, except this one is designed for adults and for caregivers of disabled elderly people. Adult day care services prove extremely useful and helpful and serve many purposes.

• They provide welcome recreation and socialization opportunities to adults.
• They provide caregivers a achance to take a break, much the same way child care centers provide breaks to parents.
• Caregivers who have to work and are unable to care for their wards during the day find adult day care centers very useful and helpful.

Adult Day Care Services Provided

Adult day care centers provide a variety of services including but not limited to the list below:

• Arts and crafts
• Musical entertainment and sing-a-longs
• Mental stimulation games such as BINGO
• Stretching or other gentle exercise
• Discussion groups (books, films, current events)
• Holiday and birthday celebrations
• Local outings.

As the primary care giver for a disabled elderly patient, if you are looking for a break, an adult day care center might just be what you need.

References:

Adult Day Care Centers – Help Guide

Adaptive Aids to Help a Disabled Parent

The world is recognizing the increasing number of disabled parents around and people are constantly working harder to find newer and improved products that can assist special needs parents in any way. There have been many great inventions which have resulted from slight changes to original products and they have greatly increased efficiency for disabled parents. Some of the adaptive aid products that have excelled in this area are:

• Adaptive Parenting Aids: Custom-made products for each individual disabled parent who has specific unique needs.
• Baby lifter: Lifts a baby up and down from the floor
• Baby Bathtub: Specially designed bathtub for assisting wheelchair parents.
• Accessible Crib: Assists a disabled parent with limited balance
• Velcro disposable diapers: Highly recommended for special needs parents with limited dexterity.
• The Over-the-shoulder baby holder: Helps a disabled mother carry an infant around while breast feeding or simply in movement.

Disabled Parents Support Organizations

Many organizations have come together to provide disabled parents support and help for their unique needs. These organizations are established to provide a place where children of disabled parents can come and find ways to improve their parents’ lives. They also benefit disabled parents themselves by providing them with information about new products that can make their lives easier. Some organizations that have excelled in disabled parents support for many years are:

• Through the Looking Glass (TLG) (2): This is a non-profit, nationally recognized organization that conducts research, provides useful information and encourages the growth and prospect of disabled parents across the country.
• Invisible Children’s Project (3): This organization was established to assist disabled parents suffering from some form of mental illness that inhibits their parenting process.
• MS moms: This support site is for disabled mothers suffering from MS disorder.
• The Center for Rights of Parents with Disabilities (CRPD): The center provides education and support to protect disabled parents from discrimination of any kind.
• Disabled Adoptive Parents: This is an E-mail group that is setup to have group discussions with various disabled mothers and parents around the country seeking to adopt children.

While parenting is a hard enough task by itself, it is even more difficult for disabled parents to keep up with their children. Each individual faces different levels of difficulty and problems depending on the kind of disability they suffer from. To assist special needs parents in their needs for child growth, various products have been individually designed to help them. These products and aids are becoming increasingly popular due to the level of ease they offer. Various websites and disabled parents support groups have also been set up which may be visited to gain additional knowledge about new innovations in this field. With the help of such programs and aids, disabled parents are now finding it easier to care for their little ones.

References:

1. Parents with Disabilities Online
2. Through the Looking Glass
3. Invisible Children’s Project – Mental Health America

Many people are not aware that there is a difference between Social Security Disability (SSDI) and Social Security Insurance (SSI). Social Security Insurance is just that –A federal system that one involuntarily pays into while working, in order to receive retirement benefits at the prescribed age. The average Social Security income ranges in the between $800-1000 per month, depending on the amount one earned while one worked. There are various persons who may receive SSI OR SSDI benefits. For example you can be the son or daughter or spouse of someone who is deceased that worked and paid into the system and received SSI or SSDI.

SSDI Primary recipients

There are basically two types of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). The most common type is for individuals who are severely and permanently disabled from birth or before the age of 22. The second type is for those who become disabled after the age of 22. In both cases the disability has to be verified by medical professionals with documentation approximately every one-two years.  Temporary disabilities, such as injuries, usually don’t qualify one to receive SSDI benefits.

Who decides Social Security Disability Insurance eligibility?

The Social Security system is so overwhelmed, that most of the time one has to prove their case of disability beyond a shadow of a doubt. In essence one is considered an able bodied worker, capable of taking care of his or her basic needs, until there is an insurmountable amount of information and documentation that validates ones claim of disability.
Eligibility is usually determined by a state agency known as Disability Determination Service (DDS) not to be confused with the Department of Developmental Services who oversees services for persons with mental disabilities.

SSDI Eligibility requirements.

The four basic questions that Social Security asks and wants proof of are the following: First, is your medical condition so severe that it keeps you from working? If not is your medical condition on the List of Impairments or comparable to a condition on the list? Thirdly, are you able do the same type of work previously done? If not, are you able to do any type of work?

How  SSI& SSDI works

The Social Security Administration will go through many lengths to disqualify and prolong the process of eligibility. If you are as seriously as ill as social security requires you to be, in order to receive a disability check, answering the many questions and corresponding with doctors becomes a very difficult process to navigate. The Social Security Administration claims that they will gather the information for you but in reality they can use the absence of information as a way to delay making a decision about your case. At this point I strongly suggest getting an advocate to secure information on your behalf.
Can be degrading and illogical system

The most degrading part about the entire process is for hard working individuals, who have paid into the system to have their integrity and intentions questioned. Now think about this logically. If you could work and earn three times or even one and a half times that of social security would you rather do that or just sit at home and collect minimal check? Ok there are a few simple minded people without a work ethic who might make that decision. But for the most part, people who have a history of working 10-15 years would not make that decision intentionally. Let’s weigh the logic in that.  Should I give up my $20,000-30,000 a year income for a $12,000 a year income? Mmmm…tough decision.

The Social Security Disability Insurance Disability Trap

The bottom line is this. Social Security Disability Insurance is only for the most severe cases of disability. It is the Social Security Administration’s job to determine weather your situation qualifies you for a disability check. To make matters worse they are making these decisions in the most severe of economic times.  Before applying for social security disability ask yourself some tough reflective questions.  Am I injured or impaired to the point where I can not sit, stand or move my extremities enough to work or take care of myself? If I don’t receive the disability check will I be able to survive some other way? Are there simple remedies or actions that I can take that will improve my situation? Am I willing to do what it takes to get healthy?  If there is a remote possibility that you can do any of these things to help your situation it is far easier to pursue them than to get caught in the social security disabilities benefits trap?

Mind over matter example

The social security trap I refer to is a psychosomatic theory by which being involved with social security perpetuates your condition and leaves you dependent on the system. For example, let’s say you work as a cashier and are diagnosed with a condition that limits your ability to stand or sit for longer than 20 minutes at a time. You apply for SSDI and your condition is confirmed by a physician. After 15 years of working, you settle into a routine of not working. You become lethargic a little restless and maybe slightly depressed. After about 7 months, you begin a new water therapy and vitamin that relieves the pain and improves your condition.

Redetermination Social Security Disability Insurance trap

Shortly after that, your social security redetermination papers arrive. This is a process where you have to prove weather or not you’re still disabled. Ergo the beginnings of the disability trap.  Consciously or sub-consciously, you make a decision as to weather or not you’re well enough to return to work. The doctors are supposed to make this decision but you really make it by what and how you report to the doctors. That’s why SSA requires physical evidence and documentation.

Proving you’re still disabled trap

Even though you feel better and are recovering from you condition, you may decide not to take the risk of “saying” you feel better. Instead of taking the risk of being without income, you decide that you should try to convince DDS that you are still disabled. The trap begins in the thinking process where you convince or tell yourself that you are still very sick, and unable to work. As a result, your body may begin to manifest symptoms from before. When you revisit your doctor, you find that your symptoms and test show evidence of the diagnosis and no improvement.

Permanently disabled

You’ve just wiped away your actual progress psychologically. Even though you are actually doing better, you’ve just consciously or subconsciously convinced yourself and your body that you are not. And the cycle continues until you convince yourself and your body that you are permanently disabled and unable to work at all. The mind is powerful tool use it to your benefit not to your demise.
Use Opportunities

Social Security has realized that this is the case for many people who receive the benefits and have put incentives in place for people to return to work. For the most part, these systems do not have precedence and again are very difficult to navigate. As the current economic situation worsens and more people are without jobs these incentives seem bleak and at best. As bleak as they may appear they are still opportunities that can be taken advantage of and with the proper direction should be tested.

Be true to yourself
On the other hand, if you are truly severely disabled, beyond a shadow of a doubt, then make the claim. And prayerfully the doctors and evidence will validate the severity of your disability. If they don’t find you eligible there is an appeals process in place to help you make and present your case. I strongly suggest at this point getting a representative only after you have completed an honest self reflection and determined that you are in need of assistance.

Everyone has something to offer
It is my belief that every person no matter how disabled has something of value to contribute society. It is that participation that sometimes leads to employment, quality of life and economic independence. After all isn’t that why we work so that we can live.  Studies show that individuals who participate in purposeful and meaningful activities are healthier and lead more productive lives.

What is my purpose?
It is not the responsibility of the Social Security Administration or the government to provide funds for quality of life instead it is our society at large that should to reevaluate what is needful and necessary to live a life of quality and purpose.  We may find that it has nothing to do with money and everything to do with our how we spend our days and weather or not our greater purpose in life is being fulfilled.

It is the Government’s objective that every disabled persons or persons who need extra support receive that support when it comes to having greater flexibility and control over where they live and how they live.

Many disabled people wish to live in their own home and support themselves and be independent, there are many ways in which they can be helped to achieve this and it is every disabled person’s right to do so.

Living independently

If you are disabled then there are considerations that have to be taken, such as:

* Do you receive the necessary support that may be available to help you to continue living independently in your own home.

* Do you have the equipment that is necessary to help you live an independent lifestyle.

* Are there ways that your home could be adapted to make your life easier

Every disabled person has the legal right to have an assessment by their social services department. There are many ways you can get help which you may be entitled to and following an assessment an occupational therapist may be able to recommend ideas and equipment for adapting your home to suit your needs.

There are several forms of financial help which you may be entitled to claiming and the disabled facilities grant is just one of them. This grant can help towards the cost of paying for adaptations and improvements to your home which enables you to live a more independent lifestyle.

Help may also be available from home improvement agencies that are usually no profit organisations which help disabled people to live independent lives. You may also be entitled to claim from independent living funds, these organisations will provide payments to people who are seriously disabled but who want to remain at home rather than live in residential care homes.

Your local council will be able to give you more information regarding services that you may be entitled to and advice on improving your existing home. There are also sheltered or supported housing programmes which allow for disabled people to still lead a partial independent life in their own home but which also have someone on hand should the disabled person need assistance.

Sheltered Housing

Sheltered housing offers the disabled a range of services to help them live independently, while enjoying the added benefit of having someone that they can call on in an emergency.

A warden will usually live on the premises and can be called through an alarm system if help is needed, some housing complexes are often specifically for disabled people and have specialised facilities and trained medical staff at hand.

Filed under: Disability & The Home

If you are disabled and need to adapt your home due to your disability then you have certain rights and one of these is help from your local council. You may be entitled to a grant from your local council called a disabled facilities grant, if the council considers that certain changes are necessary for your needs.

Who is entitled to the grant?

You may be entitled to receiving this grant if you meet the following criteria:

* If you are disabled or someone that is living with you permanently is disabled.

* You are either the owner or tenant of the property.

* You ca prove that you are going to remain at that property for the grant period which is currently a five year period.

What does the grant cover?

The grant is used to enhance your living conditions by making changes to your surroundings which give you easier access and freedom of movement, examples if this could be:

* Making doors wider for wheelchair access and providing ramps.

* Improving access to rooms which could include the installation of stair lifts or providing downstairs bathrooms.

* Installing a heating system which may be more suited to your needs.

* Altering heating or light controls for ease of use.

* Improving access around the home if you have other people you help look after such as children.

How much can you get?

The amount you may be entitled to will be based on an assessment, in which your weekly income will be taken into account as well as your outgoings, any savings you also have over a certain amount will also be taken into account. Other benefits that you receive because of your disability such as disability living allowance will not be affected.

The amount you may get can vary from 0 to 100% of the total cost of alterations depending on the assessment. If the amount of income you get is less than the assessed needs then you will not have to pay towards the cost, if your income is more then some of your income will be used to calculate what size of loan you could contribute towards.

The maximum amount of the total cost that the council is required to pay by law is £25,000, if the cost of the changes needed to your home to give you a better way of life is more then it is at the council’s discretion whether they increase the amount or not.

Filed under: Disability & The Home