Mrs W is a 69-years-old and has a spinal cord injury. She lives with her partner, her son who has learning disability and her 3 cats. She enjoys going out and meeting friends and wants to stay independent. Recently though, she had been finding it hard to get around her home.
She called the Adult Social Care team to ask for some help. They referred her to the occupational therapy (OT) duty team. The duty OT chatted with Mrs W about what was happening at home. Mrs T told them she was finding it hard to use her wheelchair to get from room to room on the ground floor. With her washing facilities upstairs, Mrs W couldn't wash and style her hair.
The duty OT referred Mrs W for a full OT assessment. When the OT visited, they looked around the house to see what adaptations might help. They suggested a wheelchair accessible through-floor lift to help her get upstairs. They also suggested wider doorways and changes to the upstairs bathroom.
Mrs W worked with a Home Improvement Agency (HIA), who helped her to fill out a financial assessment. This showed that she wouldn't be able to get a Disabled Facilities Grant, so Mrs W needed to find other funding. The HIA case worker helped Mrs W to research other grants and benefits. She was also able to get discretionary funding from her district council. She managed to cover the rest of the cost of the work by taking a temporary loan from her family.
The adaptations took 2 years to complete. She can now get around her home and enjoys regular trips to the park to feed the ducks with her son.
