If you are having difficulties in moving about your home because of a disability, Community Services can discuss with you the possibility of some type of adaptation - for example a ramp outside your door.
All adaptations to Council-owned properties are free of charge. (If your property has been valued under the Right to Buy Scheme, the Council will treat you as a private householder).
For privately owned properties (home owners, private and housing association tenants) small adaptations such as stair or grab rails are provided and fitted free of charge. For more expensive alterations you may be able to apply for a grant, this will depend on your income, benefits, savings and investments.
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Home Owners or Renting from Private Landlords
You may be able to apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant toward the cost of the adaptation. The circumstances where you are entitled to a Disabled Facilities Grant is governed by Central Government, The Housing Grants and Construction Regeneration Act 1996.
The Disabled Facilities Grant is designed to provide for essential adaptations to meet the needs of the person with a disability or their carers. These adaptations include ramps if you are a wheelchair user, lifts to enable you to get upstairs, alterations to your bathroom to enable you to have access to the toilet and wash hand basin. Many people ask for adaptations that are desirable rather than absolutely essential.
We are only able to recommend what is absolutely essential to meet your needs.
If you wish to explore the possibility of having a Disabled Facilities Grant you will need to be assessed by an Occupational Therapist. At this stage if adaptations are considered essential by our staff you will be asked to complete a preliminary means test form whi
ch will give you an indication of whether you are eligible for any grant.
If you wish to continue after this we will pass the recommendations to the Housing Department who will administer the grant and oversee the work to ensure that they comply with the recommendations, building standards and are cost effective.
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Ho
w Occupational Therapy can h
elp
Occupational Therapy aims to help people of all ages with everyday activities which may have become difficult due to illness, accident, ageing or disability. If you have substantial problems that permanently affects your ability to move around your home such as getting on and off the toilet, going in or out of your home or using the stairs, then we may be able to help.
A member of the Community Services Occupational Therapy team will assess the difficulties that you and/or your carers are having, and will try to find solutions wherever possible.
We can offer advice about alternative ways to carry out tasks, with or without small adaptations and special equipment. Small adaptations such as grab rails and stair rails will be provided and fitted free of charge by Community Services.
Where this is not sufficient to overcome your difficulty we may recommend where necessary that major adaptations to your home be carried out to increase your independence. The recommendations of the Occupational Therapist will depend on your individual circumstances.
Contact us
For futher information contact the Adult Access Team:
41 New Heston Road,
Heston,
TW5 0LW
Opening Hours Monday - Friday 8:45am - 5pm
Sign language video link available
Telephone: 020 8583 3100
Minicom: 020 8583 3186
Fax 020 8583 3187
Email: adultsocialcare@hounslow.gov.uk
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