At The Handrail People we believe in supporting our customers to find solutions that promote confidence and independence, whilst enhancing your safety and peace of mind for you and your loved ones. In this blog post you’ll find out more about the different funding options available for home adaptions to support you.
Our bespoke handrails, grab rails and balustrades come in a variety of materials, styles and finishes to suit your needs and your home, we can even work with you to create a completely unique design, and offer supply only or installation options.
We understand that for many people the realisation that they need a little extra support in moving around their home and garden can be quite uncomfortable. Whether as a natural consequence of ageing, or the result of illness or injury, the cost of making those alterations can also be stressful at an already challenging time.
With that and the current cost of living crisis at the forefront of everyone’s mind, we’ve put together this short guide to funding options for adapting your home*.
*All information current at time of posting. We strongly recommend you speak to the agencies mentioned regarding your own personal circumstances before making any decisions or commitments to home adaptations.
Obtaining A Needs Assessment
If you or a family member are considering home adaptations, a good first step is to contact your local council for a needs assessment. This is free of charge and will involve an occupational therapist visiting your home to assess your needs. This should take into account your physical, emotional and social wellbeing. If you are found eligible for smaller adaptations these may be provided free of charge. You might also want to look at websites such as Living Made Easy to see what kind of products you might like to consider.
Applying for a Disabled Facilities Grant
If the assessment results in you being found eligible for larger adaptations, you can submit an application for a Disabled Facilities Grant. You can also apply for DSG even if your council decides you don’t have eligible needs under their own criteria.
You can apply for a DFG whether you own your home or are in rented accommodation (we’ll be talking about adapting a rental property in a future blog).
The DFG is a means-tested grant administered by your local council and can take several months to be processed. The grant does not cover work started before approval is given, so we strongly recommend that you do not commence any works prior to receiving funding.
You can read more about the Disabled Facilities Grant here
Housing Association Tenants
If you are a local Housing Association Tenant, you will need to check their policies and procedures before carrying out any significant adaptations. Some operate in the same way as private landlords and will require you to apply for the Disabled Facilities Grant as a means of funding. Some, however, have their own funding schemes for those needing adaptations so check with them before applying if this help is available, in which case you do not need to apply for DSG as well.
Charitable Funding
Independence at Home is a national charity that may be able to help with funding larger adaptations if you or the person you care for has a long-term illness or disability and is unable to afford them. The person who needs the adaptations will need to be referred by a health/care professional or a charitable support worker who is in regular contact.
You can find out more about Independence at Home and their funding criteria here (Independence At Home)
General Help with Finances
If the adaptations you require are smaller and/or don’t qualify for funding streams such as those mentioned above, it’s worth checking whether you are receiving all the government support you are entitled to as a result of your age, disability or health issues. You can use online calculators to check this out yourself, such as www.entitledto.co.uk and www.turntous.org.uk both of which are recommended by the government. You can also look directly at their website GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If you’d prefer to speak to someone in person, you might prefer to contact one of the following helplines:
Citizens Advice (Mon-Fri, 9am – 5pm)
Tel: 0800 144 8848
Relay UK (via app or Textphone) 18001 then 0800 144 8884
Age UK (365 days a year 8am – 7pm)
Tel: 0800 678 1602
Scope Mon – Fri 9am – 6pm/Sat & Sun 10am – 6pm
Tel: 0808 800 3333.
Textphone: 18001 then 0808 800 3333.
If you have any specific questions about our products, suitability, costs and timescales, please give a member of our friendly Handrail People team a call on 01903 204867 and we’ll be happy to discuss your requirements.