Our aim is to support you to stay in your own home and live as independently as possible. If you need help with simple tasks around the home, there are a range of useful gadgets, adaptations and equipment that can help.
Our Ask Sara Website (external link) is an on-line self-help tool which allows you to source your own solution quickly. It provides tips, advice and guidance including what equipment is available to support you.
All you need to do is to answer a few simple questions about the support you need. If Ask Sara does indicate you would benefit from a full independent assessment of your needs or if you would like an assessment, below is information of how our Early Intervention Service can support you with this.
Equipment
A piece of equipment or technology has the potential to make daily living tasks easier. We hold a large stock of commonly issued items, so if you’re assessed as needing something we can get it to you quickly. Following assessment, we provide equipment for both adults and children.
If you’re assessed as needing a large, specialist item of equipment this may take a little time to arrive as we may need to order it directly from a company.
You may wish to buy your own items:
Home Adaptations
The Early Intervention adaptation service provides adaptations in your home so that you can continue to live there as independently and safely as possible. It is about looking after your wellbeing and helping you and your family have the best quality of live.
Following assessment by the Early Intervention Service or an NHS therapist, sometimes just minor adaptations are needed and at other times, more major changes to your property may be required.
Minor adaptations
Minor adaptations to your home are described as ‘simple’ adaptations which include grab rails, garden rails, half steps and stair rails. Small minor adaptations are completed generally within 7 days following receipt of order and more bespoke minor adaptations within 28 days. We aim to prioritise requests that indicate more urgent need and therefore provision can be much quicker than this. There is no charge for adaptations under £1,000.
Major adaptations
Major adaptations are defined as larger adaptations such as ramps, showers (wetrooms), stairlift, ceiling track hoist, through floor lifts, internal alterations and extensions. A major adaptation is anything costing over £1000.
If you are assessed as needing a major adaptation, the process is different depending on who owns your home.
If your home is council owned and the adaptations cost more than £10,000 we will discuss the options open to you. We’ll look at whether it’s best to adapt your home or whether it’s better to help you to seek a more suitable home environment to support your independence and wellbeing. As a tenant there is no charge for recommended adaptations in your home. Recommended adaptations costing less than £10,000 will be processed. Council tenants do have the right to be considered for a DFG. However, in Wigan we work in such a way that, regardless of tenure, any resident that requires consideration for adaptations, will be supported to meet their physical and environmental need as established as part of the Early Intervention assessment.
If your house is rented from a private landlord or you own your own home, for adults, adaptations are funded by the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) and the maximum grant is currently £30,000 for the recommended adaptations and is means tested. Any costs over the maximum limit will need to be funded by you. For children, the DFG grant is not means tested and any costs over £30,000 for recommended adaptations are funded. Major adaptations in Housing Association properties are joint funded via the DFG and the Housing Association. Your adaptation will be organised for you, though you have the option to organise it yourself in some circumstances.
There are agreed timescales for each part of the process that we have control of, for example: stairlifts need to be manufactured to requirements and more complex adaptations (such as property extensions) require architect sketches and are usually subject to the planning application process. All requests for clinical emergencies and cases involving life limiting conditions are marked urgent/priority and asked to be processed prior to standard cases.
Where it’s not feasible to adapt a property safely or adequately, we’ll work with you and the Homefinder Team to identify alternative properties which are either suitable or adaptable.