How Do I Know If I Need A Frailty Assessment?

It can be difficult to accept that your needs may change and evolve as the years go by, but this is key if you want to continue living at home independently for as long as possible.

As such, if you’re over the age of 65 or if you’ve noticed any particular symptoms start to manifest/health concerns crop up (known as frailty syndromes), you may want to consider having a frailty assessment carried out so you can make more informed decisions about your future.

 

What are frailty syndromes?

Frailty syndromes are conditions that appear over time, related to age, making us more vulnerable to infections and disease, as well as accidents like slips, trips and falls – all of which increase the risks of disability, hospitalisation and death.

These include:

• Unintentional weight loss
• Muscle weakness and loss (known as sarcopenia)
• Fatigue/exhaustion
• Slow walking speed
• Low levels of physical activity
• Muddled thinking
• Difficulty moving around
• Taking a high number of medications regularly (five or more)

 

What happens at a frailty assessment?

If you notice any of these symptoms, make an appointment with your GP to discuss your general health.

A clinical frailty scale is used to assess if you’re living with frailty, focusing on mobility, balance, whether you use walking aids or not, your ability to get dressed, eat, shop and cook, and your ability to manage your finances.

If you receive a score of more than five, you are considered frail.

 

What are the benefits of home adaptations for frail people?

Being aware how your needs may change means that you can implement the necessary home adaptations to ensure that you’re able to age in place successfully.

Making your home more accessible means you can increase your level of independence, reduce hazards that could potentially cause accidents, reduce the need for assisted living and residential care, and improve your general quality of life and wellbeing.

If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with the Practical Bathing team today.

£50 Million Boost For The Disabled Facilities Grant

The government has announced that the disabled facilities grant will receive a funding boost of £50 million to support some 5,000 more people and help them install necessary home adaptations, including accessible bathrooms, assistive technology, ramps and stairlifts.

 

What is the disabled facilities grant?

This particular government grant is available from local councils for people with physical or learning disabilities, who are autistic, who have age-related needs or a terminal illness, who have mental health conditions or progressive conditions like motor neurone disease, or who have cognitive impairments such as dementia.

Successful grant applications will not affect any benefits you receive.

 

What can the disabled facilities grant be used for?

The amount of support you receive will depend on your household income and any savings you have over £6,000. You can apply for up to £30,000 if you live in England or up to £36,000 if you live in Wales.

The money can be used for:

• Walk-in shower installations
• Improving access to rooms and other facilities around the house
• Widening doorways
• Installing ramps and grab rails
• Improving access to the garden
• Building an extension (to house a downstairs bedroom, for example)
• Upgrading the heating system
• Adapting lighting and heating systems for ease of use

 

How can making home adaptations benefit people?

The majority of people want to age in place and continue living independently at home for as long as possible and this can be facilitated through the appropriate home adaptations, making living spaces more accessible as time goes on.

Such changes can help you move around your home more freely, while staying in a familiar environment within your local community and remaining close to friends and family.

If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with the Practical Bathing team today.

Home Adaptations For MND Patients ‘Take 375 Days On Average’

The Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association has found that it takes, on average, 375 days for people in England with the condition to have essential home adaptations carried out through the disabled facilities grant because of a hike in systemic delays.

However, one-third of people with MND die within 12 months of being diagnosed, the Guardian reports, with approximately 50 per cent dying within two years, which means that many are living in unsafe, unsuitable homes, without the necessary support in place to make their last few months more comfortable.

Charity chief executive Tanya Curry said: “For someone whose condition may progress dramatically in a matter of months, waiting a year or more for vital adaptations is equivalent to being denied them altogether.”

The organisation is calling on the government to introduce fast-track processes for people with MND and other conditions that progress rapidly, as well as waiving means tests for home adaptations.

 

What home adaptations do people with motor neurone disease need?

Thinking about your future needs is important when considering how to adapt your home and which installations would be necessary. It can be beneficial to have a needs assessment carried out by an occupational therapist, who will be able to identify which areas of the home need to be reviewed first.

Potential accessibility features to consider include:

• A stairlift
• A through-floor lift
• Downstairs room conversions for ease of access
• Downstairs washroom facilities
• Hoists
• Widening doors and passageways to accommodate wheelchairs
• Grab rails
• Ramps
• A walk-in shower bath

 

What is the disabled facilities grant?

This is funding provided by your local authority to help you carry out vital home adaptations, helping you to remain in your home for as long as possible.

It can be used to pay for different adaptations, big and small, from large-scale work like extensions to smaller changes like bath seats.

The Differences Between Ambulant & Accessible Bathrooms

If, as a business, you’re looking to make your premises more accessible, catering to a wider range of people and addressing different concerns, this is of course highly commendable… and entirely necessary.

But it’s important to familiarise yourself with the various concepts attached to this endeavour so you know that you’re providing the most appropriate facilities for your customers and members of the general public, taking into account size of space and overall budget.

One area that can be confusing for people is understanding the difference between ambulant and accessible bathrooms… so here’s a quick guide to the two.

 

What are ambulant bathrooms?

Ambulant bathrooms are those that have been specifically designed for people who don’t need to use a wheelchair but who still require certain adaptations to be made to these spaces. For example, people with arthritis or sensory loss, or who use walking frames, would benefit from ambulant bathrooms.

These facilities would be a good option if you have less space to play around with onsite but still want to make sure that as many people as possible are provided with access to washrooms.

 

What are accessible bathrooms?

Accessible bathrooms are those that have been designed to ensure that there is sufficient space to accommodate both a wheelchair and an additional person in the space. 

Other features are often also found here, such as hoists, grab rails, low-height washbasins and mirrors, lever taps, outward opening doors, emergency alarm pull cords, raised-height toilets with paddle-style flush handles, and changing tables.

 

How can you make your bathrooms more accessible?

Even if you can’t accommodate a wheelchair, there are plenty of other ways to make bathroom facilities more accessible, including:

• Installing anti-slip floor coverings
• Ensuring lighting systems are good
• Considering visual contrast
• Installing a privacy screen
• Installing height-adjustable basins to ensure multi-use

If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with the Practical Bathing team today.

Home Adaptations For Motor Neurone Disease

Living with motor neurone disease (MND) can be very difficult, as the condition causes progressive muscle weakness that can make daily tasks hard to carry out.

Although adults can get MND at any age, it usually manifests over the age of 50, with initial symptoms including stiff or weak hands, making it difficult to hold or grip items. 

You may also experience weakness in your legs and feet, so much so that it’s hard to climb stairs or so that you find yourself tripping over more frequently.

While there’s currently no cure for the disease, there are treatments you can follow that will bring relief from symptoms and help improve your quality of life. 

Potential support includes physiotherapy (with specific exercises designed to help with muscle weakness and stiffness) and dietary advice to help you maintain a healthy wait.

There are also mobility aids you can invest in, such as wheelchairs and walking frames – and you may want to consider investigating ways in which you can make your home more accessible to ensure that you can continue living independently for as long as possible.

 

What home adaptations would be good for motor neurone disease?

It can take time to adapt your home so starting as soon as you can is advisable. Consider what your future needs will likely be when making changes and consider having a needs assessment carried out to ensure that you make the best, most appropriate alterations.

Possible additions and alterations include stairlifts, a through-floor lift, hoists for transfers to different rooms or chairs/beds, and widening doorways and passageways to accommodate wheelchairs.

As for the bathroom, consider converting a downstairs room to make access easier. With regards to features, walk-in showers and baths, grab rails, ramps, anti-slip flooring, shower seating, bath lifts and so on can all help make your life easier as your condition progresses.

Retrofitting Your Home For Accessibility: Step By Step Guide

As you get older, it’s highly possible that your physical needs will change at some point, possibly because of an illness, an accident of some kind or simply just because of the passing of the years taking their toll.

Being alert to this fact is key to being able to live independently within the comfort of your own home. 

Keeping an open mind and embracing the concept of change can make the transition to your twilight years easier – and, to this end, you may want to consider retrofitting your home while you’re still fit and able to account for potential changes in strength and mobility.

 

A step-by-step guide to retrofitting a home for accessibility needs

1. Have a care needs assessment carried out

Before you make any changes, have a free care needs assessment conducted by your local council. This will help you determine what level of support you’ll need and you may find that you’re eligible for council funding, as well.

2. Identify primary areas of focus

Look around the house objectively, room by room, to identify potential obstacles, including difficult layouts, cabinet and worktop heights, bumps and cracks in the floor, narrow doorways, inaccessible fixtures and fittings, and thresholds/steps between different rooms.

3. Review lighting systems

Lighting is key for ensuring that you can navigate your way around your home safely. Make sure good visibility is delivered throughout, including hallways, along staircases and landings, and underneath kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Make sure all light switches are easily accessible.

4. Use smart technology

Making good use of technological advancements can help make your home safer. For example, you can use voice-activated or smartphone-controlled systems for windows, doors, lights and thermostats, allowing you to perform tasks without having to move around.

Home Adaptations For Multigenerational Living

Multigenerational living – where grandparents, parents and children all live together in a shared household – is a growing trend in the UK and, indeed, around the world. 

Stats from the Office for National Statistics show that this is the fastest growing household type in the UK, in fact, driven by rising house prices and the increased cost of living, as well as the desire to provide elderly care and support at home rather than making use of costly facilities.

While there are no doubt many benefits associated with this way of living, it’s essential that homes are properly adapted to ensure that they’re safe for all members of the family.

Here are some of the ways in which homes could be made more accessible.

Bathroom upgrades

If possible, installing a new bathroom (ideally downstairs) is one of the best ways to ensure that all needs are catered for. However, if funds don’t stretch this far, you can turn your current space into a wetroom, with the walls reinforced to account for grab walls and other features such as wall-mounted shower seats.

Other products worth investing in include walk-in shower baths, bath lifts, bidet toilet seats and shower benches.

And, if possible, aim to fit the bathroom door so that it opens outwards. This could prove particularly beneficial in the event of an emergency, if quick access to the room is required.

Separate living rooms

One key consideration for all people living in the house is privacy. If there’s sufficient space, consider providing separate living rooms for young and old, so that everyone can live together harmoniously.

Soundproofing

To further help ensure a sense of privacy for all, consider soundproofing rooms or specific parts of the house to ensure that TV, music and conversation cannot be overheard.

How Does Parkinson’s Disease Affect You Physically?

Parkinson’s disease is a condition that develops when the brain becomes damaged progressively over the years, where nerve cells in the substantia nigra part of the brain start to die off, leading to a drop in dopamine.

This particular chemical has an essential role to play in regulating how we move, which is why symptoms of the disease include tremors (involuntary shaking of particular parts of the body), slow movement, and stiff/inflexible muscles.

The tremors you will experience are usually a rhythmic sort of shaking that starts in a finger or hand. Bradykinesia (slowness of movement) can make tasks like getting dressed, getting out of bed or getting up from a chair more difficult. Muscles can also feel more tense and painful, with short and jerky movements becoming more commonplace.

You may also experience problems with your balance and a stooped posture may develop, making you more prone to slips, trips and falls.

There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s but there are treatments out there that can help you manage and potentially reduce your symptoms, helping to maintain your quality of life for as long as you can.

Physiotherapy and occupational therapy can both help you manage your condition, although you may not require any specific treatment early on as the symptoms are typically mild.

What can be beneficial is making home adaptations as soon as you can to ensure that you’re able to continue living within the comfort of your own home for as long as possible.

Home adaptations for Parkinson’s

Make your home more accessible by decluttering and clearing any walkways and thoroughfares so that it’s safe to navigate your way around.

In the bathroom, one of the most hazardous parts of the house, consider installing grab rails and other such supports, as well as walk-in shower baths, bath lifts, shower seating and so on. Installing a downstairs bathroom is another potential idea, or you could transform your current space into a wetroom to make it easier to use.

Elsewhere, ramp installation can accommodate wheelchair access, while you could lower worktops and countertops in the kitchen to account for this change in height. Also potentially consider adjusting your furniture so that it’s easy to use, with frequently-used items within easy reach.

Preventing Slip Risks At Home: 10 Tips

A Guide To Accessible Shower Seating

As one of the most hazardous parts of the house, it’s essential that you make the necessary accessible adaptations to your bathroom if you want to continue living independently at home for as long as possible.

There are many changes you can make to this living space, but if you’re living with limited mobility or a chronic condition of some kind, you may find that it becomes increasingly difficult or unsafe to stand in the shower for prolonged periods of time.

If this sounds familiar, perhaps consider looking into shower seating, a practical and highly reliable solution that can make bathing both safe and comfortable once again.

Shower chairs and seats come in a wide range of different styles, materials and sizes, but all of them are extremely well made and come backed with a lifetime guarantee, so you’re sure to find something that suits your requirements and your budget.

The seats themselves have all been specifically designed for use in wet and humid environments, so rest assured that all products are fully waterproof and purpose-built with rust-resistant materials and non-slip grips to deliver secure, stable and safe seating options. 

You can opt for something simple like a stool or you can choose something more supportive that comes with armrests and backrests. It all just depends on your specific level of need. There are even wall-mounted and foldable options available so you don’t have to worry about compromising on the aesthetics of your bathroom.

To decide if shower seating is right for you, ask yourself if you’re experiencing pain or weakness in your legs, dizziness, issues with your balance, back pain, breathlessness or difficulties standing or bending down.

If you do have any of these symptoms, you would perhaps be wise to consider investing in your bathroom to make it more accessible. If you need any further help or advice, get in touch with the Practical Bathing team today.