Home Adaptations ‘Could Save Councils Money’

The District Councils’ Network (DCN) has called for councils to be able to raise money towards prevention measures through a two per cent precept on council tax in a bid to reduce social care bills.

LocalGov revealed that spending this money on options like home adaptations for the elderly could help alleviate some of the strain on the UK’s stretched health and social care services.

According to the DCN, by adapting 100,000 homes to meet the needs of the elderly, districts could save the NHS £69 for every pound they spend on the modifications.

This could include installing shower seating, bath lifts or anti-slip flooring to help reduce the risk of falls. Councillor John Fuller, DCN chairman, explained that a number of things could make a difference to reducing the number of people entering the social care system.

Fall prevention is one, but so too is improving home insulation and heating, as well as wider access to leisure and recreation services.

He stressed that district councils need to be given the resources to cover the cost of these kinds of preventative measures “if we are to reduce pressures on the NHS and stop people from entering the social care system unnecessarily”.

Last month, a survey of 101 MPs by Independent Age found that 90 per cent believe the current social care system in the UK is not fit for purpose. A cross-party consensus is required if the country is to tackle these issues and work towards a long-term solution, the charity suggested.

Disabled Access To Train Toilets Set To Be Improved

Access to toilets on trains and in stations around the UK for disabled people is currently being improved, as part of the government’s Access for All programme that has thus far seen more than 150 stations upgraded in a bid to remove barriers to independent travel – which has included installing ramps, lifts and new signs.

Paul Maynard, rail minister, was spurred on to meet with representatives from the rail industry after British Paralympic wheelchair racer Anne Wafula Strike highlighted the issue.

The 42-year-old – who has an MBE for services to disability sport and is also a member of the board of UK Athletics – spoke out back in January about an experience that she said “completely robbed her of her dignity”. During a three-hour train journey on a service without an accessible toilet, Ms Wafula Strike was forced to wet herself on the train – covering her face with her hoodie in order to prevent anyone from recognising her.

As a result of Mr Maynard’s meeting with senior industry reps, clearer information will now be provided before journeys are made about the availability of accessible toilets, while staff training will also come under scrutiny in the near future.

Stephen Whittle, professor of equalities law at Manchester Law School, has just penned a letter in the Guardian calling for it to be a legal requirement for all toilets outside the house to be accessible by the year 2025. He went on to add that rail companies have no excuse for not offering accessible facilities, as it is simply down to service and having enough cleaning staff.

For advice and help when buying shower seating, get in touch today.

Winter Weather Warning For Elderly Brits

There’s been much talk of snow here in the UK over the last couple of days and while it may not have materialised properly just yet, it’s a safe bet to assume that it’s well on its way.

In fact, The Met Office has just launched this year’s Get Ready for Winter campaign to help make people more aware of the dangers that come with wintry weather… and it seems that an awareness campaign is just what we all need, given the fact that 23 per cent apparently do nothing at all to prepare for freezing temperatures.

“Severe winter weather can have a terrible impact on communities and wreak havoc on people’s day-to-day lives. That is why we’ve provided almost £300 million to areas that were badly affected last year,” Andrew Percy, communities minister, said.

The Met Office is now calling on people to check on elderly relatives on a regular basis to see how they’re doing now that it’s cold outside. While some 26 per cent of Brits do already do this, there does seem to be quite a bit of room for improvement in this regard.

According to Age UK statistics, one person dies needlessly every seven minutes each winter, so for your own peace of mind make sure that you do pay a visit to vulnerable friends and family this season so you know that everyone is doing ok.

Also check that they are maintaining their homes at the proper temperature – this should be about 21 degrees C in the main living room and then around 18 degrees C in the rest of the house.

To find out more about shower seating, call us at Practical Bathing today.