Adaptations, improvements and repairs to the home

If you, or someone you know, has dementia, it may be useful to make some adaptations, improvements or repairs to the home. These could simply help to make life easier, or could make it possible for the person to remain at home for longer. This factsheet suggests where to go for advice and provides details of the grants that may be available.

Adaptations

Some people with dementia have difficulty moving around the home or managing daily activities, such as getting in or out of the bath. Adaptations to the home range from handrails and grab rails to adding ramps or wide doors for wheelchairs, or specially designed shower and toilet facilities.

Initially, an occupational therapist (OT) will visit the home to assess the situation. This is called an occupational therapy assessment. They can advise on whether or not a particular adaptation may be helpful to meet the person's individual needs. The OT can arrange minor adaptations, such as handrails, through social services. Community equipment, aids and minor adaptations that assist with living at home or aiding daily living and cost under £1,000 should be provided free of charge in England.

If major adaptations are needed, the OT will explain what steps to take. Grants towards the cost may be available in some cases.

You can contact an OT through the social services department of your local authority. Anyone with a diagnosis of dementia is entitled to an assessment. An assessment is also usually required if you are applying for a grant from the local authority to help meet the cost of any adaptation due to disability. Carers can also ask for an independent assessment of their needs under the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000. These needs may include adaptations to help them to provide care.

If the wait for an assessment or for adaptations to be carried out is longer than seems reasonable, and you cannot sort it out, you can use the social services' complaints procedure. Social services will explain how to do this.

Improvements and repairs

Improvements or repairs could include draught-proofing, rewiring, or improving heating systems. They may help the person with dementia to remain at home.

Grants and assistance available from local authorities

The following support may be available from your local authority:

Disabled facilities grants

Mandatory disabled facilities grants are designed to help meet the cost of adapting a property for the needs of a disabled person. These can be awarded for:

• improving a disabled person's access to and from their home
• making the home safe for a disabled occupant and anyone else living with them
• improving a disabled person's access to the main family room in their home
• improving a disabled person's access to their bedroom, or providing a new bedroom
• improving a disabled person's access to the bathroom, or providing a new bathroom, and making it easier for the person to use the facilities
• making it easier for the disabled person to prepare and cook food
• improving the heating system, or providing a suitable new heating system
• making it easier for the person to move around the home to enable them to care for someone dependent on them, who also lives there
• improving or moving controls for heating, lighting and plug sockets.

Disabled facilities grants are means tested. The means test is applied to the person with disabilities and their partner, if they have one, even if the disabled person is not the applicant for the grant. If the disabled person is a child or young person, the means test is applied to the parent(s) or person who has responsibility for their care.

Disabled facilities grants are generally administered by the local housing authority rather than the social services department, although this may vary across different authorities. An application form should be available from the grants department of your local authority offices.

Discretionary powers to assist with housing repairs, adaptations and improvements

New legislation, which came into effect in July 2003, has brought about changes in local authorities' powers to provide assistance with housing repairs, adaptations and improvements. Local housing authorities now have wide discretionary powers to provide financial and other assistance for repairs, improvements and adaptations. They have the power to set their own conditions for assistance, such as whether to perform a means test, and to set the circumstances under which financial assistance should be repaid. Assistance can be given in the form of a grant, a loan, labour, materials, advice, or any combination of these. Local authorities may also take security, including a charge on a person's home.

Local authorities can help owner-occupiers, tenants or landlords. They must have a published policy setting out the type of assistance they are willing to provide and under what circumstances. If you are interested, ask your local authority for a copy of its policy.

Other sources of funding

There are a range of other sources from which you may be eligible for funding.

Social fund

You may be eligible for a community care grant from the social fund to help with the cost of minor repairs or improvements if you are receiving income support, income-based job seeker's allowance or pension credit.

Contact the social fund at your local Jobcentre Plus office (previously the Benefits Agency).

Charities

Some charities or trusts may offer help towards the cost of minor adaptations or repairs. Ask at your local library, advice centre or Citizens Advice Bureau or other local agency, such as a housing advice agency, or contact Charity Search (see 'Useful organisations', below).

Grants for keeping the home warm

Keeping the home warm is important. Older people tend to feel the cold more easily, as do people with dementia who have become less active. Local authority grants may be available (see above) or Warm Front may provide government grants.

In England
Under the Warm Front grants scheme, help towards improvements in insulation, room heating and water heating is available to disabled people and to families with children under 16 who receive a qualifying benefit. Warm Front provides grants of up to £1,500 for installing insulation and improving heating.

People aged 60 or over who get income support, pension credit, housing benefit or council tax benefit may be eligible for a Warm Front Plus grant. These can provide up to £2,500 worth of heating improvements, including installation of central heating systems. For more information, contact EAGA Partnership (if you live in London, the south east, the south west, the north east or the west Midlands) or TXU Warm Front Ltd, if you live in eastern England, the East Midlands, Yorkshire or Humberside (see 'Useful organisations').

In Wales
The home energy efficiency scheme (HEES) provides grants of up to £1,500 on a similar basis to Warm Front grants. HEES Plus provides up to £2,700 for central heating for householders over 60, disabled people and single parents with children under 16 and a qualifying benefit (see 'Useful organisations').

In Northern Ireland
The Warm Homes scheme offers grants of up to £750 for disabled people and families with children under 16 and a qualifying benefit. Grants can be used for insulation and heating improvements. Grants of up to £2,700, designed to pay for an enhanced package of heating and insulation measures, are awarded to people over 60 with a qualifying benefit. Contact EAGA Partnership Ltd for more information (see 'Useful organisations').

Your local Alzheimer's Society branch will always be willing to talk to you and offer advice and information to support your needs.

For more information, Dementia Catalogue, our specialist dementia information resource, is available on the website at alzheimers.org.uk/dementiacatalogue

Useful organisations

Age Concern England

Freepost SWB 30375
Ashburton
Devon TQ13 7ZZ
T 0800 00 99 66 (free helpline every day 8am-7pm)
E use the enquiry form on the website (see below)
W http://www.ace.org.uk/

Provides advice and information for older people in England, including a number of useful factsheets, for example: Older home owners: financial help with repairs and adaptations, Rights for council and housing association tenants, and Private tenants' rights.

Age Concern Cymru

Ty John Pathy
13-14 Neptune Court
Vanguard Way
Cardiff CF24 5PJ
T 029 2041 3555
E enquiries@accymru.org.uk
W http://www.accymru.org.uk/

Provides advice and information for older people in Wales.

Centre for Accessible Environments

70 South Lambeth Road
London SW8 1RL
T 020 7840 0125
E info@cae.org.uk
W http://www.cae.org.uk/

Provides information and advice on inclusive building design for people with disabilities

Charity Search

Freepost (BS 6610)
Avonmouth
Bristol BS11 9TW
T 0117 982 4060
E info@charitysearch.org.uk
W http://www.charitysearch.org.uk/

National charity that signposts older people in financial need to support available from a range of charitable sources.

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)

Various locations
W http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
     http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/

Your local CAB can provide information and advice in confidence or point you in the right direction. To find your nearest CAB look in the phone book, ask at your local library or look on the citizens advice website (above). Opening times vary.

DIAL UK (Disablement Information and Advice Line)

St Catherine's
Tickhill Road
Doncaster DN4 8QN
T 01302 310123
E enquiries@dialuk.org.uk
W http://www.dialuk.org.uk/

Network of over 140 local groups throughout the UK providing information on a range of issues connected with disability, including equipment. DIAL centres are run by people with personal experience of disability, and most advice workers are volunteers.

EAGA Partnership Ltd (England)

Freepost NEA 12054
Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1BR
T 0800 316 6011
E enquiry@eaga.com
W http://www.eaga.com/

Grant-giving trust that runs the Warm Homes scheme for people in London, the south east, the south west, the north east or the west Midlands.

EAGA Partnership Ltd (Northern Ireland)

Freepost BE2107
Dungannon
County Tyrone
Northern Ireland BT70 5BR
T 0800 181 667
W http://www.eaga.com/

Grant-giving trust that runs the Warm Homes scheme for people in Northern Ireland.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Unit 4
Ty Nant Court
Ty Nant Road
Morganstown
Cardiff CF15 8G2
T 0800 316 2815
W http://www.heeswales.co.uk/

Provides grants to heat people's homes, in Wales.

Home Improvement Agencies

Home improvement agencies, also known by names such as Care and Repair or Staying Put, offer free advice and information to older and disabled homeowners who want to stay in their own homes but may need specialist equipment or adaptations in order to do so. There are over 200 home improvement agencies at present. To find out if there is one within your local authority, contact the following organisations:

England
Foundations
T 01457 891 909
E foundations@cel.co.uk
W http://www.foundations.uk.com/

Wales
Care and Repair Cymru
T 029 20576 286
E enquiries@careandrepair.org.uk
W http://www.careandrepair.org.uk/

Northern Ireland
Staying Put Department
Fold Housing Trust
T 028 90428 314
E stayingput@foldgroup.co.uk
W http://www.foldgroup.co.uk/

TXU Warm Front Ltd

Suffolk House
Civic Drive
Ipswich IP1 2AE
T 0800 952 1555

Provides grants under the Warm Front scheme for people in eastern England, the east Midlands, Yorkshire or Humberside.

Factsheet 428

Last updated: August 2008
Last reviewed: August 2008

Reviewed by: College of Occupational Therapists, housing specialist section