Help & Advice
Living with a disability can be exhausting, particularly if it prevents you from doing your usual jobs around the house. Fortunately, there is plenty of help available to make your day-to-day tasks easier to manage. First of all, you can talk to an Occupational Therapist. Their job is to give you personal advice and suggest ways that your daily activities can be adapted to help your disability, including additions to your house such as access ramps.
Improving Your Home Life
Adapting your home to support your disability is the first step towards a happier lifestyle, and you can start small by installing aids such as handrails in the bathroom or using kitchen aids like jar openers or kettle tippers. Your Occupational Therapist will also take you through applying for a Disabled Facilities Grant, which can be used to cover modifications to your property including door widening, building access ramps and installing stair lifts.
Community Support
Some people require a little extra help around the house than simple gadgets and handrails, and this will be assessed by the Occupational Therapist in order to provide you with all the support you need. Weekly visits can be arranged with community nurses and helpers to help you with your shopping and cleaning as well as looking after your health. Cooked meals will also be delivered to your door to help at mealtimes if cooking is difficult.
Personal Safety & Alarms
Maintaining your independence is an important aspect of dealing with a disability, however, and there are additional aids to allow you live by yourself without ever being completely alone. These include personal alarm systems, which are easy to activate in an emergency and will alert neighbours or an emergency operator through your phone line to get you the help you need as soon as possible. Services such as the Disabled Living Foundation can help you choose the right system to suit your needs.