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Page 4 : Assess
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Assessing your
accommodation
If you have serious trouble with stairs, you need to look at
every available option in order to decide on the best course
of action. Your current medical condition or future prognosis
may make the transferring on and off a stairlift unsafe for
you and/or any helper. People who are confined to a wheelchair
should consider the option of a through floor lift, unless
absolutely certain that transfers will be safe.
Moving or conversion
For some people moving home is the ideal solution.
Accommodation on one level, such as a bungalow or ground floor
flat might be better for you, if you would be happy to make a
move. You might consider finding a house suitable for
conversion to your needs. In this case grants can sometimes be
obtained, but the local authority have to take into account
just how suitable the house is for a person with mobility
problems. For example, you will not get a grant if the
property is on a steep bank with outside steps. Your local
council can give you advice on what is acceptable. Obviously
moving can be very stressful, not to mention costly. If you
don't want to move, you need to think about converting your
own home or making some less radical alterations to make life
easier for you.
Ground floor toilet
You may think of installing a downstairs toilet or bathroom,
but if you are still sleeping upstairs, installing a stairlift
may be the first option to consider. However, a stairlift or
through floor lift is not necessarily the best way for you to
get to the toilet if getting on and off the lift will prove
too slow. There may be a case for both ground floor toilet and
a stairlift, so you still have access to your rooms upstairs.
This is where professional advice is essential. There are
several companies specialising in bathroom adaptations for the
less able, ask your O/T for the name of an approved
contractor.
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