Disabled Facilities Grant

[Debbie2]

DS needs have significantly deteriorated over the past six months and the long term prognosis is for things to only get worse so after a ridiculously long wait we have finally been assessed by OT and she agrees that some major adaptations need to be done to our house to accommodate his needs.

The problem is she has been in and done her assessment and whilst we totally agree with her what DS needs we do not agree with her proposal. By doing things her way as a family we will lose our family bathroom (will become a wet room with just a shower, no bath). She wants to put a wheelchair elevator through from ground floor to his bedroom so we lose our dining room too. She then wants to put hoist tracking throughout upstairs and down. We will in effect live in a hospital rather than a home - her reply 'I'm only here to meet DS needs not the rest of the family, nor to make something aesthetically pleasing to me'

Our proposal is to convert our attached garage (which runs the length of the house) and make this into a bedroom/wet room with tracking for hoist. This will leave the rest of the house as it is. She just won't have it and says if we want that we fund it ourselves whereas her proposal will be fully funded by way of a disabled facilities grant.

I was wondering if any of you have any experiences in this area and if so, what happened in your case.

I am waiting on a surveyor this morning who is coming to advise me if my plan is feasible (can't see why it wouldn't be as water, plumbing and other utilities already in situ. A lot of houses on the estate have already converted their garages. She says the elevator alone will cost over £8500 and my first quote back to convert the garage is £11,000

Those of you caring for the disabled will know how I am feeling - why is everything such a battle

[Britchick]

stick to your guns and present a case, if that doesn't work then take it higher is my advice. Under the new personalisation agenda choice is the name of the game and carers needs are supposed to be taken into account too.

[Debbie2]

stick to your guns and present a case, if that doesn't work then take it higher is my advice. Under the new personalisation agenda choice is the name of the game and carers needs are supposed to be taken into account too.

I intend to. I was supposed to go to a seminar about personalisation last week - could kick myself now for not going.

How is this for ridiculous. OT has provided us with a new £600 bathlift for getting him in and out of the bath but we can't have a stairlift to get him upstairs to the bathroom. Apparently it's ok for us to injure ourselves carrying him up the stairs, not to mention the danger of it..madness

[Britchick]

i'm saying nothing. Have any of you or your parents been in the Forces?

[Debbie2]

i'm saying nothing. Have any of you or your parents been in the Forces?

My dad, rest his soul was in WW2 - he died in 2000, aged 79

[Britchick]

My dad, rest his soul was in WW2 - he died in 2000, aged 79

i was wondering because SSAFA will sometimes help with things like this, glad its being sorted

[Debbie2]

The great news is OT has been with a surveyor employed by the Council this afternoon who has said her plan won't work as DS bedroom too small to accommodate the lift, bed and hoist

His recommendation to the council is to convert existing garage which is huge to his bedroom cum sitting room with a hall/lobby at back which will run into our kitchen so can use as utility AND to extend back of house for a huge wetroom.

Her face was a picture and I couldn't believe my ears - could have kissed him

So she has gone away to start the ball rolling. It's going to be a long process as plans to be drawn, permission to be granted and then the build/conversion. The great news is that whatever it costs, even if it exceeds the grant max of £30k we will not have to pay a penny.

I am so relieved. I've not slept for a few nights as been so angry and frustrated but feel happier now.

[Claire]

That is brilliant news Debbie! Glad to see common sense has prevailed. All you can hope for now is that the whole process is done as quickly as possible.

[Dorothy]

I've just noticed this thread and I can't tell you how happy I am for you

[lisaw]

That is fantastic news Debbie! Really pleased that sense has prevailed