Making changes to your home due to illness or disability

How do I get help and support with adapting my home?

Our Occupational Therapy Team

Sometimes, the things we take for granted in daily life such as getting in and out of the bath, on/off the toilet or armchairs can become difficult. We will arrange a telephone discussion often followed by a visit in your home to see what we can do to help promote your safety and independence.

How can the Occupational Therapy Team benefit you?

We will work with you to help you find different ways of carrying out everyday tasks such as preparing a meal or drink, getting dressed and personal care and getting in, out and around your home. This may include:

Providing specialist equipment to aid your daily living
Providing minor adaptations such as grab rails
Arranging major adaptations such as ramps or stair lifts
Working with your carer to offer them advice in the best way to support you
With your consent we can signpost you to relevant services who may be able to help

Who is eligible?

Residents who live in the Nottingham City area
Residents who have significant difficulties in their daily life and want to be more independent
Carer/s for a disabled person/s and who are experiencing difficulties

If you are not sure if you are eligible for help, please do contact us to discuss what you need.

How do I apply?

You can apply in several ways, such as

Contacting Nottingham Health & Care Point

Call: 0115 8763330, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Visit: Adult Social Care Hub to complete an online referral
Visit: Nottingham Health & Care Point | Ask Lion - Nottingham City Directory

If still having difficulty you can get in touch with your GP, a Doctor or a nurse via a Hospital

Is there a charge?

If you are a Nottingham City Housing Services tenant, adaptations are currently free because the Council, as a landlord, funds the work.
If you own your own home or are a private tenant, you may be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant to assist you in paying for the adaptations.

What is a needs assessment?

A member of the Occupational Therapy team will visit you at home to look at how you manage with everyday activities. Together with you - and your carer, if appropriate - we will work out what is important to you. The assessment usually takes about an hour. If English is not your first language, we can arrange for an interpreter to be there.

After the assessment, we will discuss with you the options available and agree what action is to be taken. We will give you a written summary of what is agreed. If your needs change or you move house, please get in touch and let us know as soon as possible.

Getting a Needs Assessment

Our Occupational Therapists will assess your needs and suggest the best equipment and technology to help you live independently and safely at home. We can provide a range of solutions, from small adjustments to major adaptations, depending on your specific requirements.

Providing a stairlift, rail or vertical lift to help you get upstairs
A grab handle or ramp near a doorway
An armchair or toilet seat raiser
A shower stool or bath lift
Replacing your bath with a shower area that has a level floor (Wet room)
Improving the layout of your kitchen/bathroom if you use a wheelchair
Automatic lights or lights that are easy to switch on
Care alarms or sensor mats to alert others
A home safety check or smoke alarm fitting
medication organiser
Alarms and Doorbells. Loud flashing doorbells, loop system (for people with visual and/or hearing impairments)
Memory clocks and devices that prompt to help with remembering the time, date, appointments and mealtimes

Preventative Adaptions (PAD) Scheme

The PAD scheme offers a comprehensive range of minor adaptations to reduce the risk of falls and to increase your safety in your home.

To find out more information, please visit the Preventative Adaptions listing on the AskLiON directory.

Smart technology

Technology like smartphones, smart energy meters and smart speakers ( for example Amazon Echo or Google Home) can help to make life easier.

Smartphone or voice-activated (high tech) systems to control areas in the home such as door opening, turning heating or lights on/off and opening/closing windows
Voice devices to help get information such as time, date, music, bus times, shopping list, and set timers and alarms.

You can find out how smart devices could help you from Independent Age

Visit: Technology to help you at home | Independent Age

Buy or rent your equipment

You can buy specialised furniture and equipment that can make your home life easier from Medequip.

Visit: Medequip | Online Sales (medequip-uk.com)

A Disabled Facilities Grant is a sum of money offered to you, if you are eligible, to cover:

Improvements to help you to access your home
Improving access to your living room and bedroom
Improving access to a toilet, bath, shower or wash hand basin
Improving access to your food preparation areas and cooking facilities
Improving, or providing, heating
Improving access to your light and power switches
Help with access around your home to allow you to care for others
Safety issues

Cost of Disabled Facilities Grant

The amount of grant awarded depends on a "means test" by which we calculate your share (if any) of the costs. For many people, the grant will cover the whole cost. We will help you with your application for a grant, and process it for you.

Please note that:

Adaptations for children are exempt from the means test
This grant is limited to a maximum of £30,000
We charge a fee to process your adaptations scheme, but if you are eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant, the fee can be included in the grant

To see what support you can Get - See Finance Assessment (Means Test)

Nottingham On Call

Nottingham on Call will help customers live independent lives. We will always be there to help if someone has a fall, feels unwell or hurts themselves and needs assistance.