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Making a home more easily liveable if you are getting on a bit or have a disability that makes getting around difficult, even getting in and out of the bath. And you want to hold on to your independence and stay in your own home. 

Adapting homes to improve mobility makes it easier and safer for elderly and people with disabilities to live at home

• Can sometimes mean making some fairly basic changes from simply installing grab rails and stair rails, building easy access ramps for disabled and wheelchair access.
• Through to more major mobility improvements like installing a lift and building or converting an easily accessible room into a toilet and shower downstairs.
• I have covered some of these improvements for mobility in this article.
• I have also included possible access to funding toward the cost of any work that maybe necessary.

 I hope these guidelines will help make living in your own home easier. You should always seek independent advice before adapting your home. Your doctor, social services and your local tax office will advise you.

Before you make any adaptations it's important to get expert advice on the equipment and adaptations that will help with your particular disability needs. Social services or your doctor can arrange for an occupational therapist to visit to assess your disability. And suggest aids and building work that will be specific to helping you. We would not normally carry out any building work without this report.

If you have a disability or use a wheelchair that makes using the stairs or getting to the bathroom difficult, there are adaptations that can be made to your home, ranging from: 

• Installing grab rails and stair rails, 
• Building  ramps to doors for easier disabled and wheelchair access and exit.  

Changes like Ramps, grap-rails, hand rails and some other basic adaptations really will make getting into and around your home easier.

Some building work adapting a home where a disabled person lives full-time is VAT free when it is carried out converting your private home. You will need to make a declaration claiming zero rating and hand this to the builders.

The work can include:  

• Converting and adapting homes for disabled and wheelchair access.
• Building ramps for wheelchair access.
• Widening doorways and passages to make access easier for a disabled person. 
• Installing a lift between floors to make getting upstairs easier. 
• Adapting bathrooms and toilets making them easier to use for people with disability. Can include bathroom aids like grab rails and bath seats.

• Remodelling of an existing bathroom or toilet
• Installing a new toilet or bathroom downstairs
• Installing an assisted bath with integral lift
• Installing an assisted shower
• Widening doors to allow wheelchair/walking aid access.
• Building home extensions for the disabled and wheelchair users,

Specialist mobility equipment suppliers. Adapting a house for disabled persons and homeowners or householders using a wheelchair sometimes involves us working with specialist mobility equipment suppliers. Who supply the especially designed equipment which we build into the conversion. This includes lifts, stair lifts and walk in showers.

We would not normally need to call on specialist building services or suppliers of specialist equipment for the following mobility building work. Widening doors, building access ramps and steps, installing handrails and converting gardens to be more access friendly for gardeners with a disability or in a wheelchair.

• installing a lift,
• providing a toilet and shower downstairs,
• installing a ramp and grab rails to the front door,
• moving and adapting light switches and heating controls to make them easier to use,
• widening doorways and installing ramps for wheelchair access,
• improving access to your garden.

Mandatory grant for adapting your home.
If you are disabled, a grant may be mandatory for essential adaptations and provide essential facilities. The types of work are:-

• Access to and from. To make it easier to get into and out of your home by widening doors and installing ramps.
• Safe room. To  provide a safe specially adapted room where a disabled could be left safely. This could include improved lighting to provide  better visibility.
• Access room to room. To make access easier to the living room by providing or improving access to the bedroom, kitchen, toilet, washbasin, bath or shower facilities, by installing a stair lift or providing a downstairs bathroom.
• Heating. To improve or provide a heating system in your home suitable to the needs of the disabled person and adapt heating or lighting controls making them easier to reach and use.
• Improving access and movement around your home so if you are disabled person you can care for another person who lives in the same property.

Discretionary grants.
At the discretion of your council, grants for disabled people can also be provided for other work to your home, adapting  it to be more suitable accommodation for disabled people. 

• Disabled children play. This work adapting your home, can include providing a safe play areas for disabled children.
• Working from home. Adapting an existing room to enable a housebound disabled person to work from home.

These are not mandatory and you should check with your own council before starting any work adapting your home.
Your application will need to show the mobility work adapting your home is necessary, appropriate, reasonable and practical.