Staying in your own home

As we get older, most of us want to carry on living in our own homes, rather than move into sheltered housing, residential care or in with relatives.

We give practical advice and information to make staying in your own home easier - such as making sure you

• feel safe
• keep warm
• can get help to carry out repairs and improvements or adaptations to your home
• can get care and support in the home.

Feeling safe at home

Feeling safe and free from the risk of accidents is crucial if you are to go on living in your own home. It is also important to have peace of mind. Quite often, all that needs to be done are a few jobs around the home.

Preventing accidents

One of the chief dangers can be fire. It is worth fitting smoke alarms, which are relatively inexpensive and quite easy to fit. Most supermarkets sell smoke alarms and the batteries last some time.

Repairs, adaptations and improvements will in some ways help prevent the risk of other accidents at home. For example, removing or fixing any hazards such as:

• loose carpeting on stairs
• putting non-slip flooring into your bathroom
• improving lighting in areas such as the kitchen, bathroom or at the top and bottom of stairs.

Gas appliances, such as fires, boilers, cookers and central heating systems should be regularly checked by your gas supplier to make sure that they are safe.

To find out if you are entitled to a free annual check, you should ask your gas or electricity suppliers if you can be put on their priority service register.

You can ask an occupational therapist for advice on other safety measures. Contact your local council social services department for details - the phone number will be in the telephone directory or on any letters you have received from the council.

Telephones

A telephone is essential if you live on your own. Your local council may be able to help you with the cost of installation and line rental.

There are also schemes that provide low cost telephone access. Contact British Telecom or your own telecom provider for more details.

Otherwise, RNIB can tell you about charities which help with the cost of telephones. Contact the RNIB Helpline on email helpline@rnib.org.uk or phone 0303 123 9999).

Community alarm schemes

Getting help in the event of an emergency is important

Community alarms allow you to call for help even if you can't get to a phone. By pressing a button on a pendant, which you wear at all times, staff at a 24-hour response centre will be contacted and will alert the best person to help you - for example a neighbour, relative, friend or the emergency services. Contact the housing department of your local council for details.

Insuring your home

In case anything should happen, it makes sense to have good household contents insurance cover. Age Concern run a Home Contents Insurance Scheme for older people.

Cutting the cost of heating bills and keeping warmer

There are ways you can cut the cost of your fuel bills, conserve energy in your home and keep your home warmer.

Making it easier to use your heating system

Changes can be made to your heating equipment to make it easier to see and use. Specially adapted products are available through RNIB or from fuel suppliers. For more information, telephone the RNIB Helpline (helpline@rnib.org.uk l / 0303 123 9999).

Services from fuel suppliers

Ask your fuel supplier:

• to put your name on their priority service register
• to agree to use a password system to identify their employees, if they visit you at home
• to provide you with bills and information in the format of your choice, for example, large print, tape or braille.

Home energy efficiency grants

Grants to carry out work to make your home warmer and keep fuel costs down are available from the Warm Front Scheme.

Grants are available if:

• you live in England or Wales
• you are aged over 60
• and / or you are in receipt of certain benefits.

Typical work carried out under the scheme includes loft and cavity wall insulation, draught-proofing and lagging hot water tanks and pipes.

For more information, contact:

• 0800 952 1555 if you live in Eastern England, East Midlands, Yorkshire or Humber
• 0800 316 2808 if you live elsewhere in England
• 0800 316 2815 if you live in Wales.

Repairing, improving and adapting your home

Outdoors

• Repairing hazards such as a broken path.
• Maintaining the garden to ensure that plants are not overgrown and causing an obstruction, such as removing weeds from between paving stones or cutting back hedges.
• Improving the lighting around your front door.
• Installing an entry phone system.
• Fitting door handles which are easy to see and grasp.

Indoors

• Increasing the amount of natural light entering into your home.
• Improving the control and level of artificial lighting.
• Fixing any hazards such as loose carpeting or broken handrails on a staircase.
• Putting up continuous handrails on either side of the staircase to hold on to.
• Changing the colour scheme in your home so that you can see things more easily.
• Putting raised markings on appliance controls.
• Having non-slip flooring in the bathroom.
• Increasing the amount of heat insulation so that you can keep warm without paying higher bills.
• Finding out about aids and gadgets which might help you to live more safely and independently.

For more information tips for practical adaptations.

Where to go for help

If you want to improve or adapt your home, and have substantial savings, it is likely that any work needed will be your own responsibility.If you do not have substantial savings but you feel that you would benefit from improvements to your home, you should contact your local council social services department and ask them to arrange for a social worker to assess your needs. You can find their phone number in the phone book or from BT Directory Enquiries on 118 500.

If you feel hesitant about doing this yourself, someone else can do it for you, such as a friend or relative, your doctor, home care worker or someone from an organisation, such as RNIB.

Home improvement agencies

Home improvement agencies, often known as Care and Repair or Staying Put, are available in many areas of the UK. They have staff who can visit your home and help you to decide what changes to your home might benefit you, help to arrange money to pay for any work and organise the work itself.

Your local council social services department will be able to tell you if there is a home improvement agency in your area and how to contact them.

You can also ask your local social services department if there is a "handy-person" service in your area to undertake basic repairs, plumbing, DIY, gardening and electrical work, either for free or for a small fee.

Paying for repairs, improvements and adaptations to your home

If you are a home owner with savings, it is likely that any work needed will be your own financial responsibility. If you aren't able to pay for work yourself, then you may like to find out about financial help. Here are some of the options available to you.

Benefits

You could try to increase your weekly income. Are you claiming all the social security benefits you can? For example, if you are getting Income Support you may qualify for a community care grant to enable you to stay in your own home.

You may also be entitled to Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance.

Contact your local Benefits Agency office for details, or for more information, contact the RNIB Helpline (helpline@rnib.org.uk / 0303 123 9999).

Funding from social services

Social services departments have a duty to help provide adaptations or additional facilities to secure safety, security and convenience for people with disabilities, if they agree the changes are necessary and you meet their criteria.

In practice, housing authorities generally take responsibility for structural alterations and fixed equipment and social services departments generally deal with forms of equipment which can be removed with relatively little or no structural modifications and which are not covered by Disabled Facilities Grants, such as stair-lifts.

Disabled Facilities Grant

This is a mandatory grant for home adaptations, up to £25,000 in England and £30,000 in Wales

This grant is available to you if:

• you are disabled
• you experience problems accessing your home or using the basic amenities within it, such as the kitchen or bathroom or to improve the safety of your home
• you have a disability and need to adapt your home to make it easier to care for a dependent
• your local council agrees that the works are reasonable and can be carried out.

Disabled Facilities Grants are means-tested, so the council will need to know about your income and savings.

You may also be eligible for other grants to repair, improve or adapt your home. Contact your local council housing department for further details about discretionary grants.

Borrowing against the value of your home

If you own your own home, but do not qualify for any of the above financial help, it may still be possible, if you can afford the repayments, to approach your building society or bank for an ordinary loan. Or, if you are older, you can apply for an interest-only loan, based on the value of your home. Some fees will be involved.

You should always take independent legal and financial advice before making any commitment.

For more information on how to get financial help or housing advice, contact the RNIB Helpline (helpline@rnib.org.uk / 0303 123 9999).

Support and care services at home

Social services

If you have a sight problem you may benefit from support and practical help at home, such as:

• help with housework
• help with preparing meals
• support in getting about safely and with confidence
• help with personal care, such as bathing and dressing
• giving a break to yourself or someone looking after you.

Your local social services department may be able to help you with all of these. RNIB can provide further advice and information about care services.

More information on local services

Local societies for people with sight problems may also be able to offer a range of support services.

For details of your local society and what they can provide, contact the RNIB Helpline (helpline@rnib.org.uk / 0303 123 9999).