If you are losing your sight or have a sight problem you may need improvements, repairs or adaptations to your home to help you continue to live independently there. Here are some suggestions.
Outdoors
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Repairing hazards such as a broken path.
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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.
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Improving the lighting around your front door.
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Installing an entry phone system.
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Fitting door handles which are easy to see and grasp.
Indoors
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Increasing the amount of natural light entering into your home.
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Improving the control and level of artificial lighting.
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Fixing any hazards such as loose carpeting or broken handrails on a staircase.
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Putting up continuous handrails on either side of the staircase to hold on to.
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Changing the colour scheme in your home so that you can see things more easily.
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Putting raised markings on appliance controls.
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Having non-slip flooring in the bathroom.
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Increasing the amount of heat insulation so that you can keep warm without paying higher bills. Read about the here to HELP scheme.
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Finding out about aids and gadgets which might help you to live more safely and independently.
For more information read our tips for practical adaptations.
Help with adaptations
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 ourselves.
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 on 0303 123 9999 or email helpline@rnib.org.uk
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:
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you are disabled
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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
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you have a disability and need to adapt your home to make it easier to care for a dependent
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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 on 0303 123 9999 or email helpline@rnib.org.uk
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.