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Help for Carers > Equipment & home adaptations

Equipment & home adaptations

Paying for equipment & home adaptations

Equipment and home adaptations can make life a lot easier for you and the person you care for.

The difficulties you may have could include:
  • Not knowing what is available or where from
  • Not knowing how to pay for suitable equipment
  • Not knowing how this might help with your daily routines

Some of the things that equipment can help with include:
  • Carrying out household activities like cooking and cleaning
  • Getting around outside the home
  • Helping the person you care for to carry out their work and hobbies.
  • Improving access to the TV, radio, computers, telephone and other equipment
  • Making aspects of your home safer for the person you care for
  • Making it easier for you to help with bathing or even allowing the person you care for to bath him or her self
  • Moving about inside the home

Occupational Therapists (OT's) can give professional advice about the most appropriate adaptations or equipment that might help you and the person you care for. For adults, you can contact OT Connect to find out about getting an assessment. For children, OT's can be contacted through the two Child Disability Teams: www.westsussex.gov.uk

Once you know what equipment or adaptations you need, you need to know where to get them. There are a number of organisations and services in West Sussex which supply equipment, from local pharmacies to larger specialist equipment store. ICIS is a good place to start a search as they can tell you where, locally, you can obtain equipment. The Disabled Living Foundation maintains a national database of equipment suppliers www.dlf.org.uk and their website also contains a great deal of useful information and factsheets about choosing products.

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Small icon of an envelope representing Information You can get more information from:


www.askdes.org.uk - Disability Equipment Service which lists second-hand disability equipment being sold by individuals. The lists are maintained by local charities working together. The local list is provided by WSAD (West Sussex Association for Disabled People) and can be accessed via the website or phoning 01903 244457 for a printed list.

www.cafamily.org.uk - Contact A Family

www.ageconcern.org.uk - Factsheet 22: Living Well in your Home is full of information about products and services that may help older people

www.independentliving.co.uk - news, views and product information to assist with living independently

www.livingmadeeasy.org.uk - impartial advice and information website about daily living equipment and other aspects of independent living. Includes comments from users about equipment they have bought.

www.ricability.org.uk which undertakes research and testing of products and produce consumer reports providing practical information for older and/or disabled people

www.carers.org/articles/aids-and-equipment - Aids and Equipment information from The Princess Royal Trust for Carers

National information about adapting your home from Carers UK

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Icon showing a help image There are people who can help:

West Sussex Carers Support Services (formerly West Sussex Carers Network)

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