Occupational Therapy Assessment/Flat Adaptations

This is so difficult and I'm not sure how useful I, or indeed anyone else, can be as I'm fairly confident that each area has its own system.

I used to live in Yorkshire and, about 40 years ago, when we moved in to that bungalow, I was given a wheelchair, a bath lift and a raised toilet seat. The bath lift was very trustworthy if incredibly cumbersome. When it finally croaked after about 25 years I had a succession of lighter models that rarely lasted more than 2-3 years.

We moved to Scotland 2-3 years ago and the wait, just for an assessment for a new bath lift, was 6 months. I said I was happy to buy one and they came round very quickly (No paperwork involved) to measure up, bring catalogues and help me to decide on a suitable one.

Last year I decided I really needed a walk-n shower as the bath was really a bit too high for me. Even with the bath lift I wasn't independent. I rang to ask for advice but they immediately offered to arrange the whole thing and pay all but 20%. It's been fabulous. I'd never go back.

But....

As I say, I think practice differs all over the place. I do know, for a fact, that, back in Yorkshire, they would provide 'cheaper' stuff (ie loo seats, grab rails, grabber sticks etc) free but anything more expensive, such as bathroom adaptations, was means tested. Also, with our recent bathroom adaptations here in Scotland, we had to let them see the house deeds and we had to undertake not to sell the house for, I think, five years. Fair enough.

So I can't really answer your questions. I think it will all depend on how they do things at your end. I wish you the best of luck and am here to try to help if you feel I can.

Here's how it went with my bathroom adaptation.

I asked for guidance as I felt, correctly, that they would know better than I what I needed. And far better than a salesman who would only be interested in what was best for him.

The Social services chap was brilliant. My problems are fairly obvious and I told him on my concerns – mainly my inability to turn most taps and my fear that a fold down seat would be too low and / or a bit precarious. And slipping as many of my foot joints are rigid and I have a huge ball of bone under one foot so not much of it actually has contact with the ground.

They chose an extremely easy push-button control for the electric shower and arranged with me the height at which the control should go bearing in mind I'd be seated. The electricity itself is switched on at the door with a simple pull cord. They chose the type of flooring and tiles but I had a big choice of colours. They also put me in a higher loo so that I no longer need a raised loo seat and would have given me a new washbasin but I preferred the old one as it has a cupboard, the top of which is useful for my toothbrush, toothpaste etc. I was given a long list of potential contractors and asked to select three possibles but, as I didn't know any, I left it up to them. The chap who was doing it was brilliant. A real workaholic who clearly took pride in his work.

It was all done, including bath removal, while we were on holiday. We came home to a lovely new bathroom and I just had to ring them again so that they could arrange to bring the shower seat (a high, free-standing, very stable one) and the grab rails to be fitted with my input as to where. When the man came with these, and saw how I would use them he immediately went back to his van to bring a longer one to see if that would be better. It certainly was for one wall. Not quite so aesthetically pleasing but much safer. So they went up exactly how I wanted them.

I've never looked back. I love it. I can shower independently every morning. They even provided a shower curtain. My only addition had been to jettison their small soap dish in favour of a free-standing, floor-to-ceiling shower tidy at the far end right out of my way. I use the bottom tray of it and the others are for Mr SW and guests.