Darlington Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation, Adaptations and Equipment to help you at home

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1 Darlington Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation, Adaptations and Equipment to help you at home Leaflet A5 Introduction Adult Social Care, Health and independent organisations work in partnership to provide people in Darlington with the help they need to continue to live independently. This may be to help people stay independent as they get older, as a disability worsens or to recover after a period of ill health or hospitalisation. This leaflet is intended to provide a clearer understanding of what help is available for people who need: to develop their confidence in the skills they need for everyday life advice, information or assistance in altering their homes to meet their needs advice, support or equipment to assist them move to more suitable accommodation advice, support or equipment to assist them to carry out their everyday tasks What do Occupational Therapists do? The Occupational Therapy Service have specially trained staff who will help you work through problems on a day to day basis, providing you with the opportunity to live independently within your home, for example providing advice and support on equipment and adaptations. Occupational Therapists work across Darlington for people of all ages, for example in hospitals, in your home, for Adult Social Care, for private organisations and the Hospice. Adult Social Services Occupational Therapy Team Requests can be made to Adult Social Care for an Occupational Therapy assessment for anyone with a 1

2 disability or long term illness. The team carry out assessments to establish if you are in need of: equipment to help you at home advice on adapting your home information on moving to more suitable accommodation For example they can give advice on: making sure that you can access your home using the stairs or bath etc. How quickly are assessments carried out? Any urgent assessments will be carried out within seven days of receiving your referral. All other referrals received by the team will be assessed within 28 days where possible. What you can expect from us The Occupational Therapist will contact you, either by letter or phone, to arrange to visit you at your home. We will let you know if you don't qualify for Occupational Therapy services and the reasons why. We will give you a copy of the Occupational Therapy care plan. We will not reduce or stop any service, or take away equipment or adaptations without reviewing your needs. Equipment and Adaptations for Children Requests for major adaptations/specialist equipment can be made to the Occupational Therapy service within Adult Social Care. Referrals for major adaptations such as ground floor extensions will be referred to Durham County Council Home Improvement Team. It is important to note that Disabled Facilities Grants for children are excluded from the means test application. Adult Social Care s Occupational Therapy Team will address any long term issues that your child may be encountering and will be able to offer the provision of specialist equipment to meet their needs. 2

3 We also work alongside the 0-25 life stages team and the Occupational Therapy Department within Darlington Memorial Hospital. Referrals can be made via: Child Care Duty Team. Telephone Darlington Memorial Hospital, Occupational Therapy Department. Telephone What help can Adult Social Services provide? Once we have agreed with you what your needs are, they may be met in one of the following ways: 1. You and your carer may be provided with advice or information on the best ways to manage at home. 2. We may make a request to a more appropriate service for you. This could include advice on re-housing. 3. Adult Social Care may provide disability equipment such as commodes and bath seats. These are provided free of charge. Wheelchairs are not provided by Adult Social Care as they are assessed by the Wheelchair Department at Darlington Memorial Hospital. Telephone: Minor adaptations such as grab rails and second stair rails are available free of charge to those people who either rent, privately own or live in council accommodation 5. Major adaptations are available including: stairlifts, the addition of ramps to a property to help people who have difficulty with steps to get in and out of their home bathroom conversions. This would involve a recommendation to Durham County Council Home Improvement Team who administer the Disabled Facilities Grant on behalf of Darlington Borough Council. 3

4 What happens if it is recommended that I need a major adaptation? Council Tenants A joint visit by the Occupational Therapist and a member of staff from the Housing Division may take place to discuss with you the recommended adaptations. These will be provided free of charge. Housing Association Tenants Recommendations will be discussed with your Housing Association. The adaptation may be funded by: the Housing Association, successfully applying for a Disabled Facilities Grant from Durham County Council Home Improvement Team. yourself Owner occupiers or private rented housing Recommendations made by the Occupational Therapy service are forwarded to Durham County Council Home Improvement Team. They will identify if you are eligible for a disabled facilities grant to help pay for the adaptation. All grants are means tested. This means that you may be required to contribute towards the cost of the work. If you are required to make a contribution, Durham County Council Home Improvement Team will inform you of what that will be. For further details about these services contact Durham County Council Home Improvement Team on Durham County Council Home Improvement Team Durham County Council Home Improvement Team is a Home Improvement Agency, run by Three Rivers Housing Association in partnership with Darlington Borough Council, Darlington Supporting People and Darlington Primary Care Trust. Its aim is to help homeowners in Darlington who are elderly, disabled or living on low income, with essential repairs, adaptations and improvements to their property, to enable them to continue living independently in their own home. The Agency provides: Financial Advice - help with grant eligibility and applications and access to other sources of funding. 4

5 Technical Advice and Assistance - help with preparing schedules of work, planning permission and building regulation approvals, seeking quotations from contractors and supervising the works while they are carried out. Practical help with organising the work. More information about Disabled Facilities Grants can be found in the Darlington Borough Council Disabled Facilities Grant (Leaflet G6). Visit or contact People & Families Information Support on Occupational Therapy for people with health needs For people in hospital After being assessed in hospital it may be identified that you would benefit from the assistance of the Occupational Therapist. The Occupational Therapist will work with you helping you to adjust to problems you are having and plan your return home with you, your family and other services as needed. Before you return home, a home assessment may be carried out to determine your needs. For people at home Doctors, Health Visitors, District Nurses and other health professionals may contact the Occupational Therapist on your behalf. If you have any enquiries about the service in Health or have a compliment, suggestion or complaint about the service, please contact Home Equipment Loans Service All Occupational Therapists access equipment on your behalf via the Home Equipment Loans Service, which will be provided free of charge. Should you no longer require the equipment you can contact them direct top arrange collection. Tel:

6 Medical Loans Service The British Red Cross Medical Loans Service provides a variety of equipment on short term loan including wheelchairs, bath seats, commodes and backrests. For further information contact This would involve a recommendation to Durham County Council Home Improvement Team who administer the Disabled Facilities Grant on behalf of Darlington Borough Council. Contact Names and Addresses Adult Social Care, Central House, Gladstone Street, Darlington, DL3 6JX. Telephone: , Fax: , Minicom: If you need help from Darlington Adult Social Care in an emergency, after normal office opening hours, the Emergency Duty Team can be contacted on Medical Loans Service, Unit C Adelaide Court, Belmont Business park, Durham, DH1 1TW Tel: Durham County Council Home Improvement Team The Housing Improvement Team, Durham County Council, Customer Access Point, St Johns Square, Sophia Street, Seaham, Durham, SR7 7JE Tel: Darlington Association on Disability, Horsemarket, Darlington, DL3 6JX. Tel: Darlington Memorial Hospital Occupational Therapy Service, Memorial Hospital, Hollyhurst Road, Darlington, DL3 6HX Tel:

7 Home Equipment Loans Service For more information contact Adult Social Care or the Occupational Therapy service at the Memorial Hospital. Housing Division Town Hall, Darlington, DL1 5QT Tel: Paediatric Service (Occupational Therapy Department) Memorial Hospital, Hollyhurst Road, Darlington, DL3 6HX Tel: Other leaflets available from Adult Social Care Leaflet G2 - List of leaflets available from Adult Social Care Leaflet G4 Complaints, compliments and comments Leaflet A1 Access to Adult Social Care Support This document will be made avaiable on request in Braille, large print, audio, electronically or easy read, also available in other languages. Telephone Date of Issue 25/04/2014 Ref A5 7