Disabled adaptation set to change family’s lives
Published: 14 May 2020
A fully accessible bedroom and wet room has been craned into a council property in Exeter to improve the lives of a family who have a daughter with disabilities.
The operation took place today (Thursday 14 May) at a house in Pinhoe, and meant the road outside the house had to be closed for a short period of time to enable the works to go ahead safely.
The modular building will form an extension to the existing property and enhance the family home.
Cllr Laura Wright, Lead Councillor for Housing, said the Council was delighted to be able to carry out the work on the house and hopes that it contributes towards making life a bit easier for the family.
“Home adaptations can have a huge impact on people’s lives and allow individuals and their families to continue living in their own homes but with greater wellbeing, independence, confidence and dignity.”
The mother of the child said: “The extension will enable us as a family to live more comfortably in our home. It is going to change all of our lives but particularly the lives of my children because I will be able to spend more quality time with them instead of spending my time battling to do the seemingly small tasks, like showering my daughter, which currently involves a big effort from all of us and puts a lot of strain on us. My son is very excited about the big crane and this event will be a fabulous memory for us all.”
The family said they would like to thank the Council and were very excited about the future going forward.
Cllr Wright added that there was increased demand for accessible and adapted homes for people in Exeter, and that the demand would only increase as our health care system finds new ways of enabling people with disabilities to live improved lives within their own homes.
“We will endeavour to help our tenants and wider communities wherever possible by adapting a home that can improve their lives” she added.
“This particular adaptation will help this family and enable them to get on with the task of dealing with the various obstacles of having a disability, without the added implications of having a home that is not suitable for their needs.”
“It has been marvellous to see how our housing team have carried on with adaptation works in the city wherever possible, even under such difficult conditions that we all face due to COVID-19 restrictions. It has been good to see that the welfare of all of our residents and tenants continues to be of top priority for the council”.
The works were carried out following strict government guidance surrounding Covid-19 restrictions, with the number of people on site strictly limited.
To find out more about Disabled Facilities Grants, go to the website at https://www.gov.uk/disabled-facilities-grants/eligibility for Disabled Facilities Grants
