Yet this is precisely what is happening to many mobility impaired individuals who are now having to re-evaluate their circumstances following the Government’s austerity programme and council cutbacks.

Derbyshire County Council is just one such council that plans cut backs by slashing its disability care budget. According to the Buxton Advertiser, its proposed plans include raising the qualification criteria for disability care and those who do qualify being required to contribute out of their disability living and attendance allowances for essential care and support. Contrast this with Knowlsey Council who are currently looking to form a three year framework agreement for the supply and aftercare of lifts for properties in the borough. Knowlsey Council says that stairlifts and ceiling lifts are necessary for disabled residents in the borough.

Our view? Big investments, such as stairlifts, hoists and downstairs bathrooms are essential for enabling the elderly and disabled to stay in their own homes as long as possible. With state pensions incapable of supporting people after forty five years of hard work, the least pensioners should be given is the comfort of staying in their own home – one in which they have spent their life making comfortable.

However, without Council funding many will be unable to afford the cost of this vital equipment and may be forced to sell their homes. To make matters worse this is a poor time to sell a property with some sellers making a loss, especially if they have had expensive mobility additions made to their home.

Stannah outdoor stairlift…

Leeds City Council obviously feels the same way as it has recently applied for additional funding from the Housing Revenue Account budget to be used to make necessary adaptations to homes for the mobility impaired.

Furthermore, Yorkshire City Council recognises that allowing people to stay in their own homes reduces the strain on other areas such as the provision of residential care. If we had one point to make to the Government, this would be it.

Everyone understands the need for budget reductions in the current economic climate. However, we would question the suitability of targeting these cuts at those in the community most in need of support.

To lighten the tone somewhat, we noticed that Stannah Stairlifts’ Facebook page is currently running a ‘Win A Free Stannah Stairlift’ campaign which will help one lucky person by providing them with a stairlift they otherwise may not be able to afford. The winner will win a Stannah Stairlift, its installation and a two year warranty with 24/7 servicing. You can enter for yourself or on behalf of a relative or friend.  Good luck!

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Before you slink into a torpor and start fantasising about a warm holiday in the Maldives let me set the scene.  CityWest Homes is a housing organisation that manages Westminster City Council’s 22,000 homes including all maintenance and estate management through their local estate offices.

Bear with me….make a coffee perhaps, sip a Red Bull, but bear with me…..

Now, normally, most disabled people have to wait months and even years for any Council to make special alterations to their homes.  With potholes, leaking roofs, plumbing emergencies, boiler failures etc all taking priority, councils have often put disability improvements to the very bottom of the pile.  Usually they’re just buried for good.

Yet for people who are disabled, especially the newly disabled like veterans from Iraq or elderly stroke victims, having to wait months and years for home improvements can make their suffering unbearable.

This is why I’m very impressed with the team at CityWest.  What they’ve done is set a blueprint for all councils nationwide by seriously shortening the waiting time for mobility aids.

The building and property services team, which installs mobility equipment in homes with physically disabled residents, has managed to shorten the waiting times for urgent tasks by 50 percent (from thirteen weeks to just six).  Now let me tell you that’s seriously quick.   For people used to waiting 3, 4 or even 5 months, sometimes longer, the prospect of getting their mobility aid installed in just six weeks is OUTSTANDING.

In 2010 so far, the team, consisting of just 5 members, has more than tripled the total number of adaptations completed. A big round of applause to Rowena Ng and her staff because not only are her colleagues dramatically improving waiting times, they’ve also made it a point to listen to the recommendations made by tenants themselves.

The reaction of residents? The service provided by the team has been rated 5/5 by 70% of participants in a recent survey.

With the services provided by the team including installation of special equipment like mobility baths, along with adaptations like bath lifts, special stairlifts, hoists, and ramps for the patients, CityWest should get a medal. 

Why can’t every council behave like this?

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It’s difficult to kick my keyboard into gear today mainly because I feel like a good old fashioned rant at First Direct bank.  I quite like them tbh, they’re always polite, but credit card interest rates of 21%??  I nearly choked on my Welsh rarebit when I opened my statement.  It’s a disgrace when Bank of England interest rates are at a 360 year historic low.  Even worse, it’s stealing off those people who can least afford it with many young, elderly and disabled people having to use credit cards or, God forbid, burn furniture to get through this bitterly cold winter.

Angry man

With that off my chest, I was heartened to receive word about Invalifts, a Midlands-based company who are specialists in platform lifts for wheelchair and disabled users.  Their website is really smart, easy to read and surf.  I laughed when reading about how the two owners Derrick and Neil have 70 years lift experience between them – I saw that trick used once for a 69 year old grandfather and his one year old grandson.

Anyway, where Invalifts seem to make a huge difference is fitting disabled lifts into tight spaces.  Not so easy, of course with England, Wales & Scotland all scattered with listed buildings.

The University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust’s education department is a case in point. They soon realised that no local company would be able to design a lift that’d fit the dimensions of the space allotted for the purpose. Alternative solutions like stairlifts simply wouldn’t work.

Enter Invalifts.

The MC2000 from its stable is a self contained powered access platform lift with a footprint of just 1250mm by 1250mm.   That’s tighter than a banker’s wallet. It can work on a single phase of 240 volts of power with the support of a twin chain – don’t ask me what that means – but I do know it works without the help of an overhead machinery room or basement.  That’s a big, big plus after all, who wants to dig a basement ten metres into the ground or fit an overhead machinery room?

A tight squeeze but it’ll get you to the 1st floor

Invalifts tell me that they worked fast in installing the lift for Leicester General Hospital and completed it in less than one week.  They’ve also added another design to their range which includes an ultra small, self-contained passenger lift. This lift can be easily installed into tight spaces such as stairwells.  I’d guess you’d need to put your hands in your pockets and wear latex to get into that one if the MC2000 is any guide.

Latex needed?

Does anyone else know of stairlifts or lifts that can be squeezed into tight spaces?  Please let me know as we’re trying to build a list of suitable companies for Mobility Compare.

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