Age UK has published a report that highlights the “shocking” delays many older and disabled people face waiting for councils to install home aids and adaptations, making it more difficult for them to live independently at home. The report, ‘A step change: improving delivery of the Disabled Facilities Grant’, says that increasing the amount of age-friendly, accessible housing and providing quicker access to appropriate aids and adaptations should be central to the UK’s vision for the future of older people’s housing. Surveys consistently show that older people are keen to remain living indepen ..read more

Mobility equipment supplier Dash Rehab will demonstrate a range of devices at Kidz to Adultz South on 2 May at the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre. On stand R3, Dash Rehab will demonstrate products including the assisted power drive Todo Drive and Robooter X40. Visitors can also find out about the latest addition to the range, a carbon powerchair which is due to launch early in the summer. Members of the Dash Rehab team will be on hand from the start of the day at 9.30am until the end of the exhibition at 4pm to answer questions, provide demonstrations, and offer ..read more

Foundations is hosting the DFG Children Summit this summer, which offers the chance for dedicated professionals to debate solutions to the key challenges currently affecting the assessment and delivery of the Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) for children and their families. Foundations states that it is becoming increasingly event that the delivery of DFGs for children is becoming increasingly challenging in trying to meet the complexity of children’s needs alongside the soaring costs of adaptations, and, unless addressed, these issues are on track to become unsustainable. Through lived-expe ..read more

Vivid Care will host a free webinar to provide training and support for occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and other healthcare professionals working with people that have dementia. The ‘Mastering Seating Assessments for People with dementia’ webinar will take place on Tuesday 30 April 2024 at 1.30pm. It will be presented by guest speakers Alex Fisher, MSc (Neuropsychiatry), PhD Candidate (UOB) – Senior Occupational Therapist, and Ben Stirling, Lead Seating Assessor and Community Care Expert at Vivid Care. The webinar aims to address complex care issues such as learning about the risk ..read more

Figure 5. A wheelchair does not need to look like a mobility device Client compliance has often been a challenge for many clinicians. In this month’s article we look at some of the reasons for this, with a number of case studies illustrating examples of when a solution that has been set up in the clinic with every best intention, often falls apart in the real world. How well can we put ourselves into the positions of our clients, and enhance their endorsement of the solution? Life is a real pain. Our clients do not sit in 90-90-90 text book positions, they are not symmetrical, their ‘comfortab ..read more

A specialist in sleeping solutions for children with disabilities, Theraposture, will be demonstrating two exciting new prototype care cots for visitor feedback at Kidz to Adultz South on 2 May 2024. Theraposture will highlight its two new cots, which will be displayed for the first time at Kidz South. Focusing on cost optimisation and easy re-issuing, these products are aimed at maximising budgets for healthcare prescribers and equipment loan stores. Kidz to Adultz South will take place at the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre in Hampshire from 9.30am-4pm on Thursd ..read more

A new National Office for Care and Support that focuses on innovation, improvement, and transformation of adult and children’s services has been launched. Minister for Social Care Dawn Bowden has welcomed the launch of the new National Office for Care and Support, which marks another important step towards a National Care Service in Wales as it forms a major part of the Welsh Government’s longer-term goal to strengthen social care arrangements at a national level. The launch of the national office is the first part of the phased plan to implement the National Care Service, which is a shared p ..read more

Luke Sartain is the CEO of SpotDif, a new comparison service that helps individuals discover hearing aids and mobility solutions. An expert in the needs and movements of the mobility and accessible furniture markets, he shares his thoughts on the innovations of mobility furniture. Typically, we likely don’t think about mobility furniture until ourselves or a loved one is affected by ageing, disability, or mobility issues. In the past, mobility furniture has favoured practical and clinical specifications prioritising patient care. With innovations and elevations in the mobility furniture market ..read more

Information panels with Makaton symbols that promote walks, trails, cycle routes, nature reserves, and heritage attractions have been installed at six train stations across Cumbria in North West England. Makaton is a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs, and speech to enable disabled people to communicate. Northen says it is used by over 100,000 children and adults in the UK as their main method of communication or as a way to support speech. The panels have been installed at Corkickle, Dalston, Harrington, Seascale, St Bees, and Wigton stations. Craig Harrop, Regional Director ..read more

A new report from Newlife has painted a worrying picture that there are a growing number of disabled children being let down due to a lack of access to essential support and specialist assistive technologies, such as wheelchairs, buggies, and beds. One headline finding is that three-quarters of professionals are concerned there are children living without essential equipment, with only 39 percent of families feeling their child has all the specialist equipment they need. In the past year, Newlife has worked closely with hundreds of families and professionals to understand their experiences wi ..read more