Article: Equipment and Adaptations Service Article Body The equipment and adaptations assessment service is provided by a team of occupational therapists, adaptations officers and support staff. If you have an illness or disability and need some help to live independently at home you can contact the service and ask for a member of the team to visit you to carry out an assessment of your needs. If you are caring for a relative who has an illness or disability and need some advice to support you in your caring role, you can contact the service for help. When you contact us An occupational therapist or adaptations officer will visit you at home to talk to you and your carers about the problems you are having. They may ask you to show them how you carry out practical tasks to get a clear picture of your abilities and difficulties. They can: Offer advice about easier/safer ways of carrying out everyday tasks Give you the opportunity to practice new/safer techniques whilst supervised by them Talk to you about the equipment and adaptations available to meet your needs Provide advice and support if you need to move home because your needs cannot be met by adapting your property Refer you to other services who may be able to provide you with further support and advice What do we mean by equipment? This could be an item that will help you with daily living tasks, by making things easier to do or safer for you. A higher seat to fit over your toilet may make standing and sitting easier, or a seat for inside your bath may help you to get in and out safely. A rail fitted to the side of the bed may assist you with getting in and out. This type of equipment may be supplied by the Community Equipment Service. You can find out about buying a piece of equipment using a Personal Budget or Direct Payment What is an adaptation? This is some adjustment or alteration to your home that will make daily life tasks easier or safer. It may be very simple such as fitting a grab rail to a wall or a second handrail to the staircase. It could be complex and extensive such as major structural alteration to a bathroom, installing a stair lift, installing a ramp or providing additional ground floor facilities where safe access to the first floor is impossible. If you are a home owner or a tenant and have been assessed as requiring a major structural alteration to your home, the Equipment and Adaptations Service will contact the appropriate agency to recommend the work be carried out. If you are a Berneslai Homes tenant, you can contact them directly to request a minor adaptation, for example a grab rail, a stair rail or lever taps. Berneslai Homes may meet the cost of major alterations but this may require a more detailed assessment by the Equipment and Adaptations Team first. If you are a housing association tenant, they should be contacted first to request a minor adaptation as they are usually responsible for the cost of this work to be done. There is information available about funding alterations if you own your home. For details of the amount of grant available and how the grant is calculated, please click here to access the Disabled Facilities Grant website. It is important to note that no work must start before your grant application has been approved. The grant cannot pay for work that has already been started. How to access the service The first step is to contact the Equipment and Adaptations Team: You or someone on your behalf, but with your permission, can phone either Adult Social Services on 01226 775656 , or the Equipment and Adaptations Team directly on 01226 775800. You or your representative will be asked for information about yourself (e.g. date of birth), your home (e.g. who owns it, layout, number of steps etc.) and the difficulties that you are having, so it helps to have this information to refer to when making the call. By email to: equipmentandadaptations@barnsley.gov.uk Complete the Online Referral Form if you are receiving treatment or care from other health or social services. The health or social services worker, with your permission, should contact us on your behalf. Click here if you wish to recieve a Referral for a community care assessment. Every request is considered individually and people in unavoidable high risk situations are seen urgently. Enable Barnsley Some people may only need information and advice about the equipment available to support independent living. Enable Barnsley is an Equipment Demonstration Centre that you can visit and recieve free advice from an occupational therapist and also try out some of the equipment that is available. Please contact the service to arrange an appointment on 01226 787855. Enable Barnsley does not sell equipment but can provide you with details of suppliers if you wish to purchase items. Enable Barnsley is managed by the Council and NHS Barnsley. You can find out about equipment and adaptations by following the link to the Enable Barnsley webpage. Click here to the link to find out how to get to Wellington House where Enable Barnsley is located. Many items of equipment that were previously only available through specialist suppliers are now readily available from supermarkets, chemists and other local retail outlets. There are also many mail order firms that supply equipment to overcome daily living problems caused by poor grip, limited reach and stiff joints for example. The Equipment and Adaptations Service can supply you with an information sheet which lists local and national suppliers of equipment. Please click information sheet. A national organisation, the Disabled Living Foundation, have a computer software programme where a person can complete a self assessment and obtain information on ways of overcoming particular difficulties. This programme can be accessed via: www.dlf.org.uk/sara Useful Links: Community Alarms Blue Badge Scheme Local Suppliers Living made easy Smart Assist is an online application that provides you with information and advice if you are thinking about purchasing your own equipment from an independent supplier. If you wish to complete your own self assessment using 'Smart Assist' then please click Smart Assist. The Equipment and Adaptations Service cannot provide equipment to you based on a self assessment. This is because you need an assessment by a member of staff from the Equipment and Adaptations Team to access equipment from this service. Please note: to access the Aids and Adaptations equipment service you must have had an assessment from a member of the Equipment and Adaptations Team.