Fears Over Funding For Home Adaptations

CONCERNS have been raised about the amount of funding councils will set aside for housing adaptations in future.

Several mobility aids providers, including Dolphin Lifts Western, have expressed fears despite a recent increase in the Disabilities Facilities Grant (DFG) given to local authorities.

The worry is that the removal of ring-fencing from the grant – a requirement to spent portions of it in certain ways – and the exclusion of any obligation to match fund it will lead councils to actually cut their overall budgets for housing adaptations.

This is exacerbated by the coalition government’s decision to completely cut the Private Sector Housing Renewal Fund – a previously accessible fund for home adaptations, improvements and maintenance – and the fact that an additional £116 million to be allocated for council housing works will not be made available until 2012/13.

An overall 6.6 per cent rise in council’s DFG funding from £167.3 million to £178.3 million supports the government’s pledge to shift its focus from institutional to domiciliary care, however, it is widely recognised that funding levels only cater for 10 per cent of home adaptation needs.

Having come at a time when councils themselves are being forced to cut spending by up to 9 per cent, evidence suggests this will impact on the number and type of adaptations currently and soon to be carried out.

Fears Over Funding For Home Adaptations

CONCERNS have been raised about the amount of funding councils will set aside for housing adaptations in future.

Several mobility aids providers, including Dolphin Lifts Western, have expressed fears despite a recent increase in the Disabilities Facilities Grant (DFG) given to local authorities.

The worry is that the removal of ring-fencing from the grant – a requirement to spent portions of it in certain ways – and the exclusion of any obligation to match fund it will lead councils to actually cut their overall budgets for housing adaptations.

This is exacerbated by the coalition government’s decision to completely cut the Private Sector Housing Renewal Fund – a previously accessible fund for home adaptations, improvements and maintenance – and the fact that an additional £116 million to be allocated for council housing works will not be made available until 2012/13.

An overall 6.6 per cent rise in council’s DFG funding from £167.3 million to £178.3 million supports the government’s pledge to shift its focus from institutional to domiciliary care, however, it is widely recognised that funding levels only cater for 10 per cent of home adaptation needs.

Having come at a time when councils themselves are being forced to cut spending by up to 9 per cent, evidence suggests this will impact on the number and type of adaptations currently and soon to be carried out.

Breakthrough in Alzheimer's Research

SIMPLE eye tests could be used to spot the onset of Alzheimer’s, according to newly revealed scientific research.

The breakthrough would represent a major step forward in the management of the degenerative brain condition, which is set to reach 1 million in the UK over the coming decade as the population ages.

Scientists unveiled the findings of research into retinal observations to spot hallmarks of the condition at the American Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Paris this month.

They analysed photographs of the back of subject’s eyes and discovered the width of blood vessels was ‘significantly different’ among Alzheimer’s sufferers compared to healthy people.

Separate research disclosed at the conference involved brain scans to calculate levels of a protein known as amyloid, which is typical of the condition, while the other involved measuring a part of the brain responsible for the formation of new memories, known as the hippocampus.

Another study found that people with early signs of Alzheimer’s are more likely to suffer falls, suggesting that balance and visual perception may decline before memory.

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This study adds to previous work suggesting that eye scans could be a useful aid for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease.

“These results could lead to a simple and effective method of detecting the condition at a much earlier stage but much more work remains to be done.

“The ability to diagnose Alzheimer’s early is a key target for research - not only would early detection allow people to plan for the future, it would mean potential new treatments could be tested at the earliest stages of the disease, when they are most likely to have an effect.

“With 820,000 people affected by dementia in the UK, we urgently need more research to find better ways to diagnose, treat and prevent dementia.”

Charity’s Loneliness Experiment Was A Real Eye-Opener

FRIENDS of the Elderly  staged a poignant social experiment in June to highlight the plight of loneliness in old age.

From June 20th to 26th, ten volunteers from the charity spent a week in isolation with just a TV for company to experience first-hand the kind of daily seclusion felt by more than a million elderly people throughout the UK.

They also wore vision-impairing glasses and special gloves to simulate the effects of arthritis in the hands.

None of the volunteers were allowed outside their homes or have visitors during the week and mobile phones and internet access was strictly forbidden.

Daily video blogs recorded by each participant can be viewed online at the Friends of the Elderly website www.fote.org.uk.

This month also saw a number of organisations coordinate projects designed to bridge the gap between teenagers and the elderly, following research showing that neither have much respect for each other.

Among the events staged were students at Loughborough University giving internet lessons to the elderly, while the Welsh Pendyrus Male Choir gave a singing masterclass to pupils at a school in Taunton.

  

New Research Reveals Rise in Facebook Grandparents

ONE in seven grandparents over the age of 60 have an account on some kind of social networking website, a new survey reveals.

A total of 22 per cent of 1,341 grandparents questioned admitted to sharing messages, photos and videos online with friends as part of the data collected by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk.

Of those asked, 71 per cent said they were on Facebook, compared to 34 per cent on Twitter and 9 per cent on business networking site Linkedln.

The majority said they had joined their chosen network within the last year, while more than half did so because they were encouraged by younger members of their families.

A quarter took the step to find old friends and fifth said it was keep in touch with current friends and family.

Mark Pearson, chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, said “I think it is quite a common misconception nowadays that the over 60s are not as savvy as others when it comes to the internet.”

Disabled Campaign Group Makes It Easier To Meet MPs

A SCHEME to encourage more people with disabilities to meet their elected MPs has been launched in the UK.

So far more than 50 MPs have signed up to the ‘MP Dialogue’ scheme, organised by disability campaign group Radar.

The group advises people about how to prepare for meetings with MPs, tells them exactly what it is their elected representative does and, likewise, helps Parliamentarians better understand the needs of their disabled constituents.

Around 70 individuals and groups have requested Radar’s help so far this year and the range of topics discussed with MPs have included welfare reforms, bus route closures and being verbally abused in the street.

For more information, contact Radar via its website www.radar.org.uk or call   020 7250 3222

New Website Highlights True Effects of Spinal Injuries

EVERY Eight Hours is a new website dedicated to highlighting the life-changing effects of spinal cord injuries.

First launched in May to coincide with spinal cord injuries awareness day, the website features case studies from a variety of people struck down with such injuries and fully explains the devastating impacts it has had on their lives.

Among these is 14-year-old Daniel, who was only four when a car accident on holiday with his family left him completely paralysed from the waste down.

Also mentioned is former media highflyer Melanie, whose life changed forever 17 years ago when she suffered spinal injuries in a motorcycle collision.

Visitors to the site – so named because someone in the UK becomes spinal cord injured on average every eight hours – can access a host of fellow charities dedicated to the cause, including Aspire, Spinal Research and Back Up.

There are also links to the Every Eight Hours Facebook and Twitter pages, alongside information about donating to the campaign.

View it yourself www.everyeighthours.com   

Wheelchair Suppliers Lobby Government for Law Change

SUPPLIERS of some latest generation powered-wheelchairs are lobbying the government over laws preventing disabled children benefitting from them because of safety concerns.

The highly functional powerchairs are currently off-limits to young people under 17 with severe mobility problems because their heavy weight means they are classified as cars and are therefore illegal to be driven by children.

In response, some suppliers of the chairs, such as Etac UK and Newlife, alongside charities which helped fund them, are lobbying the minister for disabled people Maria Miller to get the law changed.

Frances Leckie, editor of online community website Independent Living, which revealed the action in its latest newsletter, said: “For families with a youngster who has a degenerative condition, such as muscular dystrophy, the idea that they are prevented from using a wonderful mobility aid that could help them participate more fully in life at school and at home, because of a ridiculously pointless rule, must be painful in the extreme.”

“For many, it will be too late by the time they are 17.”

Dolphin Lifts Honoured at top Bristol Business Awards

A GREAT sense of pride was felt by all after Dolphin Lifts Western Ltd was named a runner-up in this year's Bristol Evening Post Business Awards.

The achievement in the award's Family Business category was announced at a glitzy gala dinner event in Bristol's Grand Hotel on June 16.

Almost 100 firms from across the south west entered the hotly contested awards, with only the cream of the region's businesses making it through to the final stages, including Dolphin Lifts.

The criteria of the prestigious Family Business award meant only successful firms established and still run by the same family need apply – a requirement certainly fulfilled by Dolphin Lifts, which has enjoyed year on year profits under the ownership of two generations of the Wakefield family.

Managing director and company founder Steve Wakefield, whose eldest son Tom is also a director, said: “It made me feel very proud of everybody associated with the business.

“I am certain that we will go from strength to strength after this, as to us, this was a great achievement and a very prestigious award.”

Also present on the night was Steve's wife Avril, another company director, and their soon-to-be daughter-in-law Stacy Heaven, who recently joined the firm as office manager.

The accolade tops off a successful 12 months for Dolphin Lifts, which has seen the company awarded the contract to supply and install stairlifts and wheelchair access lifts for the tenants of Bristol City Council.

They also awarded an apprenticeship to 19-year-old Scott Coster from Hanham in Bristol as part of the Evening Post's 100 Apprenticeships in 100 Days campaign and achieved a nationally-recognised standard for excellence in customer service.

Review Launched After Figures Show Care Home Fee Cuts

THE government has commissioned a major review of funding for elderly care in England after new figures reveal care homes are facing substantial cuts in fees from councils.

Independent body the Commission on Funding of Care and Support is expected to wrap up the review by the end of July, after which it will present its recommendations to ministers on how best to balance the books.

Figures released from leading health economist William Laing, who carries out annual surveys of fees councils pay to care homes, show a nominal increase of just 0.5 per cent this year, which equates to a real term cut of 2.5 per cent once inflation is considered.

However, most councils have opted to completely freeze fees, which, for the care homes on their books, means a 3 per cent real terms cut.

The worry is this could mean many more homes face the same fate as Britain’s largest care provider Southern Cross, which recently narrowly escaped going into administration.

Just over half of all elderly care homes are paid for by local councils.

Mr Laing added that on average, councils were paying about £100 a week less than the true cost of care per resident.

This has enabled privately-run care homes to charge above the market rate for services, while many councils are forced to sell off homes.

To keep an eye on the progress of the review, visit the Commission on Funding of Care and Support’s website www.dilnotcommission.dh.gov.uk