Rita’s story – How a Disabled Facilities Grant preserved an older woman’s independence at home

Rita lives in the home she shared with her husband and where she brought up her family.  Since her husband died, she has lived there on her own. Rita loves her house, her independence, and her busy social life with friends and in her local community. She has no intention of leaving her home unless it is absolutely necessary, but she does find being solely responsible for the upkeep of the house can be a burden.

However, in the past few years Rita has received support from local home improvement services to make some changes to her home that have given her a real boost.

A couple of years ago, osteoarthritis in her knees and hips were making it difficult for Rita to move around the house. She was encouraged to ask for help by an Age UK staff member at the craft club she attends each week. It took some time, and Rita had to be quite persistent to get the work started, but she had handrails and a banister fitted to her stairs by a local contractor.  

There had never been a banister on one section of the stairs which had made going to the top of the house dangerous and scary, so a new one was installed. She also had handrails fitted in the downstairs toilet and the bathroom to help her use the toilet safely.

Rita was really pleased with the contractor who came to do the work.

Feeling that she had a choice in what was installed in her home and being treated with courtesy and kindness were very important to Rita.

But she was also starting to struggle outside her property – getting in and out of the front door, accessing her rubbish bins and going down the garden. After attending appointments at her local hospital, she was referred by an occupational therapist to her local Home Improvement Agency, run by Oxford City Council.

The caseworker from the agency was able to help Rita access a Disabled Facilities Grant to install handrails in three places.  

Rita describes the change those handrails made to her everyday life:

Rita was very appreciative of the support she received from the caseworker and the contractors, but she was pleased to be able to contribute to the process too. She used her tech expertise and her enthusiasm for AI to submit photographs and measurements for the works – and was complemented on the quality of her input!

In addition to her mobility problems, Rita also has macular degeneration, astigmatism, and an ongoing cataract problem. She feels that the improvements in the house have certainly helped her feel safer at home.

Making those changes gave Rita confidence and momentum to make some other improvements of her own, including replacing an old window with a double-glazed alternative.  

Rita is a strong advocate of people taking charge of their own life wherever possible: 

But she does recognise that having help and knowing how to find that support is really important. As well as relying on recommendations from friends when she needs work doing, Rita is very grateful for the support she has received from the home improvement service. 

Rita’s story highlights how making small changes to someone’s home can have a big impact on their quality of life. It is local, trusted support – like the help Rita received and the support available from other home improvement services like one-stop-shop models such as Good Home Hubs – that can help people stay at home, active and engaged in their local communities.