£1 Million Accessibility Funding For Ferries

The government has announced that £1 million in accessibility funding will be provided in order to make ferry journeys to the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly more accessible. Operators are now able to bid for grants on projects that will help elderly and disabled people travel confidently on transport links connecting them to the mainland.

Bids can be for equipment such as accessible ticket machines and wheelchairs or for building works such as the installation of Changing Places toilets and ramp levelling.

The incoming bids will be assessed based on the number of passengers likely to benefit from the suggested improvements, as well as value for money. Applicants will need to send in a supporting letter from individuals or local disability charities, as well as three quotes in order to make sure that good value is being obtained.

Chris Heaton-Harris, accessibility minister, said: “These ports provide vital connections to the islands of the United Kingdom and it is imperative that they are accessible to all. We look forward to hearing some innovative and life-changing ideas, as we take another step towards creating a fully inclusive transport network.”

The funding forms part of the government’s National Disability Strategy, which sets out how the government plans to improve the everyday lives of disabled people. The strategy itself has been developed with the help of over 14,000 disabled people, as well as disability organisations, policy experts, businesses and others.

It sets out the actions that will have a positive impact on the everyday lives of disabled people, covering commuting, public transport, accessible homes, enjoying culture, using the high street, going online and more.

 

Need advice relating to easy access baths? Get in touch with Practical Bathing today.

84 Per Cent Want Height-Accessible Sanitising Stations

Euan’s Guide, the disability access review site, has published the findings from a survey which asked disabled people about their concerns when visiting venues as the lockdown restrictions were gradually lifted across the UK.

The ‘COVID Concerns and Precautions Survey’, which ran from 18 June to 19 July, quizzed 450 disabled people on their opinions of the lockdown restrictions and the measures and guidance imposed, and how it would affect them.

The survey addressed the concerns disabled people have about visiting places after the lockdown, what precautions would enable safer and easier visits, where they plan to go, and how they plan for their trip, and what online activities they would like to see remain in place.

It included findings for mobility retailers in the UK to implement that would enable disabled people to feel comfortable when returning to stores.

Commenting on the survey findings, Euan MacDonald, Co-Founder of Euan’s Guide, explained that as the lockdown restrictions are eased, the guide wanted to ensure that disabled people felt safe and confident in finding places to visit or return to venues they were already familiar with.

“Venues need to share detailed and up-to-date information on their COVID precautions and disabled access online. This information is useful to anyone and everyone that wants to stay safe after being so cautious in the past few months,” he said.

82 per cent of respondents said that their main concern was people not respecting social distancing guidelines. Nearly three-quarters said that a top concern was unable to get access to public and venue’s toilets when out and about, and having to queue outside venues, especially in unsuitable weather.

One survey participant, on the topic of disabled people being challenged for not wearing face masks, commented: “People not understanding disabilities and hidden disabilities and thinking we are just refusing to wear a mask and not following rules.”

Euan’s guide recently created face mask exemption badges, designed to help disabled people clearly communicate their exemption status to others.

They were also asked about their requirements in stores and venues that could help encourage them to visit safely. 84 per cent concurred that having access to sanitising stations that are at an accessible height would help them returning to venues, and 83 per cent desired an accessible route to allow independent navigation around venues and stores.

Following the findings from the survey, Euan’s Guide has published a number of suggestions that stores and venues could implement to assist disabled people.

The suggestions include reviewing the findings of the survey and carrying out the necessary changes to welcome disabled people back, making sure that any existing COVID precautions do not exclude disabled people, and how venues can improve and continue to provide online services that have helped create opportunities for disabled people that may previously have been inaccessible.

Euan’s Guide also suggests that stores share information about their disability access and coronavirus precautions to further support disabled people.

If you are looking for easy access baths to provide disabled access at home, talk to us today.

Bathrooms For Elderly Relatives

When our elderly relatives can safely and easily use the bathroom on their own, it allows them to age in place, and with dignity. Our seniors might not be registered as disabled, but we all have difficulties as we get older, so designing safe and accessible bathrooms are key to improving their quality of life and granting them independent living.

Slips and falls are the leading cause of accidents in the home, and the bathroom can present a perfect storm of risks. The motions of getting up and down, stepping in and out of bathtubs and showers, bending over at the sink, can be hazardous for anyone, especially the elderly. There are many ways we can improve our homes to make them more accessible.

We have some tips to help our loved elderly relatives retain their independence.

 

1. Install lever taps

A lever tap means less difficulty for the elderly than having to twist and turn traditional taps. There are so many different styles to choose from, even including foot-operated taps.

 

2. Get a sprayer attachment for your shower-head

A detachable showerhead makes bathing easier and eliminates the need to stand in the shower, especially with shower seating.

 

3. Install grab bars and rails

One of the simplest ways to make your bathroom more accessible to add grab bars and rails in the shower, bath, and near the toilet.

 

4. Raise the height of the toilet

Raising the height of the toilet by three inches can make all the difference for the elderly. There are options including a ‘comfort height’ toilet, or you can raise the height of your existing toilet with extra thick toilet seats.

 

5. Non-slip bath mats and rugs

Non-slip mats in the shower prevent the elderly from falling while showering, and a non-slip rug prevents any accidents when getting out of the bath or shower.

 

6. Walk-in baths and showers

If climbing in and out of the tub is difficult for those who are unable to lift their legs as high, walk-in showers and baths are the ideal options.

If you are looking for options for easy access baths and showers, visit our store today.

Pamis Helps Disabled People Communicate During Pandemic

Pamis (Promoting A More Inclusive Society), an equality charity, has encouraged families to create a ‘digital passport’ that aims to help disabled people communicate during the coronavirus lockdown.

The charity has launched an online tool and released materials so people at home can make their own passport, that Pamis has been using to help people with multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) for a decade.

The tool assists people with PMLD to use a tablet or computer to better communicate with people who are unfamiliar with them. It was developed as people with PMLD sometimes communicate in ways that are not easily understood by strangers.

The digital passport includes videos and photographs that describe the person’s needs, abilities, and personal traits. The user can then take their tablet with them to hospital visits and care centres to make appointments and meetings go much smoother.

The charity realised the benefits the tool can bring to other families during the COVID-19 lockdown and have been working on adapting the resources ever since the first week of the outbreak in the UK.

They have offered a template and instructional videos to help create the passports to families of people with complex needs, as the charity currently lacks the resources needed to better assist.

Jenny Miller, Pamis CEO, said: “At crucial times such as these it is morally the right thing to do to share resources that can support the care of people who have complex needs. Cat Jamieson, our digital lead, has worked flat out to provide an online resource to help others access this tool. It is another example of the wisdom and innovation of our family carers.

“The Pamis digital passport is an invaluable resource at this time and we are delighted to be able to share it with wider groups.”

The tools to create a passport can be found on the Pamis website.

If you need easy access baths and showers, come and talk to us today!

How Coronavirus Could Change Our Home Design

The Coronavirus pandemic has certainly led to many changes in the way we live our lives, and there are some changes that are likely to stay with us for the foreseeable future.

However, have you considered how the Covid-19 outbreak might affect our interior design choices? Real Simple recently highlighted some of the ways in which our homes could change as a result of the global pandemic.

One of the key trends is naturally going to be cleanliness and hygiene, putting our bathrooms in the spotlight. Touch-free taps are expected to be in demand in the coming months as more of us look for ways to maintain hygiene both during and post-lockdown.

Bidets have also seen a spike in popularity, no doubt helped by the toilet paper shortages that marked the early stages of lockdown and the couple of weeks preceding it.

If you’re thinking about making changes to your bathroom, make sure you consider safety as well as hygiene and convenience. Which? recently offered some advice on how to make bathrooms safer places for those with restricted mobility.

Installing easy access baths and showers is one of the recommendations to ensure people in this situation are able to remain independent and wash safely. Another top tip is to fit safety flooring.

Rather than relying on non-slip mats, which can move or create a trip hazard themselves if they’re not secured properly, a slip-resistant floor will be much safer and minimise the chances of a fall in the bathroom. You should also make sure you have a non-slip mat in the bath or shower, the organisation added.

Disabled Cricketer Tells Of His Achievements

Iain Nairn captained the England Physical Disability cricket team to glory in the inaugural International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) International T20 tournament for people with Physical Disabilities.

This contest, which first took place in 2015, is the equivalent of the World Cup for disability cricket, and Iain shared his memories of beating Pakistan in the final in an interview with the Northern Echo.

“It was a dream come true,” he said. Iain also revealed that he didn’t play disability cricket until he was 32, but that he’d been playing cricket and other sports his entire life. His right leg was amputated as a baby, but it’s not something that he’s ever let hold him back.

“It can limit what you can do – but only as far as you allow it to,” he said when asked about his disability. Iain added that he doesn’t remember being aware of having a prosthetic leg until he was seven or eight years old.

He also revealed that his mum kept his first prosthetic leg as a memento. It was made from pink plastic with a wooden foot.

“It’s amazing the progress that’s been made with prosthetics – it’s a different world,” he told the newspaper.

Earlier this year, the UK government added the Paralympic Games to its list of protected sporting events. Any events that fall under this category must always be screened through free-to-air television broadcasters.

This means it can reach the widest possible group of people and inspire both people with and without disabilities.

If you or a family member is living with a disability, you can make simple adaptations to improve their home environment, such as installing easy access baths.

£20m Committed To UK Train Station Improvements

124 railway stations across the UK are set to benefit from a host of new improvements, reports Assistive Technology. The Access for All initiative has committed £20m to the project which will include new lifts, accessible toilets and customer information screens being installed.

This comes from a new government campaign to improve the journeys of disabled passengers on public transport across the country, improving customer experiences and to create more inclusive environments.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “The ability to travel easily from A to B is an essential factor for our day to day lives – but is not the reality for everyone. I recognise that we have much more to do, which is why we’re making 124 train stations across the country more accessible – a key part of levelling-up access for disabled people to transport and opening up opportunities for all.

“This is just the start of a much more ambitious agenda. My goal is to go much further in the years ahead to help ensure that our country’s transport system becomes one of the most accessible in the world.”

According to research by the Department for Transport (DfT), behaviours that make public transport a daunting place for disabled people are often unconscious, such as not looking out for a fellow passenger who might need a seat or be in distress.

The new ‘It’s Everyone’s Journey’ campaign has aims to create greater awareness of the needs of disabled passengers on public transport, especially those with non-visible impairments, and to prompt the public to consider how their behaviour may impact others.

Greater access for disabled people gives them a greater quality of life, and if you’d like to know more about creating a more accessible home, get in touch to find out about our easy access baths and showers.

Arthritis Sufferers ‘More Likely To Die Of Heart Disease’

A new study has revealed that people who suffer from arthritis are more likely to die of heart disease than those who don’t.

The Daily Mail shared the findings of the research from Lund University in Sweden, which looked at 469,000 people living in Skane, Sweden, who were aged between 45 and 84 when the study started in 2003.

Those who were included in the research suffered from different kinds of arthritis, including knee arthritis (16,000 patients), hip arthritis (9,000 patients) and wrist arthritis (4,000 patients), as well as people who didn’t develop the condition.

Lead author professor Martin Englund told the news provider that the study found that “the groups were not different in terms of most causes of death, but we saw the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease was higher for those with an osteoarthritis diagnosis.”

The study didn’t look at the causes, although professor Englund and his colleagues have speculated that because osteoarthritis causes pain, this leads to people having more sedentary lifestyles. That, in turn, can lead to weight gain, which is known to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Living with arthritis can be a challenge because it affects your mobility. It’s important to make adaptations to your home to make it easier for you to continue to do as much as possible for yourself.

Installing easy access baths is one alteration you may want to consider in your property if you or a loved one suffers from any form of arthritis.

Earlier this year, charity Versus Arthritis revealed that nearly half (43 per cent) of people with persistent pain as a result of their arthritis struggle to carry out basic tasks in their homes for more than two years before they discover they’re eligible for help from their local authority.

Accessible Home Improvement Pilot Launched

A pilot project has been launched in the UK to help boost the number of accessible homes available for the country’s ageing population.

Access & Mobility Professional reported on the scheme, which will be run in the West of England by WE Care & Repair, a home improvement agency covering four local authority areas in this part of the country.

The aim is to help more older people explore the idea of downsizing, after research revealed that one-third of older people are put off by the perceived stress of the process. However, more than one in ten of those questioned said they would move if there was support available.

Under the scheme, an enhanced housing option will be launched to help people move, particularly those who are no longer able to stay in their own properties. A self-help tool is also being released to help people decide whether they should adapt their current home or move somewhere more suitable.

Making changes like adding easy access baths to the bathroom can make a big difference to how much people are able to do by themselves.

The areas that are piloting the study have also been told to use the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) more flexibly. In the past, this money would only have been allocated for adaptations, but under the new schemes some of it could be allocated to help people move to more suitable properties.

All of this comes after the Centre for Ageing Better released a report stating that the UK is on the brink of an accessible housing crisis. In a survey, 61 per cent of people said they didn’t feel their home would be suitable for a person with a disability or an older relative to live in.

A Fitness Sensor Could Detect Falls

Easy access baths are a great adaptation for reducing the number of falls around the home for elderly people or those with mobility problems.

A new development has shown how a gadget designed to monitor peoples’ heart rate when they are exercising could be adapted to help detect warning signs of when a fall might happen in an older person.

Sensoria create tops, sports bras and wrist sensors for fitness geeks to keep an eye on how intense their work out is, but the company is now planning to launch a range of sportswear, socks and shoes containing body sensors that detect pressure points and balance for nursing homes and rehab centres.

“Sensoria Health will be developing solutions that help improve aging people’s lives. We all recognize the need for smart wearable and telehealth solutions that are geared toward the elderly and see the healthcare vertical as very promising,” Sensoria co-founder and CEO Davide Vigano said in a statement.

The new range will be offered via a new division called Sensoria Health, which will use cloud data storage development to analyse the information they collect in order to make these predictions. The company is making the offering in partnership with Genesis Rehab Services.

There are already a range of products on the market, such as the Apple Watch, which contain body monitoring devices, though as yet there are few examples of them being used to help older people, to help prevent falls. With the ageing population booming across the west, these innovations could prove indispensable.