The Home Straight - Independent living solutions for older people

CASE STUDY: Facilitating a move to accessible accommodation

The Home Straight was asked to assist a gentleman with multiple health problems and limited mobility find ground floor accommodation and help him move to his new home.

Housebound in his first floor flat for 18 months, he was feeling increasing isolated and lonely and needed support to:

• Research more suitable privately rented and local authority/housing association property
• Ensure he was accessing the State support that he was entitled to
• Set up the logistics of the move

“The service The Home Straight provided was very good. The transition went smoothly and what you did for me was helpful.”

The Home Straight team:

• Helped him to fill in a housing application form
• Liaised with statutory services to get a welfare benefits check to maximize his income
• Requested a wheelchair for him from the NHS
• Arranged for quotes from plumbers, painters and carpet retailers in order to move forward with upgrading his current flat so that it could be rented out after he left
• When new accommodation was offered, viewed it on his behalf, assessed its suitability and when satisfied that it met his needs, made a recommendation to accept
• Liaised with statutory services and family to co-ordinate payment of deposit and signing of lease agreement
• Sourced boxes so that his family could assist with packing and loaned a wheelchair to use on move day
• Followed up with a visit post-move to check that the gentleman has settled in satisfactorily

As a result of help from The Home Straight he is now:

• No longer housebound, as he has moved into an accessible ground floor flat in the centre of town
• More secure as his new home is fitted with a door entry system and there is a manager in attendance during the day with a pull cord alarm system for out of hours
• More independent as the flat has a wet floor shower area and there is carer support to encourage greater independence with personal care
• Able to use his own wheelchair and can get out with family, when they visit
• Benefiting from additional income through the provision of all relevant benefits
• No longer socially isolated as he has the opportunity to join the activities provided