Equipment to help you live at home

Making life easier at home

For many people, it's important to stay in their own familiar surroundings but, at times, you may need support to live independently. A range of services, equipment and changes can make life easier and improve your quality of life.

Technology Enabled Care

Technology Enabled Care is an innovative and positive means to offer support to those who wish to live independently and safely in their home.

It can also be a means to offer carers support and assurance when they are caring for their loved ones.

Examples of technology include:

• Specialist apps to support those with autism and learning disabilities
• Falls sensors and personal pendants
• Room sensors
• Epilepsy watches
• Medication dispensers
• Routine prompts and aids devices
• Household technologies to enable those living with a memory impairment to avoid situations of risk.

Technology installed is linked to a monitoring and response centre which is staffed 24 hours a day, all year round. Those in receipt of technology can receive support remotely via the monitoring response centre or via a mobile response service. This offers piece of mind during times of emergency.

The Council's provider for Technology Enabled Care is Millbrook.

• Email: cheshtec@rosscare.co.uk

Alternatively you can contact the Cheshire West Community Access Team:

• Tel: 0300 123 7034

Adapting your home

If you are not planning to move, think about adaptations that would make life easier now and later. The Home Assistance Hub offers confidential advice, support and assistance to help older people and disabled home owners repair, improve, maintain or adapt their home to meet their changing needs. If your home needs a lot of work, you may be able to apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant. To qualify for this, you need to have been assessed by an Occupational Therapist to see what adaptations are necessary. All applicants will undergo a financial means test unless the adaptation is for a disabled child. This will tell you whether you will be required to make any financial contribution towards the works identified. Contact the Cheshire West Community Access Team on 0300 123 7034 for more information or to request an assessment.

As well as helping home owners apply for grants and loans for disabled adaptations and home repairs, HomeKey+ runs a handyperson scheme and can advise on reliable contractors.

AskSARA

Our aim is to support you to stay in your own home and live as independently as possible. If you need help with simple tasks around the home, there are a range of useful gadgets, adaptations and equipment that can help.

AskSARA is an online self-help guide providing expert advice and information on products and equipment for older and disabled people. AskSARA is easy to use, simply:

• go to our AskSARA tool

• choose which subject you would like help and support with
• answer some questions about yourself and your environment

AskSARA will produce a free personalised report providing:

• clear, tailored advice written by experts on ways to help with daily activities and staying independent in your home
• an impartial list of products and equipment, specific to your needs, with information on where to get them
• further help and contacts for more information
• an option to save your report and share it with family, friends and care workers