Housing adaptation

Abstract

The need to consider housing adaptation becomes apparent when the physical environment in which the client functions becomes a barrier to maintaining previous levels of function for the client or when a combination of the client’s condition and the environment inhibit the functioning of a carer or the family unit and these situations cannot be met by the provision of assistive equipment. Clients may not wish to be rehoused, if in local authority accommodation, or to move house for a variety of reasons, apart from the upheaval involved. If the client has a young family, moving will invariably affect children’s schooling that may necessitate them moving to a different school. If the client has lived in an area for a long period of time support and friendships may exist within the local community which would be lost if the client moved house. This factor becomes even more important if the client is elderly, a situation which is frequently encountered in an elderly population is a client being rehoused and slowly losing contact with their friends and the local community as mobility becomes a problem for all concerned. The extent of a housing adaptation can vary from the installation of a walk in shower in a bathroom to building a downstairs extension containing bedroom and bathroom facilities.