We know that your health can change over time and can affect how you are able to manage your home safely and independently. Sometimes, adapting your home can improve your own health and wellbeing, and that of your family and carers.

For some people, small adaptations such as grab rails, stair rails, small ramps, key safes or lever taps can make a big difference, and Beacon are here to help.

If you need a larger adaptation such as a walk in shower, stairlift or large ramp, Beacon can use Physical Adaptations Grant (PAG) funding from Welsh Government to make it easier for you to manage at home.

There’s no age limit to apply for adaptations but you, or someone who lives with you, must have a recognised need for the adaptation.

When you get in touch with us, we will ask about your health and how it affects you day to day. We will also ask you about your home to find out if it can be adapted. If we are able to adapt your home to make it more suitable for your long term needs, you’ll be assessed by a Trusted Assessor from Beacon or an Occupational Therapist (OT). Depending on the type of adaptation that you need, you may be visited by Beacon’s Technical Grants Officer to check that the work can go ahead.

Unfortunately, due to a reduction in PAG funding in recent years, residents are waiting longer for their homes to be adapted. Residents are currently waiting for around a year from the point that they first contact us.

To make sure that we can act quickly on urgent cases, we have introduced a triage system. In line with Welsh Government guidelines, we’ll assess the urgency of your needs. Some of the things we will ask are:

• Are you in hospital, but can’t be discharged because your home is not safe for you to return to?
• Are you receiving palliative or end of life care?
• Do you have a life limiting medical condition?

Adapting the home that you live in now won’t always be the best option for you and you may want to think about transferring to a property that is already adapted. Although we won’t know how long it will take for the right home to become available, let us know if you think this is a better choice for you.

Falls are not a normal part of ageing so, if you’re worried about falling at home, it’s important to talk to your GP. You can also get advice here:

Falls – Prevention

Falls – Prevention (for the elderly)