Schmooze We must help the disabled to live independently
Voices from the community
We at Jewish Blind & Disabled recently received an application from a gentleman in his 60s living in a care home because his local authority couldn’t find accessible accommodation suitable for his needs. He was fast becoming institutionalised despite knowing he could live independently.
This isn’t a one off; it is an increasing and costly problem. Hospital stays and care home placements represent a significantly higher cost to the public purse than quality accessible housing.
Due to medical advancements over the past 50 years, life expectancy for people living with disability has significantly increased.
People who would have been offered care home placements as little as ten years ago now have the choice of living well and safely, whether within one of our seven developments across London or within the community at large. Accessible accommodation adapted to individual circumstances is often all that is required.
Quality housing is a basic need and disabled people should have access to it. There are 13.9 million disabled people in the UK, yet only a staggering 7 per cent of homes in England are accessible. More than 50 per cent of households requiring adaptation do not have what they need.
A wet room shower or step-free access can make the difference between living independently or living dependent on others.
Demand for our offering of accessible housing with 24/7 on-site support continues to rise. That’s why we are delighted to have secured planning permission for our eighth development, located in the heart of a growing Jewish community in Mill Hill East. We are acutely aware that this new development alone will not meet the growing demand. And, of course, many people with physical disabilities or vision impairment want the option of remaining in their own home.
In 2018, JBD established its Independent Living Advisory Service, taking our expertise into the community. From initially providing support with small everyday issues, it has developed into a service pivotal to enabling people to remain at home. It is led by a team of specialist occupational therapists who assess individuals at their property and then provide them with advice, and if required, access to the tools they need.
Sadly, this is yet another service being provided by a communal organisation that is plugging a gap resulting from over-stretched and sometimes inefficient local authority provision.
We are working in areas of North-West London where someone can wait up to 18 months for a local authority occupational therapist visit. Without
that assessment, you cannot access any basic aids and adaptations to your home. For many, this leads to a downward spiral into loss of independence and avoidable premature care.
On my desk is a growing pile of recently launched government strategies including the Adult Social Care Reform, published in December 2021, and the National Disability Strategy, published last July.
The good news is they all recognise that small investments in equipment or minor adaptations to someone’s home can — and does — enable independence. This is a low cost, effective “invest to save” solution that gives people the choice and dignity they want and deserve. The bad news is that despite the talk on the ground, the situation is deteriorating.
I know JBD is making huge differences to the lives of those we support. But I am also aware that there are others across our community who are being let down by the system.
As a community, we have always provided for each other. While central and local governments work out how best to fix a crumbling system, we will do all we can to ensure we are there for community members living with physical disabilities or vision impairment who need our support, both now and in the future.