New occupational therapists should stop grants backlog

THE ELDERLY and people with a disability living in west Wicklow shouldn’t face any more delays to the Mobility Aids Grant Scheme after Wicklow County Council sourced three occupational therapists to serve the whole county.

The scheme provides grants for works designed to address mobility problems in the home, such as the purchase and installation of grab-rails, a level access shower, access ramps, a stair-lift or conversions.

A lack of occupational therapists meant many applicants from west Wicklow were left waiting in limbo.

An occupational therapist has to first visit a home and assess it before producing a report before Wicklow County Council decide whether the application is successful or not. A lack of occupational therapists serving west Wicklow meant applicants had to wait for up to months before their application could be processed.

‘Hopefully the sourcing of these three occupational therapists will resolve the situation,’ said Cllr Edward Timmins. ‘West Wicklow was the only place really affected but now there are three occupational therapists to serve the county. People shouldn’t have to wait for lengthy periods of time to have vital works carried out to their homes anymore. The situation was mostly impacting on elderly members of the community and was causing serious problems.’