If you or someone living in your home is experiencing difficulties with every day activities around the home you may be eligible for help with adaptations.

There are also two home improvement agencies in Northern Ireland to help you apply for adaptations for privately owned or privately rented property.

• Who can apply?
  
• About occupational therapists
  
• What will the occupational therapist do?
  
• What happens next?
  

Who can apply?

You can apply if you own your home, rent from a private landlord or rent from the Housing Executive or a housing association. You will only get help with adaptations if an occupational therapist decides that you need work carried out on your home.

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About occupational therapists

Occupational therapists are employed by your local health and social care trust. Occupational therapists understand disabling conditions and how disability impacts on a person's life S/he understands the role that your living environment has in helping or hindering your every day living.

Occupational therapists promote housing that is designed to help with productive and enjoyable living. Key to this is the removal of environmental barriers that restrict the way people are able to live their lives.

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What will the occupational therapist do?

The occupational therapist will normally visit your home to gain an understanding of how your home either helps or creates difficulties for your every day living. S/he will usually observe the activities with which you have difficulty so that the exact nature of the difficulty can be identified.

Following the visit the occupational therapist may recommend:

• alternative ways of undertaking the activity,
• the use of products or equipment designed to overcome that specific problem.

If these solutions can't overcome your problems, adaptation of the home or moving to alternative housing may then be considered.

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What happens next?

The occupational therapist will assess the best solution to your problems taking into account your circumstances. If equipment is required the occupational therapist will provide it and ensure that you are trained on how to use the equipment properly.

If an adaptation is required the occupational therapist will recommend this to the Housing Executive or housing association. The occupational therapist will then inspect the adaptation when work has been completed to ensure that your adapted home is adequate for your needs.

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