In times of crisis, we are unsurprisingly ready to accept Government intrusions into our lives that we would never countenance in normal circumstances.

BUT the provisions of the emergency Coronavirus Bill include diluting the Care Act, so that councils no longer have a legal duty to assess the care and support needs of people with disabilities or long term conditions, or the support needs of family carers. This is truly disturbing for some of the most vulnerable in society.

Online legal advice charity CASCAIDr has produced a characteristically thorough analysis of the likely consequences of the wide-ranging changes.

Find out more here

 

We may all be staying home alone to a great extent at the moment, but normal life will resume.

And when it does, wouldn't it be great if the country is more accessible for everyone than when we left it?

This is a time for planning and groundwork, to ensure that it is. Closomat has written a great update on the financial side of Changing Places fully accessible toilets - read it here

 

As shared public spaces from pubs and cafes to churches and gyms close their doors to prevent the spread of the virus, virtual communities are more important than ever.

Don't forget the Independent Living Facebook Group, which was set up to provide a safe place for people with disabilities and carers.

If you are looking for advice, shared experiences, or just a sympathetic ear, there are kind people here, ready to welcome you in. 

It is a closed group: you just need to request membership and answer the two simple questions, and the group administrators will approve you!

 

Following last week's article about the need for innovation to enable people to live safely in their own home, a new report by the Centre for Ageing Better and Care & Repair England found that more than 4.3 million homes in England don’t meet "basic standards of decency". 

This is generally because of the presence of a serious hazard to the occupants’ health or safety.

Households headed by someone over 75 are most likely to be living in such a home, and the problem is getting worse.

Definitions of non-decent vary in the four nations, but the situation would seem to be worse in Scotland. There are no figures to compare from Wales or Northern Ireland.

More details here

 

I recently had to buy a car to replace my extremely elderly Volvo estate, which seemed rather environmentally irresponsible now that I don't require its great carrying capacity, and was also making the sort of noises that leave you feeling grateful every time you get back home from an excursion in one piece!

I was frankly bewildered by the choice available, and had to do some careful analysis of my needs, in order to narrow it down sufficiently to make a decision.

RiDC (formerly RICA) has a brilliant feature on their website, which will help you with finding the right car if you have specific requirements. For example, high seating positions or storage for an unfolded wheelchair. More than 1700 models are featured...

Check it out here

 

One of our regular readers got in touch recently, having been interviewed about his household's essential power needs by Northern Power Grid.

It made me think that this is a particularly important time for anyone who depends on an uninterrupted power supply to make sure they are on the Priority Services Register - find out more here

 

Covid-19 Mutual Aid groups are springing up all over the country - currently estimated to be 2.5 million people involved - more here

And that's all until next week!

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Keep safe and well, 

All good wishes,

Frances