Equipment and home adaptations (occupational therapy)
Advice and support to help you do daily tasks if you have an illness or disability.
What occupational therapy is
Occupational therapy (OT) can help support you if you’re living with illness, old age, frailty or disability.
If you’re finding it difficult to do daily tasks and activities, our occupational therapists can give you advice or assess you for practical help like equipment or adaptations to your home.
Getting the right help early on can help prevent falls and allow you to stay independent for as long as possible.
What it can help with
Occupational therapy can help you with practical tasks like:
- managing your personal care, like washing yourself, getting dressed, or getting on and off the toilet
- moving around your home, including stairs and steps
- making food or drinks
- getting in and out of your home
If someone cares for you, we can give them advice or equipment and adaptations to help them to look after you safely.
What it cannot help with
Occupational therapy is about improving your daily life by enabling you to do things yourself. It does not replace services the NHS provides if you have long-term healthcare needs, and you should continue working with other health services if you need them.
We cannot help with:
- physiotherapy - contact your GP if you need help to restore movement and function
- providing walking aids, wheelchairs or scooters - contact your GP instead
What we might recommend
We can make recommendations for equipment or changes to help you live independently and safely in your own space.
Equipment to help you stay safe
Equipment and simple aids can help you move around your home safely. These include:
- grab rails
- toileting aids, like raised toilet seats or a toilet frame to help you sit down and stand up
- kitchen aids like adapted cutlery or easy-open can openers
- bedroom aids like over bed tables or commodes
- hoists or slings to help your carer lift you
Buying equipment
You can buy many simple pieces of equipment or aids from your local pharmacy, supermarket or hardware store. You can also get them from mobility outlets and online.
If you are unsure what equipment you may need, you can:
- find guides on the types of equipment available on Living Made Easy
- contact Disabled Living for impartial advice and information
Adaptations to help you remain at home
If you’re disabled or have mobility issues, we can advise you on how to adapt your home to help you live independently and safely in your own space.
Minor adaptations
Minor adaptations include equipment or simple changes to your home that do not need significant building work. This can include:
- grab rails installed in your bedroom, stairs or bathroom to help you move around
- access rails and small changes to steps outside to help you get in and out of your home
Major adaptations
In some circumstances, it may be necessary to make significant changes to your home to make it easier to move about and use your home safely and independently.
Major adaptations include:
- stairlifts
- level access shower
- access ramp to help you get in and out of your home
You may be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant to help with the cost of making major adaptations to your home.
What it costs
We provide advice and an OT assessment for free if we think you may benefit from our team’s help.
If we recommend equipment for you, we can loan it to you for free without any means testing.
Contact the occupational therapy team
Contact the OT team by calling 020 8547 5005, Monday to Friday 9am to 4.45pm. Your GP or hospital may also refer you directly to us.
You can make a referral on someone else’s behalf as long as you have their permission.
What happens next
The OT duty team will call you back and have a conversation with you to get a better understanding of your needs. We might be able to recommend equipment or minor adaptations after this phone call if we can get a good understanding of your situation.
We’ll recommend a home visit if we are unable to resolve the issues on the phone, and we need to assess your needs within your home environment. After this assessment at your home, we may provide equipment on loan until you no longer need it, or recommend minor or major adaptations.
Occupational therapists can refer you for a care needs assessment if we think you could benefit from more help and support at home.
Waiting times for an assessment
There is a high demand for our OT service. We’ll send you a letter in the post with an indication of how long you might have to wait for an assessment.
However, if your circumstances change and you need to be seen earlier, contact the adult social care contact centre at 020 8547 5005.
Other help in Kingston
You can get more help from us and our partners, including: