Once it has become difficult or impossible for you to get up and down the stairs, you may need to consider: living downstairs; moving to a bungalow or ground floor flat; or installing a domestic lift.

The first option may not be practical because, although it is easy to move a bed downstairs, providing bathroom facilities can prove difficult and costly and downstairs living space will be reduced.

Installing a domestic lift is often the most practical and economical option. Domestic lifts can take the form of stairlifts, through-floor lifts and lifts with a shaft.

A Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) may be available for some home adaptations including major adaptations such as structural work to accommodate lifts or stairlifts.

If major adaptations are needed, the occupational therapist (OT)will assess and then contact the housing, environmental health and sometimes the planning departments of your local council. Applications for grants should be made via your OT or social worker to local councils Environmental Health Department or local Housing Department (for council houses).

DFGs are available as part of the general renovation grant system. A means test (similar to that used for housing benefit) is applied to decide how much financial assistance can be made available to the applicant. Depending on the outcome of the test, the amount of assistance offered can vary from 0-100% of the cost. A ceiling of ?20,000 will be put on each DFG, irrespective of your assessed contribution.

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