For older and disabled people, adapting homes to suit their needs can be vital but a key funding source may soon be denied them, writes Angie Mezzetti
The Disabled Persons Grant is making life easier for thousands of older and disabled people but healthcare officials and voluntary organisations fear the current system may be curtailed following a policy review underway by the Department of the Environment.
"Not one million but one zillion per cent better my situation is now," that's Oran Christie's verdict on his bedroom and bathroom extension to his parents' home in Palmerstown.
It was built with the help of the Disabled Persons Grant, which is available from local authorities all over the country. Houses let by local authorities will have the full cost paid, but for private houses a 90 per cent grant is available up to about €20,000.
A car accident at the age of 29 saw Oran spend five weeks in a coma, a year in hospital and left him with a brain injury. "It was very embarrassing sleeping in my parents' front room for four years in a hospital bed. They never complained but it was annoying me that any visitors to the house had to walk through my bedroom first."
No longer able to work at his trade as a mechanic, Oran was not in a position to get a bank loan but with the help of the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA), the credit union and a supportive family he was able to make up the difference.
"Basically you are a charity case but if I lived in a corporation house it would have been all paid for. Now in my new place I have my own washing facilities and my independence."
The applications have generally not been means-tested up to now but several local authorities are introducing restrictions. Questions are asked about income on the initial application forms so the council can assess whether the client can meet any shortfall. Delores Murphy of the IWA says this can be a major problem for some people.
"A typical downstairs bedroom and bathroom can cost up to €50,000, that's nowhere near the maximum grant. They may have to beg, borrow and steal the rest.
"Sometimes the health boards can give a top-up grant of €5,000 at most and the rest may be raised from various charities which are often stretched already or from fundraising events which may involve presenting the disabled person in the worst possible light."
Citizens Information Centres regularly help people applying for the grant. Stella O'Brien, development manager of the Ballyfermot office, says very often clients can find it difficult to come up with the extra 10 per cent not covered by the grant and there are additional costs such as architect's fees that are sometimes needed.
"One client had to go to the credit union for a loan to get someone to draw up plans for the application. They will tell you the health board will top up the grant for cases of hardship but this isn't always so."
Another problem area O'Brien has often come across is the unwillingness of builders to quote for grant work.
"Small builders worry about when they will be paid, about the high standards required by local authorities and about having a C2 tax clearance certificate."
Dublin is not unique in this regard. Gerard Doyle of Leitrim County Council says that because the economy is so good, builders are often too busy working on new houses and apartment blocks to consider small grant jobs. Aoife Faherty of Galway County Council says the same contractors tend to do these jobs, and getting quotations seems to be the slowest part of the procedure.
Similar problems are being experienced in Dublin and there is no recommended list of builders for Dublin City Council as it must be seen to be impartial, according to Melissa Peavoy of its grants section.
The council asks for three quotes for any proposed work but will accept two, which she says is there to protect the client as much as the council and that most people find contractors through word of mouth referrals.
Anywhere between 1,300 and 1,600 people a year avail of the Disabled Persons Grant from Dublin City Council - the average grant is approximately €10,000.
Disability is a broad term and you do not have to be in a wheelchair to qualify for a Disabled Persons Grant. All medical conditions are considered from arthritis to Alzheimer's disease, heart problems to childhood disabilities. The initial request form seeks detailed information from the family doctor and the more information they get, the more help they can provide.
Like most local authorities, Dublin City Council also requires an occupational therapist's (OT's)report. There can be a long waiting time for the local health board OT but the council will accept a private OT's report - Peavoy says this is often money well spent.
"Sometimes people have an urgent request for a downstairs toilet when someone is coming home from hospital whereas they might be better making a more comprehensive application. The OT will look at the long-term requirements of the customer like a stairlift, ramp and bathroom and will help with detailed specifications that are given to contractors quoting for the job."
Senior citizens Nicholas and Anne Ryan from Marino in Dublin got a downstairs walk-in shower and toilet built in their home with the support of the grant three years ago.
"The building inspector came in April and it was built the following April," Ryan says, "it was a lot of work breaking down walls but a stairlift wasn't an option and there was no room under the stairs for a toilet. The architect cost €1,000 and there were other costs for lights, lino and fittings but it was all well worth it."
Anne French in Wexford had tremendous support from her local authority when she got the grant towards a wheel-in shower and toilet in 1997 for her husband. "The occupational therapist couldn't have done more for us. She also got Tom a rise and fall bed to help him get up in the morning."
However, there are grave discrepancies in the way the system is administered in each local authority area, says Mary Patterson, an OT who regularly assesses cases for different local authorities.
The amount available for grants, the length of the waiting list and the type of disability that qualifies varies between county and city councils. DúLaoghaire Rathdown County Council last year suspended its applications procedure for a few months due to funding difficulties.
"We have an ageing population and older housing stock," according to Brian Riddick in its grants section. "In 2001, 202 grants were awarded, last year 99 were given out and we have a backlog of 196 unapproved applications."
The scheme is currently being reviewed by the Department of the Environment and many organisations have made submissions to Minister of State, Noel Ahern. The main concern is that the grant will be means tested.
The IWA also highlights the fact that the system can be extremely complicatedand intimidating, with many applicants requiring an advocate to assist them with form-filling.
Melissa Peavoy in Dublin City Council recommends filling in the forms as fully as possible and says its team are always willing to help people with any queries they may have.
She adds: "Many older people, especially women, don't know their RSI number but all they have to do is fill in their pension book number. €20,000 is a huge grant, the new facilities make life easier for the disabled person and helps them to live independently in their own homes for longer and it is cheaper than paying for long-term institutional care."