Major adaptations

If you live with a permanent disability and cannot safely navigate your home, you may need some changes or adaptations made to it. An assessment will be required from the Community Occupational Therapy Service.

We work to specific criteria for individual adaptations. It's based on long-term needs. This will be discussed with you as part of the assessment process.

Things to consider:

• we cannot provide an extra bedroom or bathroom due to over-crowding
• we cannot replace usable or accessible amenities, such as sinks or baths, if they simply just need repaired or updated
• we will not replace an accessible facility, like a walk-in shower, with a less accessible one, such as a bath
• we will only support an adaptation if equipment will not meet your needs

We will always explore the most cost-effective and straight-forward solution to meet your needs. This means we may not be able to support funding for everything you feel is important for your quality of life.

Major adaptations fall into two categories:

Fitted to your home

This includes modular ramps, overhead hoists, stairlifts, and internal wheelchair lifts.

If you live in a private or local authority property, we will arrange and pay for the adaptation. We will maintain and service overhead hoists, lifts and ramps.

When these are no longer required, we will remove from private owned properties. They will be left in place in council properties for the next person who needs the adaptation.

Structural changes

This includes widening doors for wheelchair access, or installation of a wet floor shower.

We'll arrange for these to be fitted and paid for if you live in a Fife Council property.

If you live in a private property, a recommendation will be made for a grant to pay for the work under the scheme of assistance. The grant will pay for at least 80% of the work. You, or whoever owns the property, will need to give permission. It will then be part of your property and you will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance.

If you organise and pay for the adaptations yourself before your assessment, we cannot repay these costs to you.

Housing Association properties

We will send a recommendation to the housing association if we assess an adaptation is needed. The Housing Association has the budget and responsibility to arrange for adaptations to their properties.