Disabled people are experiencing a hidden housing crisis, says a new report suggesting that many are having to wash in their kitchens and sleep in their living rooms because their homes are ill-designed for their needs.
The charity Leonard Cheshire Disability claims that as many as five million people now need a disabled-friendly home, a number set to rise as the population ages. A survey for the charity’s Home Truths campaign finds that almost three-quarters of people with mobility problems do not have an accessible door into their building. More than half say their buildings do not have doors and hallways wide enough for a wheelchair.
My life changed incomprehensibly on 13 July 2008. That was the day I became a widower, a single father and quite a large mess.
To tell the truth, it changed in March 2008 when we received the diagnosis; I just didn’t realise it then. I went from being a husband and father, running my own business, to a full-time carer and full-time father and then widower. All within five months.
Everyone in the healthcare industry knows what challenges we face – an ageing population, more lifestyle-related ill health and growing constraints on budgets. In a nutshell, there is an increasing demand for services but fewer resources to deliver them.
