stair lift

[tamirra]

Hi, my son and his girlfriend are hoping to buy a house but she will need a stair lift put in as she is reg disabled does anyone know if she will get any help with paying for one? Thanks

[bednobs]

i would say probably not - after all if they are buying a house 1) they obv have some money and 2) they could buy a bungalow instead. Unless they are on income support or other means tested benefits its unlikely ss will help -
Has she ever thought about renting one - this will be cheaper. Make sure they get a house with straight stairs as then you can get second hand ones or rent them renting is about 500 pounds a year - less than 50 pounds per month, and if she gets any disability benefits they will probably cover this Is the nature of her disability such that it may get better?

[bednobs]

btw what IS registered disabled? Should i be on a register somewhere?

[campbellking]

If she has a nominated social worker, they should be able to give her information about available grants. If not, local council is best bet for info. However, stair lift entitlement is means tested, and also the time frame to get one put in unless you are paying the whole lot yourself is usually enormous.

[tamirra]

It is a back problem and she is registerd disabled she recieves DLA and her back can only get worse it will never get any better.

[bednobs]

renting might not be such a viable option then, as it's around 500 pounds a year, and if it's ongoing forever then it wouldnt make economic sense - they may as well buy one. Again i urge you to urge them when they are looking at houses to consider places with straight stairs - it is so much cheaper as you can buy them 2nd hand - if they have curved stairs the rail/track is made bespoke and can be very expensive.
As i said before, this is the kind of thing DLA is meant to help pay for so it's unlikely she'll get extra help -they will say she could put her dla towards it, unless as stated befor eshe is on means tested benefits. Has she ever worked? Been in a union? beein in the armed services? If so perhaps they might be able to help her with a grant or out of a hardship fund - however, if she is buying her own house that might be difficult

[tamirra]

Hi, she has had someone out to look at the stairs that are in the house they are hoping to buy, the stairs do have a curve at the top, but they have suggested putting in a straight lift up to the bend then a flap where the curve starts for a platform so she can stand on that rather than try to walk the other 3 steps, which sounds fine. She is waiting to hear if she has won her case for compansation from her ex employer which she recieved her back injury which if she wins there wont be a problem with purchasing the lift. Thanks for your help.

[sara3]

my mum has a stairlift and it was supplied and fitted free through the social services dept at her Local Authority.