A centre in Brighton offering expert, impartial advice about more than 1,000 products that help people with disabilities and physical problems to cope with everyday life is re-opening on Thursday 31 October following a refurbishment.
The Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Mayor, Councillor Denise Cobb, will lead the celebrations at Brighton & Hove City Council’s Daily Living Centre in Montague Place.
The centre gives advice on products for all sorts of day to day activities, such as cooking, washing, dressing, and getting in and out of your bed or bath or shower.
Staff trained in occupational therapy offer assessments, advise on eligibility for council social care funding and make sure you get the right product for your needs. These include:
- adjustable chairs and beds
- powered window openers
- grabbers for picking things up from the floor
- gadgets to help you get your shoes and socks on
- height-adjustable toilets
- ‘bed makers’ to help you tuck sheets under mattresses
- a big selection of wheeled walking frames.
The refurbished centre now also has a telecare suite with a range of electronic alarms, sensors and GPS trackers for people with dementia available for demonstration.
Daniel Lawton’s severe arthritis means he can’t reach below his knees so has big problems putting on his shoes and socks. He also has psoriasis and needs to apply lotion to his feet twice a day.
The Daily Living Centre found him a sponge with an extra-long handle for him so that he could apply the lotion himself. They also pointed him to gadgets specially designed to help him put his shoes and socks on.
Daniel said: “Without the long-handled sponge I’d have been looking at two visits a day from care workers to apply the lotion to my feet.
“It would have been an awful waste of money, and I wouldn’t want to have to be reliant on them anyway. The Daily Living Centre has helped me keep my independence – if I couldn’t put my socks on I wouldn’t be able to go out. It’s a great service.”
Kevin Banfield, occupational therapist at the centre, said: “We’re very happy to work with the families and friends of people who have physical problems, not just the people themselves.
“For us it’s all about the personal touch and treating people with respect – we have a collaborative approach and always explain why we’re suggesting things.”
For further information about the Daily Living Centre please:
- Phone (01273) 296132
- Email dlc@brighton-hove.gov.uk
- Visit www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/dailylivingcentre