Mrs Anonymous (Mrs A) called the general Care and Repair number (01555 666200) to ask for assistance with her wheelchair.
Mrs A is an elderly lady who lives alone and has been provided with a wheelchair to use in her home and has been finding it difficult to use. She did not receive any instruction regarding the use of the chair when it was delivered. Mrs A is currently managing to get about by using her Zimmer frame.
A Care & Repair Officer called Mrs A to see who had provided the chair to see if we could be of assistance. During the telephone call, the Officer discovered that Mrs A had 5 light bulbs in her home that were not working and that she could not manage to change them herself. The Officer also discovered that Mrs A was having trouble with accessing facilities in her bathroom. The officer then assisted Mrs A with a self-referral to Social Work Occupational Therapy – which will lead to a home visit where Mrs A’s needs will be assessed and appropriate medical adaptions recommended. The Officer agreed with Mrs A that the Care & Repair Small Repairs Officer would call to make an appointment to help with the light bulbs.
The Small Repairs Officer called to make an appointment and explained the need and processes involved with home visits with regards to social distancing to keep everyone safe.
The Small Repairs Officer visited the client. He discovered the wheelchair just needed oiled and demonstrated how the brakes worked; he replaced the 5 defective lights and heard from Mrs A that her cooker kept on tripping out. He looked at the cooker and discovered that the grill element was defective. He arranged for a white goods technician to order the correct component and organised a suitable time for the technician to visit. The cooker has also now been fixed and is working fine.
From one simple phone call we made contact with Mrs A and:
• Fixed the wheelchair, allowing it to now be used, Mrs A is able to move about the house in a much safer manner now reducing the risk of fall.
• Five light bulbs were replaced, leading to a much better living environment and again reducing the risk falls.
•Identifying the problem with the cooker and arranging for it to be fixed by a reputable trade’s person. This will remove a potentially dangerous electrical fault and allow Mrs A to cook independently again.
• Assist with a self-referral to Social Work for a home assessment to establish what assistance is required to enable Mrs A to continue to live independently at home.
Our Small Repair Service is available by calling 01555 666200 or email enquiries@careandrepair-sl.co.uk