Maintaining independence at home

How can you help me stay independent at home?

If you are struggling to live at home independently, or are worried about your safety in your own home, there are a number of ways we can help:

On this website:

• check out our list of community support and daycare activities. These can help you get out and about and make new friends.

On our dedicated adult social website - Your Life, Your Way:

• aids, equipment and adaptations - we can provide equipment or make minor adaptations to your home to give you better access
• lifeline and response service - our personal alarm service can provide you with confidence and peace of mind - knowing there is always someone available if you need help
• home care - there are a range of care services available to help you continue live in and run your own home.

Is there any help and advice available with paying heating bills?

Healthy Homes Aid

The Healthy Homes aid is for those who have long term illnesses and are finding it hard to fully fund heating systems/repairs and insulation in their homes.

People who actually need help are often the least likely to ask for it. By working with community professionals, we can offer practical help and advice about heating and insulation to the people who need it most.

We receive referrals from community professionals (for people who meet the scheme’s criteria), such as health and social care workers, welfare agencies and charitable organisations.

If you know someone with a long-term illness, who may need help with repairing a broken heating system, installing a new one or fitting insulation, that can' pay for the work in full themselves, and you think we could help, please tell us by completing the referral form below and emailing back:

Healthy Homes Referral Form (word 2.2mb) 

The form can be returned to us by:

Email:  healthy.homes@eastriding.gov.uk

Fax: (01482) 396 103

Post:

Healthy Homes Team
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Public Protection Division
Town Hall
Bridlington
East Riding of Yorkshire
YO16 4LP.

Eligibility

People who are eligible are those with long-term illness who own and occupy their home in the East Riding, but also have a low income and little or no savings (assessed) and can’t fully fund the work themselves. 

Applicants should  live in the East Riding and occupied their home for at least 6 months to qualify. We’ll check to make sure the person is eligible, so they’ll have to fill in a couple of forms about their situation, including income and expenditure. 

If you have questions about the criteria, you can contact us: 

Telephone: (01482) 396301

Email:  healthy.homes@eastriding.gov.uk

Areas of heating the scheme can help with include:

• cavity wall and loft insulation
  
• boiler repairs and replacement
  
• heating systems or appliances
  
• energy efficiency advice
  
• access to funding.

We choose contractors carefully, and we stay in touch with our clients from start to finish – making sure they’re happy with the results.

Funding

Funding may be available to help pay for heating and insulation work from a range of sources. 

In addition to the Healthy Homes Fund, these include grant schemes and charitable organisations. This assistance is discretionary and dependent upon funding.

Are there any apps or digital solutions that can help me at home?

There are various apps and digital solutions that you can use to help you at home or whilst out and about:

Pill Reminder Pro

Pill Reminder Pro is an app that helps people to remember when to take their pills. You simply enter the name of your pill, the dosage, frequency, and what time(s) of a day you are supposed to take your pills, and Pill Reminder Pro sends you a message via a PUSH alert. The app received mixed reviews, with one person writing that they "can't do without this".

Pill Reminder Pro on the App Store (external website)

Park 'n' Forget

Parking can be confusing, and trying to locate your car among hundreds of other vehicles frustrates even the most patient driver, young or old. Park 'n' Forget is an app that helps you remember where you parked your car, and it even monitors the amount of time you spent in metered parking spaces. 

Park 'n' Forget on the App Store (external website)

OnKöl 

OnKöl is a simple-to-use invention that connects the elderly and those with special needs to their families and caregivers. It provides a team approach to helping care for a loved one while allowing them to continue to live independently in their home:

OnKol (external website)

VizWiz, free, iOS

This app was developed by a team from the University of Rochester and is targeted at partially-sighted users. It allows users to take a picture with their phone, speak a question and receive multiple spoken answers. Find out more about the app on the University of Rochester site.

VizWiz on the App Store (external website)

Read2Go, £13.99, iOS

This digital talking book reader allows users to browse, search, download and read books directly from Bookshare, as well as read Daisy (digital talking books) books and publications from other sources. The app allows users to control visual choices for font size and colour, background and highlighting colour, and text-to-speech preferences and was a recent app of the month recommendation by the Royal National Institute for the Blind.

Read2Go on the App Store (external website)

Dragon Dictation, free, iOS

This voice-recognition application allows users to dictate text or email messages and see them instantly. Users can also dictate status updates for Facebook, tweets, or send themselves notes and reminders. A user on the Enabled by Design site says: "I've been using Dragon Naturally Speaking for about a year now for all emails, letters, etc, as my hand mobility makes typing difficult. I have no complaints at all. Dragon constantly surprises me as it 'learns' so quickly."

Dragon Dictation on the App Store (external website)

Which? Your rights free, iOS

The mobile guide to consumer rights that will arm you with all you need to know in your fight against retailers, from dealing with faulty goods to returning unwanted Christmas gifts. It offers sample letters you can send to retailers and two lengthy sections on the Consumer Credit Act and the Consumer Rights Act – making it useful for those wishing to pre-arm themselves by brushing up on their consumer knowledge, as well as those looking for a lightning-quick reference tool while shopping.

Which? Your rights on the App Store (external website)

Vouchercloud, free, Windows Phone, Android, Blackberry

This app offers on-the-go discount vouchers, allowing you to search for nearby shops, restaurants, cinemas, leisure outlets, garden centres and other high street outlets offering discounts. You can download a voucher and show it to the vendor without having to print anything out.

Vouchercloud (external website)

idealo - Price comparison

idealo is an app that allows cost-conscious shoppers to scan the barcode on a product and search for the cheapest place to buy it. The app will find price information on over three million products. idealo only searches online shops, meaning that to get the bargains it finds you'll have to order and pay for goods online and wait for them to be delivered.

idealo - Price comparison on the App Store (external website)

Can I request help and advice for a friend or relative?

You can contact our customer services to request a referral on behalf of a friend or relative.

Alternatively, you can visit your nearest customer service centre.