Who we help

Mrs Morris

Mrs Morris (81 yrs.) is a widow and homeowner. She is living with a number of health conditions including high blood pressure and cholesterol, arthritis and recently spent 3 weeks in hospital following a stroke. Prior to her stroke she had been very independent despite her multiple heath conditions. Her two daughters and their family all live a considerable distance from her.

Mrs Morris contacted Care & Repair (C&R) as she was worried about her roof, two of the three bedrooms had signs of water leaking in and this was causing her considerable distress.

The C&R Technical Officer visited, identified the problem and confirmed the deterioration of the roof was a major problem and needed replacing. Roof repairs had been attempted on several occasions in the past but had not resolved the problems. The roof was made of a non-traditional material, corrugated asbestos, and any work on the roof would need to be undertaken by a specialist contractor. The TO received quotes from two suitably qualified contactors and the cost of the work was £9,492 (includes VAT).

Mrs Morris lived off her state pension only and had no saving to draw on to pay for the replacement roof.

The C &R Caseworker worked with Mrs Morris to identify and apply for benevolent funding to pay for the replacement roof. Due to her late husband having served in the Royal Pioneer Corps. Funding totally £8,437 was received from the Army Benevolent Fund, Royal Logistic Corps. SSAFA Emergency Fund and the Royal British Legion.

The Caseworker also carried out a Welfare Benefits check to ensure Mrs Morris was claiming all she was entitled. Mrs Morris was not claiming Attendance Allowance (AA), so this was applied for resulting in the higher rate (£87.65 per week) being awarded. Following this award Mrs Morris wanted to contribute towards the cost of the work and gave £300.

Before the work could start the caseworker had to find the remaining £756 and successfully applied to the Care and Repair Healthy Homes for Older People fund.

This fund, held by Care & Repair Cymru, can be accessed on behalf of C&R clients across Wales who meet the funds criteria. The £4,554 received from the 2018 Big Give campaign formed a substantial contribution to the fund.

Following the work to replace the roof Mrs Morris is now living in a warm, secure home with no water ingress via the roof. Her weekly income has increased due to applying for AA and her general wellbeing has improved as she is no longer worried about the roof.

Help To Move – Client story

Mr Edwards was living alone in his 4-bedroom house in a rural location. His wife had passed away 4 years previously and at 92 years old, he was finding it difficult to cope on his own. Mr Edwards was referred to 'Help to Move' by Delta Wellbeing (the Social Services contact centre). He had been considering moving for some time and had contacted Delta Wellbeing a year previously to ask for advice. However, they were unable to help. A year later, when Mr Edwards was referred to Delta by a concerned GP, his details were passed on to Care and Repair Carmarthenshire's new Help to Move scheme.

As a result of the referral, Emma Harris-Jones (the Help to Move Co-ordinator) visited Mr Edwards. She found the home in a state of some disrepair. Mr Edwards was living in one room, hadn't been upstairs since his wife had passed away and was struggling to manage in the 'big house'.

Prior to the Emma's involvement, Mr Edwards had listed his property with a local estate agent, had accepted an offer on his home and was now in the process of looking for somewhere more suitable live. He was considering purchasing a flat close to town but hadn't considered sheltered or 'extra care' housing. Having been informed of his options, Mr Edwards decided to visit an extra care facility. Emma accompanied Mr Edwards to a viewing and by the following day he had decided he wanted to move there as soon as possible.

Emma liaised with his solicitor and estate agent and arranged for Mr Edwards to undergo the relevant assessments in order to secure a place in the extra care facility. They discussed and agreed what belongings Mr Edwards wanted to keep and what to dispose of. They arranged removal quotes and Mr Edwards decided to engage a local removal company. Emma ensured that checks were carried out to safeguard that Mr Edwards was using a trustworthy company.

Mr Edwards wanted to purchase items for his new flat, including a fridge freezer, bedding and vacuum cleaner. Emma worked with a trusted friend and neighbour to arrange this.

Because Mr Edwards was struggling with his mobility, Emma referred him to Occupational Therapy, who were able to provide a shower seat, a W.C. raiser and chair raisers. A referral was also made to Social Services for a community care assessment. Emma also liaised with local third sector agencies to support Mr Edwards, including FAST who helped hang pictures, assemble a flat pack furniture and even fix a wobbly chair.

On completion of the move, Emma supported Mr Edwards to contact utility providers to change his address and arrange Direct Debit payments. Emma also supported him to notify relevant agencies of his new address such as the Department of Works and Pensions, banks and building societies.

In his feedback, Mr Edwards wrote, "I had a lack of knowledge of housing options and costs". He was very grateful for the support given to him by the Help to Move scheme, saying that he wouldn't have been able to manage without it. Eight weeks after Emma's first visit, Mr Edwards, had settled into his new home, enjoying the company of staff and other residents. He visits the restaurant every lunchtime for a home cooked meal.

Mrs Brice

Mrs Brice (80yrs) has lived alone in the house for the past 11yrs. She suffers from a number of health conditions and the cold makes these conditions worse.

The central heating boiler in the property was 30yrs old and it needed replacing, not only was it inefficient but was constantly breaking down. Mrs Brice has no savings and was unable to replace the boiler.

After assessing Mrs Brice’s needs quotations for a new boiler were sort. The full cost of a replacement boiler was £3,180.

Due to Mrs Brices background and circumstances the Care & Repair was successful in applying for benevolent funding totalling £1,375 from;

• EEIBA £500.00
• Supporting Friends £100.00
• Home Warmth £200.00
• AFTAID £125.00
• Eaton Fund £250.00
• St John Lloyd £200.00
• Health Through Warmth Crisis Fund £1,805

Care & Repair arranged for the boiler to be replaced. Mrs Brice was also concerned about the fuse box and the contractor who quoted for the boiler also investigated the fuse box and was able to assure Mrs Brice all was in order and so stopped her from worrying about this. The caseworker also ran a benefits check to ensure Mrs Brice was claiming all applicable benefits and provided with information regarding a community alarm system.

Watch Mrs Brice tell her story.

Mr & Mrs King

Mr King (67) an ex coal miner has a number of health complaints associated with his occupation. He is very unsteady on his feet and had a serious fall getting out of the bath. He is unable to bathe independently of his wife.

Mr and Mrs King approached their Local authority Disabled Facility Grant (DFG) team for help but were declined on the grounds that their income was too great (their expenditure closely matched their income, but expenditure isn’t accounted for in the DFG means test process).

They came to Care and Repair because they didn’t know how to get the help that they needed. As they already had the DFG Occupational Therapist report in place, we helped to source and secure funding for the adaptations they needed. Mr King was having to live downstairs and bathe in the kitchen, Care & Repair firstly secured funding for a stair lift and then for a grant to have his bath removed and a walk in shower installed.

Whilst supporting Mr & Mrs King to get the adaptations needed, caseworkers also noted that the step into their home was very high, so arranged for a half step to be provided, now Mr King can get in and out of the property more easily. The caseworker also noted that there was only one working smoke alarm in the property, so had a further smoke alarm fitted on the upstairs landing.

Mr King can now get upstairs to sleep and is now safer in the bathroom, and at much reduced risk of falling as a result of the new shower cubicle. He is also able to bathe independently again.

Watch Mr & Mrs King telling their story.

Pauline and Brian

When Pauline and Brian needed to adapt their bathroom so Pauline could bathe safely, they simply didn’t know who to call. Luckily a friend told them to contact Care & Repair and from then on their problems were solved.

With the help and support of the Caseworker and Technical officer from the local Care & Repair Agency the couple found suitable contractors to carry out the work  and their bathroom was transformed. With a new level access shower instead of the old bath Pauline is now able to bathe safely and independently.

In addition Care and Repair carried out a full Healthy Homes check on their property which resulted in hand rails being installed to help Pauline negotiate steps up to her front and back doors safely. The caseworker also identified the couple were not claiming Attendance Allowance  and  helped them successfully apply which means they are now £8,500 a year better off.

Listen to Pauline talking about how Care & Repair helped when their bathroom needed adapting.

Mrs Davies

Mrs Davies aged 89 is an owner-occupier and has lived in her detached property for 89 years. She is very infirm, her mobility is poor due to arthritis she has sight problems and had scalded her foot 2 months ago which was healing very slowly.  Mrs Davies is frail and slight which compounds any issues or injuries and she has little body strength. In spite of this she is reluctant to ask for help.

Mrs Davies was referred to Care & Repair by an Occupational Therapist from the Community Resource Team of the local Health Board under the Critical Prevention Programme.

The RRAP work was undertaken quickly (i.e. the same day as referral) - a grabrail was fitted and an unsteady dining room table was secured. A caseworker assessed the home and a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector were provided. Further assistance for aids & adaptations and improvements to heating were declined. However, a future visit found the client in difficulty after being locked out.  The client had been outside all night; she was suffering with hypothermia and was in distress.  She was accompanied to hospital by a Caseworker and subsequent discussions have meant she has agreed to help involving a Lifeline installation, minor adaptations and NEST for heating improvements.

Providing a sensitive, caring but persistent service has meant that the reluctance to secure preventative assistance has been overcome. The RRAP could very quickly address the primary causes of concern but the casework service provided ‘added-value’ and a more sustainable outcome.

The RRAP Health prevention service is able to work in a very targeted and effective way.  Our trusted brand supports safe discharge from hospital and on-going support in the home. Mrs Davies is still vulnerable but she is an on-going client of Care & Repair who she has now learned to trust and ask for help. Her home is now better suited to her independence and is warmer and safer. Her family and informal carers are far more confident. Preventing her admission to hospital reduces demand in an increasingly stretched NHS, and saves money.

Managing Better

Mrs Bickle is 85 years of age, retired and lives with her son who owns the property. She was referred to Care & Repair by an eye clinic liaison officer for RNIB. 

The Managing Better Caseworker visited Mrs Bickle to carry out a healthy homes check and she identified a number of issues.

Listen to Mrs Bickles story to see how the Managing Better service helped Mrs Bickle and the difference it made to her quality of life.

Mr Morris 

Mr Morris approached Care & Repair asking for help with the damp in his house especially in the downstairs toilet, middle room on the ground floor and also in the kitchen.  Mr Morris lives in the house with his 3 youngest children. The home visit also highlighted issues around cold, and safety risks relating to poor appliances.

We rectified the damp, supported by benevolent funding raised by a Caseworker.  NEST was accessed to improve central heating - a boiler and 12 new radiators were provided. Additional funding was raised for a new cooker and from Swalec for a new washing machine. In total £6,000 was raised.

Mr Morris is now living in a warmer home and the damp is no longer affecting his breathing. He is no longer in danger from worn out appliances and he is able to cook warm food and wash clothes for himself and his family.His heating bills are reduced and he does not have to use the launderette.

The pressures of poor health, poor housing, reliance on informal carers, and potential poverty have been relieved. His family circumstance is improved and familial anxiety is reduced.  Increased demand and cost to public services such as the NHS has been prevented.