We Care Home Improvements 0300 323 0700

Useful contacts

We actively collaborate with key partners such as financial, disability charities, hospitals, GPs, and social care teams to support health and wellbeing in our community, promoting digital inclusion and preventative care. Our list of partners below are also part of the help available within our community.

We participate in local events and engage with key stakeholders to raise awareness of our services, ensuring that even hard-to-reach individuals and groups have access to the support they need.

We are committed to effectively publicising our services through local radio, press, online platforms, and community events. We ensure that our marketing materials are accessible and targeted to those most in need, with accessible information provided in various formats to meet diverse communication needs and our team are always happy to help with any requests.

A

Adaptations

If you need an adaptation to your home you should first contact your local health and social services and ask for a Community Care Assessment by an Occupational Therapist who will establish whether your condition warrants an adaptation, you will also be subject to a financial means test:

For larger works, this may lead to the possibility of a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). Please see the Disabled Facilities Grant section for further details.

Agents (Planning)

Planning applications must be accompanied by the necessary plans of the site. You can do this yourself or get a professional planning agent or architect to do it for you.

Age UK

Age UK provides a wide range of services to help people in later life throughout the UK. Bristol will support people with food shopping.

Alarm Pendants

These can act as a simple way of calling for help, or can be used by those who need assistive technology as an essential way of detecting falls or helping with memory loss.

B

Beds and accessories

Benefits advice

Blue Badge

Disabled parking permit enabling drivers to park in disabled spaces:

Boiler / Boiler Replacement Schemes/Energy Advice

How often should I get my boiler serviced? You should aim to have your boiler serviced yearly to make sure it is running efficiently.

Why should I consider replacing my boiler? It might be that your boiler isn’t energy efficient anymore or that it requires constant fixing. You might end up spending a lot more on energy bills because of it. For more information on how a new boiler can save you money.

Which boiler should I choose? If you’re replacing your boiler, we’d recommend a combi-boiler for maximum efficiency but we do offer a range of heating options for every household.

How much is a boiler? This depends on the boiler you’re having fitted. We’d recommend getting in touch with us for a relevant quote. We do offer our boilers on finance now so you can spread the cost throughout the year.

Why does my boiler keep losing pressure? There’s a variety of reasons as to why this might be happening. The two most common reasons are water leaks or faulty pressure release valve. Read more about common reasons your boiler might lose pressure.

What is the difference between a boiler and an electric heater? Both offer a way of heating your house, however gas boilers combined with radiators are much more efficient than electric heaters.

Why is winter the best time to get my boiler serviced? Contrary to popular belief, winter is not the best time to get your boiler serviced. Winter is often the busiest time of year for heating engineers as many people will turn their boiler on after the summer and find it doesn’t work. Get your boiler serviced in the summer instead and avoid the winter rush.

Boiler replacement schemes These schemes change all the time so always advisable to check with the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) first.

Do check Npower subsidised insulation and boiler replacement service as they offer a replacement scheme from time to time.

Bristol Older People’s Forum

Bristol Older People’s Forum (BOPF), The Voice of Older People in the City of Bristol.

Become a BOPF member and receive The BOPF Magazine with information about our work and the **things that matter to you, such as our Open Forum meetings, our Transport and Housing Action projects, key local contacts and much more… Tel: 0117 9041172, email: bopfadmin@ageukbristol.org.uk, web: www.bopf.org.uk.

Building Control

Advice and guidance to help with building regulations:

Carers: Support for

Cleaning: deep clean

Community meals

Community Support at Home

Companionship

Condensation

Loft conversions: These may be carried out using Wessex loan funding, providing there is a situation of overcrowding within the property which fails the Decent Homes standard.

Council Tenants

See also Home Choice

D

Debt Advice

Deep Cleans: see cleaning

Dementia

Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs)

Disabled Living Foundation

Downstairs toilet/Level Access Shower (LAS): see Adaptations

We Care Home Improvements are specialists in installing these types of adaptations in your home. Call 0300 323 0700 for more details

E

Equipment and Demonstration Centre

We have a variety of Home independence products available at our Home Independence Centre in Bristol which can support you to live independently in your own home. Visit us at 5, Hide Market, St Phillips, Bristol BS2 0BH

Environmental Health

If you think that disrepair to a neighbour’s property is affecting your home, Environmental Health are the people to contact.

Equipment Provision

Equipment Repairs

Equity Release

Extra Care Housing

A means of independent living with care. It provides older people, who have some care needs, with an assured tenancy in a self-contained flat in a purpose-built or adapted scheme. If you require help with personal care and daily activities and your present accommodation is not suitable any more, then extra care housing might be the answer. Extra care will enable you to have the care and support you need whilst maintaining a high degree of privacy and security. A trained care team is based in the same building to assist you with personal care and any other tasks you are unable to do alone. You will have the benefit of your own front door with the security and support of a safe environment. You will also benefit from the services of a manager who will be on site to deal with any problems you have with your flat.

F

Falls

Health and Social Services have a Falls Prevention Service which may be accessed through:

Fire Safety

General advice

H

Handrails

If you need handrails fitted to help you get around your garden or help to navigate steps, give us a call on 0300 323 0700 and we’ll arrange a quotation.

Handyperson Service

Hoarding or Making Space

The aims of We Care’s Making Space service is:

For help and advice about general de-cluttering please visit We Care Making Space or call us on 0300 323 0700 and we will arrange a quotation for you.

Homechoice

Your council’s housing options service. Services include applying and bidding for social housing (if you are eligible), and free and impartial advice regarding your housing options, including for people in housing need and those who are homeless or threatened with homelessness.

Housing Associations

HOUSING OPTIONS:

Is your current home no longer suitable for your needs?

Would you benefit from moving to a new area or a smaller property?

Call us on0300 323 0700 and ask for our Housing Options Caseworker.

I

Information & Advice

If you need information and advice on home electrics, problems with damp, boiler or immersion heater repairs, leaking roof or rotting window frames call us on 0300 323 0700 and ask for our Information and Advice service.

L

M

Making Space or Hoarding

The aims of We Care’s Making Space service is:

For help and advice about general de-cluttering please visit We Care Making Space. A Caseworker can help de-clutter a property if a hospital discharge is dependent upon it.

O

Occupational Therapy Assessment (Disabled Facilities Grant)

See Adaptations.

Park Homes

Gov.uk Park Homes: Information for park home residents in England on their rights and obligations under the Mobile Homes Act 1983.

Pendant alarms

These can act as a simple way of calling for help, or can be used by those who need assistive technology as an essential way of detecting falls or helping with memory loss.

Pest control

For pests which are not dealt with by the local council Protect a Home provide a comprehensive service but are not on our trusted contractor list.

Power of Attorney

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you (the ‘donor’) appoint one or more people (known as ‘attorneys’) to help you make decisions or to make decisions on your behalf.

This gives you more control over what happens to you if you have an accident or an illness and can’t make your own decisions (you ‘lack mental capacity’).

For information about The Mental Capacity Act 2005, Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) and Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) contact:

Removal of furniture: chargeable council services

You can donate large items like furniture to be reused by organisations, and councils can also collect large items from your home.

Removal of furniture: free of charge

Repairs

If you need adaptations or repairs to your home call us on 0300 323 0700 and our experienced team can help you find the best way to do it. This may include referring you to a contractor or We Care Home Improvements acting as your agent. Types of work this could cover are:

Types of repair:

Stairlifts

Visit our services page.

For those people that are finding it difficult to get up and down stairs, installing a stairlift or through floor lift may be the answer.

Call us on 0300 323 0700 and we can arrange for a home visit to assess your needs and provide a quotation.

T

Telecare

Local councils provide telecare services

Trusted Assessing and Care Training specialises in all types of training to do with equipment and home adaptations. TACT’s OTs offer accredited Trusted Assessor training along with courses dealing with reablement and equipment for independent living. Formats include face-to-face, eLearning and blended learning and they run both private programmes and open public courses including from We Care’s Bristol premises. Email them on info@trustedassessing.com, phone 01626 879528 or enquire via their website https://trustedassessing.com/

V

VAT exemption

Find out about which goods and services for disabled people and people aged 60 or over that you should apply zero or reduced rate VAT.

Volunteers

If you’d like to find out more about volunteering please visit our jobs and volunteering page.

Well Aware

Well Aware is a free information resource for everyone in Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Whether personal health services, a lunch club or social group, help around the home or in the garden, transport, advice, counselling or any other form of support, all you need to find is just a few clicks or a phone call away.

Website: www.wellaware.org.uk Tel: (freephone) 0808 808 5252 Email info@wellaware.org.uk

Websites

Get in touch

Tell us what needs doing.

Get in touch about a repair, a bigger change at home or help finding your next step.

0300 323 0700

08:00–16:30, Monday–Friday

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