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Welcome to this week's Independent Living newsletter
24.08.16 Contents:
Blue Badge theft and misuse
When DFGs don't work...
Norfolk council investigation outcome
Smartphone app for epilepsy
Derek's View – The Key Safe Company
Latest updates - Paralympics; childhood obesity
1. Blue Badge theft and misuse

The latest figures from the Department of Transport confirmed that thefts of Blue Badge parking permits have risen again, despite efforts to prevent misuse. The benefits of free and convenient parking, not to mention exemption from the London congestion charge, can add up to thousands of pounds worth of advantage for unscrupulous people.

Councils promise to come down hard on anyone they catch: there were 985 successful prosecutions last year, compared with 565 the year before. However, as they largely depend on members of the public tipping them off about misuse of permits, people with non-visible disabilities once again have to worry about overzealous citizens challenging their right to a disabled parking space...

Read more here

 

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2. When DFGs don't work...

In last week's issue, I wrote about Disabled Facilities Grants, and how effective they are in adapting homes, to enable people to continue living there safely and independently.

However, they are definitely not a universally successful panacea. Yes, where they work well, they can make life easier, cut down on emergency admissions to hospital, and get people back home more quickly if they do need hospital treatment.

But, like every other aspect of health and social care, they are underfunded, and also suffer from some rather arbitrary approaches to decision-making – as you will see from Jayne Winters' account of battling, and ultimately failing, to get a satisfactory outcome to her problems.

You can read her story here

 

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3. Norfolk County Council review completed

Earlier this year,  Equal Lives, a consortium of user-led groups in Norfolk, launched a challenge to the local council over alleged failings to comply with statutory obligations under the Care Act. Eschewing the usual routes, Equal Lives applied initially for the CQC to investigate the council: a step which did not receive the necessary consent from the Secretary of State. Instead, the Council requested an auditing of their adult social care procedures by the SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence).

The review was completed last month, and SCIE has made some recommendations as to how adult social care provisions could be improved in Norfolk.

Analysis of their report by legal expert Belinda Schwehr highlights the fact that despite the Care Act being in full force, its requirements have yet to be fully implemented across the county. There is also a lack of rational explanation for cuts in people's support packages: councils are certainly in a difficult position, trying to manage greater demands with reduced budgets, but that doesn't remove their legal requirement to justify any decisions they make with reference to their statutory duties to residents. Lack of money is not an acceptable reason not to meet eligible assessed needs.

More details here

 

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4. Smartphone app for epilepsy

Easylink UK is launching a new addition to the Medpage range of epilepsy seizure detectors – with its own smartphone app. 

The MP5V2-S uses the company's patented sensor technology which provides reliable seizure detection, with a free app which when installed to a smartphone will provide seizure alarms, seizure diary updates, set up control of the monitor and an option for seizure-triggered dialling to an emergency contact. The system is supplied with a long-range Bluetooth alarm pager with tone/vibration alerts.

More details here

 

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5. Derek's View – The Key Safe Company

If you are anything like me, you can probably remember visiting older, less mobile relatives in more carefree times, who left a front door key under a flowerpot, or on a string that could be reached through the letterbox, so that visitors could let themselves in.

Nobody would recommend such insecure solutions these days, but there is a safe way to achieve the same result. The Key Safe Company provides small, discreet boxes, just large enough to hold a few keys, which fix securely to the outside wall of the house, and can be opened by entering the correct code on a push button keypad. You just set the code, and advise anybody who you want to let in. It's easy to change, as well, to prevent people gaining access when you no longer want them to do so.

More details about the KeySafe here

If you provide high quality products and services, and you would like to reach our site visitors and newsletter readers, please email derek@independentliving.co.uk

 

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6. Latest updates - Paralympics; childhood obesity

A couple of days ago, I was lucky enough to talk to Ben Rowlings, wheelchair racer and holder of no less than four British records, before he sets off for the Paralympics in Rio at the weekend.

You will be able to find out more next week about his path to becoming an elite athlete; self-motivation; the effect of those budget cuts, and how disabled youngsters can get involved in sports.

 

There have already been many column inches in the national media dedicated to deploring the new childhood obesity strategy. One in five children overweight before they even get to primary school; one in three by the time they leave at 11 – clearly, we need to do something different, yet the most high-impact proposals seem to have disappeared from the final document. For an insight into ways in which big business influences health policy, read Mary Farmer's recent article "An Unexpected U-Turn"

As always, there are various ways you can get in touch with Independent Living: email me; visit our Facebook page and leave a message there; or if it's short and sweet, Tweet!

Previous newsletters are archived here.

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Until next time, all good wishes,

Frances

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Frances Leckie
Editor

e: editor @ independentliving.co.uk
t: +44 (0) 208 133 0628
Skype: francesleckie
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