A purpose-built Leonard Cheshire Disability care home, Hill House, in Cheshire, is transforming the lives of its residents after the UK’s leading provider of assistive technology, RSLSteeper, helped them to adapt the infrastructure of the building.
Assistive technologies are designed to provide residents with an improved level of independence and control of their own environment by aiding them with a range of everyday tasks including opening windows and doors, switching on the TV, turning lights on and off and opening the blinds.
The first part of the project involved RSLSteeper’s specialist team installing wiring throughout the building stages for the future use of these technologies. RSLSteeper then provided advice regarding the best technology for Leonard Cheshire Disability to incorporate into the building, along with NHS contacts to assist with the provision of individual environmental access needs. Additionally, the team began work on fitting door and window openers, along with window-blind controllers.
One of the main challenges of the six-week project was to work around the other trades involved in the building process, and to react quickly to any problems that arose within tight timescales. This included a change to the specifications after RSLSteeper identified an issue with the tops of doors, along with the need to source hard-to-find blind controllers as opposed to curtains, as these posed a health and safety hazard when it came to the patio doors.
Edd Grinham, Marketing Manager for RSLSteeper’s Assistive Technology division, explains: “The key was to provide excellent project management - dealing with any issues in an efficient and unobtrusive way. The fact that we were involved in the process so early was a big factor. This meant that we were able to install all the necessary wiring beneath the plaster and plan ahead for any additional requirements that Leonard Cheshire Disability could potentially have later down the line. We also provide regular maintenance of the systems that are in place to ensure that we solve any problems that may arise.”
Rebecca Nancarrow, Project Liaison Manager at Leonard Cheshire Disability, said: “RSLSteeper’s experience proved to be truly invaluable for this project, and we were very pleased with the relationship we were able to establish with them right from the off. They made sure that any issues that arose were dealt with, and they were brilliant at sourcing anything we needed.
“The way that RSLSteeper adapted the infrastructure of the building also ensured that we were then able to provide additional technology which was tailored to the needs of each of our residents, allowing them to maintain a good level of independence and maintain control of their own environment. The assistive technology has been truly life-changing for our residents and for our staff, and all of our visitors have commented on the calm environment that we have here now.”
