Housebuilders and housing providers are being given a simplified means to build and/or refurbish to the specific needs of over 10million people.
A new report into disability in the UK* highlights that there is a shortage of housing specifically designed for disabled people; currently, 6million households contain at least one person with a disability, and of those, 1.5million need specially adapted accommodation. Further, of the four features+ considered to make a home ??visitable??, over a quarter (6 million) of existing homes did not have even one of those elements.
Total Hygiene, the UK??s leading disable toileting solutions provider, has developed a package whereby it will provide design advice, supply, install, and commission appropriate bathrooms, wetrooms and toilets, to ensure the new-build or refurbishment meets disabled people??s needs, relevant legislation and ??best practice?? guidance.
Enhancing the core product package, Total Hygiene has also devised a scheme for social housing providers, whereby certain equipment can be refurbished and moved to alternative locations when no longer needed at one home, optimising budget considerations.
?One of the four necessary features is use of a toilet on the ground or entry floor,?? says Robin Tuffley, Total Hygiene marketing manager. ?Often, there isn??t the space to add a toilet specifically for the disabled person. A simple option is to replace a conventional WC with a ??wash and dry?? (automatic shower) toilet, which, in one, enables the disabled person to go to the toilet without the aid of a carer, and can also be used by other members of the household. In addition, a key element of the Lifetime Homes criteria is that ??new homes should be built to be accessible for all people, young and old, single or in families, disabled and non-disabled??, with a specific requirement being the provision of an accessible toilet, and it being ??good practice?? to create a room from the outset that can be turned into a full wetroom in the future.
?Total Hygiene is the largest and longest-established British provider of toilet solutions for disabled people. Our comprehensive product and service package means specifiers can use just one point of contact to ensure any new or refurbished dwelling optimizes accessible toileting and bathing, enabling the 10million disabled people in the UK to live as independently as possible.??
Total Hygiene has 50 years?? expertise in developing, supplying and maintaining toileting aids; its Clos-o-Mat wash and dry toilet is the most successful unit of its type: today, some 40,000 Clos-o-Mats are installed in the UK, some of which have been in regular use for over 30 years. The company??s extensive range of options, from grab rails to height adjustable Clos-o-Mats and Aerolet toilet lifters, enables a bathroom or washroom adaptation to be selected and installed, from one source.
For more information telephone 0161 969 1199, email info@clos-o-mat.com or visit www.clos-o-mat.com
* Papworth Trust, Disability in the UK Facts & Figures published 09/2012
