Celebrating Occupational Therapists’ Week

This week we celebrate the work of our Occupational Therapists by sharing the story of Mrs Jones, a resident of a small village in the Scottish Borders, and how an OT-designed home adaptation has enabled her to continue living independently at home.

Mrs Jones, who is in her late 60s, lives with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and heart failure. As her health conditions progressed, everyday activities within her home became increasingly challenging. In particular, she found it difficult to manage the stairs and was no longer able to safely access the bath in her upstairs bathroom.
Given the progressive nature of her conditions, it was anticipated that she would eventually need to live entirely on one level.

Following an assessment by an Occupational Therapist, a referral was made to Borders Care & Repair to explore options for creating suitable bathing facilities on the ground floor of her home. Due to the property’s rural location, there were very limited opportunities to secure alternative accessible accommodation within the village that would meet both her needs and those of her family. Remaining in her existing home, surrounded by familiar people and community connections, was therefore identified as the preferred solution.

The property already contained a downstairs WC and an adjoining storage cupboard. Following a survey by Borders Care & Repair, it was confirmed that the cupboard could be incorporated into the existing toilet area to create a level-access shower room that would meet Mrs Jones’ current and future needs.

The adaptation was delivered by Eildon Housing’s Home Improvement Team, working to a specification developed by the Occupational Therapist in partnership with Borders Care & Repair. The project successfully transformed the existing space into a fully accessible ground-floor shower room, providing a practical long-term solution for Mrs Jones.

As a result of the adaptation, Mrs Jones can now access all the essential facilities she requires on the ground floor of her home. The adaptation has helped future-proof her home, reducing the likelihood of increased care needs or the need to move away from her support network.

See below the bathroom before and after shots: