Families needing to redesign, remodel or make alterations to their houses to accomodate the the needs of the elderly or those family members with a disability will now find it harder to get access to this grant and in many cases the value of the grant will be reduced.

Such alterations may include widening doorways to facilitate wheelchair access, converting downstairs rooms to bedrooms or adding a downstairs bathrooms due to the inability or difficulty to use a the stairs.

The changes to the scheme came into force on 1st January 2014 without any prior announcement, and the main changes are:

• Changes to the income bands to qualify. The earnings over which no grant will be paid has been reduced from €65,000 to €60,000.
• For older people, the maximum grant has been reduced from €10,500 to €8,000.
• Also, for older people the age for eligibility has been raised from 60 to 66 years.
• The income of all adults in the household is now included in the income assessment.
• Proof of compliance with the local property tax is now required.

More details can be found on the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government website page: Adjustments to the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability.

These changes have been criticised by Age Action , saying that it will hit the most vulnerable older people and those on lowest incomes the hardest. The introduction of the changes only came to light because a document for local authority officials was leaked to the media.

The cuts and reductions in this grant raises concerns that elderly people and those with a disability will find it more difficult to remain living in their own homes.

According to Age Action spokesperson Eamon Timmons: “While the intention of the review was to make the schemes more focused and targeted at those most in need, the impact is that changes to Housing Aid for Older People scheme mean that funds will be spread more thinly, with the poorest of older people now receiving a reduced maximum grant while also being expected for the first time to pay for a percentage of the work.”

Have you or members of your family been impacted by this change?