Three years after the final tools were released we continue to have feedback from individuals and those working with older people about how helpful they find the tools. Some recent examples from people we’ve spoken with include:

Mrs R was worried about things that needed fixing around her house. She was anxious that she would not be able to cope and would have to go to live in a rest home. A friend suggested that she phone Ron the local home handy man to see if he could help. Ron sat down with Mrs R to talk about her concerns and they went through the Good Homes checklist together. Ron fairly quickly identified that the kitchen sink pipe needed unblocking, and a couple of leaking taps needed attention. Outside Ron cleaned out the guttering, which had overflowed in the recent rain. Ron also arranged to fix a window the following day. Later Mrs R rang her friend and said that the repairs weren’t nearly as daunting as she had thought, and she didn’t feel as if she needed to go to a rest home anymore.

Mrs G said to her son Bernie, “I think I’ll have to move because I’m worried about my safety”. Bernie had been meaning to check out his mother’s house with the help of the Good Homes tool, so he used this opportunity to find out the things his mother felt unsafe about. After a cup of tea they started going through the checklist room-by-room, and Bernie realised that his mother’s windows were lacking safety stays. When he and his mother used the checklist in the kitchen, he found that a couple of power points were not working. Mrs G said that she would like a grab rail installed in the bathroom, and would feel safer with a hand rail at the back door. Bernie found a few other ideas in the tool for improving the safety of his mother’s home, and together they worked out a plan to get the work done. Mrs G felt much happier about her home and thought she would feel very safe once the jobs were done.

Mrs W sent us a letter after a positive experience with the local fire service