Landlord’s Unconventional Approach To Repairs Creates A Route To Independence

Loreburn Housing Association has found a rather unique solution to a repair reported by one of their tenants.  Penny Prentice was struggling with her existing manual wheelchair when trying to access her home when she approached her landlord for assistance.

Penny, of Minigaff, who had already undergone an Occupational Therapy assessment, had been told she did not qualify for a motorised wheelchair. But for Penny, her problems occurred whenever she left her home as she found it difficult to get back inside, often having to rely on neighbours or passers-by for a helping hand.  She approached Loreburn to see if a ramp might help.

Penny told us “I was told I could propel myself in the home, so I didn’t qualify for an electric chair.  But trying to do this from outside to get back in was really difficult.”

Roger Baillie, Maintenance Supervisor for Loreburn said “There wasn’t much we could do to the access route into Penny’s home that would have helped but we could see this was severely affecting Penny’s ability to get out and about.  We wanted to support her to remain independent and so she would not have to consider anything more drastic such as moving home.  It’s not one of our usual solutions but we’re always open to being creative.”

Penny added “I can’t thank Loreburn enough as the new chair has transformed my life.  Paul, my Neighbourhood Officer has been knocking every week to check I’m okay, but I think he might not find me at home quite so much now!”

Lorraine Usher, Chief Executive of Loreburn said “I’m delighted for Penny and to see our teams personalising services to meet customers individual needs and sustain tenancies. One of our key values is to create an exceptional customer experience and this a great example of how our teams can do just that.”

Loreburn provides housing to almost 2,500 households across the region including some specialist housing and has a development programme which will see a further 164 homes completed before the end of next year.  To register for a home, visit www.loreburnlettings.org.uk or call 01387 321300.