If your circumstances change due to age or illness, planning for your future accommodation needs and costs is essential, to avoid wrong decisions being made in a crisis.
There are several options to consider, these could be moving home, supported living and accommodation with support, explore this further via our Housing with support | Connect to Support Lincolnshire
Extra Care Housing offers a unique housing option that promotes independence and well-being. It's designed to be flexible, catering to your changing needs over time. The goal is to provide high-quality housing with support and care services, allowing you to live independently in your community for as long as you choose.
Extra Care Housing provides you with an option of accommodation, that has been designed for people who are aged 55 and over to enable you your continued independence. Proven to enhance your quality of life, whilst supporting your continued independence this type of accommodation offers a more flexible approach in the provision of housing and homecare.
The location of the Extra Care Housing schemes enables you to be able to stay within your chosen community and have continued access to services close to home. Extra Care Housing has many other benefits such as: additional employment opportunities, greater use of community facilities and volunteering opportunities in the community.
It is essential to understand that Extra Care Housing is NOT a residential care home or a nursing care home. People living in Extra Care Housing have their own self-contained homes and their own front doors. Depending on the type, this housing may include communal facilities like a lounge, guest suite, laundry, shop, restaurant, fitness facilities, and hobby rooms. On-site staff can provide domestic support and personal care, focusing on helping you maintain independence with support available support needed.
Extra Care Housing is rented accommodation that you and the person you live with are responsible for. There is also a service charge, which covers for the upkeep of the communal areas. You will need to understand the content of the tenancy agreement and will need to be able to meet the requirements set out within the agreement.
You may have concerns about being able to afford the rent but it maybe that you are eligible for housing benefit, and you can find out more about this benefit by exploring the following websites:
https://www.gov.uk/housing-benefit
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice
or by contacting your local District Councils benefits officers, Citizens advise and Age UK.
There are numerous benefits of Extra Care Housing, some of which are listed below:
There are several different Extra Care Housing schemes across Lincolnshire, identified in the attached directory. The facilities offered within each of these schemes will vary and listed are some examples of what they offer.
Contact the Extra Care Housing scheme you are interested in to confirm what they have available. This may include:
communal seated areas where you can meet new friends and neighbours for coffee and conversation and gardens
You can be involved in as much or as little as you like, you can share your experiences, organise groups and activities that enables you to share knowledge and skills. The Scheme Managers actively seek to invite local health support services and local communities to visit.
You can also gain additional top-up support, at a cost, for those important events.
Each of the Extra Care Housing schemes welcome visitors to come and have a look around and meet the team. You can arrange an appointment by contacting the Scheme Manager for the Extra Care scheme you are interested in. Their contact details are noted within the directory attached.
The Extra Care accommodation is spacious and has the following:
Generally, you will need to have a care need to be considered for accommodation at an Extra Care Housing scheme but there are schemes that do not require you to have a care need to be considered so it's worth contacting the Scheme Manager of the Extra Care Housing scheme you are interested in to check.
Extra Care Housing offers 24/7 care and support on-site, ranging from just 1 hour to over 10 hours per week. To determine your care requirements, a Needs Assessment by a Lincolnshire County Council Adult Care Practitioner is necessary. For more information or to request a Needs Assessment, please contact LCC Customer Service Centre at 01522 782155.
Your care needs will be taken into consideration to ensure that you are eligible for accommodation at the scheme and to ensure that the on-site care provider will be able to support your required care needs. The care provider can assist with personal care, domestic tasks, including shopping, and provide social support.
When applying for an Extra Care scheme, remember that each Housing Provider has a different process. Follow these steps:
It is also important to consider the following:
With your consent, your application and the details from your Adult Care Practitioner will be reviewed by a panel. Panel meetings take place when there is a vacancy at the scheme.
The panel consists of:
Each application is carefully reviewed, and you can provide extra documents to highlight your strengths and abilities which will help to further support the outcome of your application. Here's what you need to know:
