Disabled facilities grant delays too long, watchdog warns
Figures seen by BBC Wales suggest that some elderly and disabled people are waiting nearly four times longer than others for money to pay for essential lifts, ramps and rails in their homes.
Some councils are taking up to two years to pay out grants for the improvements.
Local authorities in Wales offer the Disabled Facilities Grant, which helps towards the cost of adapting the home to enable someone to continue to live there.
Experts say an average grant, costing £7,500 keeps a person out of residential care for four years - which can cost over £100,000.
But there are big variations in the speed of that help. While the average delivery time for Welsh councils was 326 days, Newport took 638 days.
Older People's Commissioner Sarah Rochira spoke to Good Morning Wales.
26 Sep 2012
- From the section Wales