Financial support

Local authorities play a major part in the lives of young disabled people in many ways. Local authorities hold, assess and allocate the funding for the personal assistance and care many people need at home. Each local authority makes its own judgement on the thresholds of need and support they will fund and how they will deliver that funding and social care.

Do you need to adapt your home?

Local authorities also hold funds that are available to people who require adaptations to make the properties they live in more accessible through the DFG, as well as through the provision of adapted, council-owned social housing accommodation.

If you are experiencing difficulties getting the support you are entitled to please contact the advocacy team.  Our advocacy service negotiated over £300,000 for patients affected my muscular dystrophy in 2011 alone. This is for services including additional care hours from local authorities and the NHS, Disabled Facilities Grants for people whose applications had been turned down, and Disability Living Allowance payments for people who had been told they were not eligible for this vital support. 

Do you need funding for care?

Those deemed to have a care need will receive grants and benefits which collectively are referred to as a care package. The individual grants and benefits are awarded according to an assessment of eligibility and needs undertaken by Social Services.

Do you need funding for equipment?

The Joseph Patrick Trust (JPT), the welfare fund within the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, provides grants towards the costs of specialist equipment such as powered wheelchairs, adapted computers and electric beds, for children and adults.

The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign has awarded more than 6,000 grants, totalling more than £6million, towards specialist equipment such as powered wheelchairs in the last 25 years to children and adults, helping more than 5,000 children and adults with muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular conditions to purchase specialist mobility equipment not available on the NHS.