Duke and Joan Case Study

Duke and Joan

*This is a fictional case study and character(s) based on a variety of real situations.

Duke and Joan are a couple in their late 70’s living in North Vancouver. Duke has Parkinson’s Disease which has started to affect his mobility more now than in previous years. The couple had a clear idea that they needed to convert their bath tub into a walk-in shower and they were also going to need a stairlift to enable Duke to safely get to the bathroom and bedroom upstairs. After having an Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy assessment from the Health Authority Home Care Services, they were made aware of the BC Government grant program called Rebate for Accessible Housing Adaptations (BC – RAHA), which provides funding grants for home adaptations for people with low – moderate incomes. Looking through the BC – RAHA website, they realized they needed an Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist to conduct an assessment as part of the application process. They were given the contact number for Living By Design services and gave them a call.

Long Story Short

  • Tom, the occupational therapist, arranged a home visit the following week. He conducted a brief BC-RAHA assessment in order to gather information to justify the need for the modifications.

  • Tom issued Duke and Joan with a brief report that would be appended to their BC – RAHA application.

  • A receipt was issued for the cost of the assessment; this was also submitted to BC-RAHA who provide full reimbursement for the cost of the OT assessment whether or not the application gets approved or not.