Leicester's sheltered housing is 'visibly better', says RNIB

Four more sheltered housing schemes in Leicester have been declared 'Visibly Better' by the Royal National Institute for the Blind, after representatives from the charity visited the city to view improvements that have been introduced to help blind or partially sighted residents and visitors.

The award brings the total number of Visibly Better sheltered housing schemes in Leicester to six, with plans being in place to implement similar improvements to all 15 sheltered housing schemes in the city by the end of the year.

Jean Denyer MBE, service manager for sheltered housing in Leicester, said that she is delighted that a further four sheltered housing schemes had been awarded Visibly Better status by the RNIB: 'It's particularly important that we ensure that sheltered housing services are appropriate for blind and partially sighted people, especially as nearly 80 per cent of blind and partially sighted people are over the age of 65.'

As well as carrying out a number of physical improvements around the schemes - such as improving lighting levels, controlling natural light, changing decor to provide good contrast, and improving access to gardens - ERoSH member, Leicester City Council, has also introduced training to help its sheltered housing officers gain a greater understanding of the various issues that can affect older people with sight problems.

Graham Smith of the RNIB said that the changes to the schemes will make a huge difference to residents' lives: 'We were not only impressed by the practical measures that have been put in place to help residents on a day-to-day basis, but also the commitment and dedication of staff in each of the sheltered housing schemes.

'The introduction of items such as colour coded door frames, hand rails and light switches, and the use of enhanced lighting throughout each sheltered housing scheme will obviously be of great benefit to blind and partially sighted residents and visitors, while residents with reading difficulties will also benefit from easy access to a wide range of information in tape format.'