Welcome to Independent Living
Providing free information and advice for 25 years.
Independent Living – the place for impartial information about products and services to help with mobility and independence.
Whoever you are – OT, physio or other health professional, family carer, individual with a disability, Independent Living can provide the advice you need.
Keep up-to-date with the latest information by subscribing for our free weekly newsletter. You can read the latest issue online here, and sign up for your own copy here.
If you are looking for products, the drop-down menu above will take you to a full range of aids to daily living, mobility and independence, grouped together in categories. Products for professional users, such as care home furniture, hoists, postural and pressure management systems, are similarly grouped. Just follow the links under “Independent Living Buyers Guide” or “Professional Buyers Guide”
News Centre
The newscentre, also linked from the menu above, includes case studies, new product focus, industry news, podcasts, guest blogs, and our newsletter archives. For advice on various aspects of living with a disability or caring for someone who cannot live independently, including information on benefits; legislation; keeping warm and well; fall prevention; and generally coping with being a carer, the Advice Centre is the place to look.
Independent Living Newsletter
Our weekly roundup of news highlights the latest developments of interest to health and social care professionals, family carers and disabled individuals, including new products and services, changes in legislation, etc. You can read the current and archived issues online here, and sign up to receive your own copy by email here
What's New
Life-changing vehicle grant for disabled passengers extended to 2029 The Motability Foundation has extended its Bespoke Passenger Solutions (BPS) grant programme until 2029, after an evaluation found it has made [...]
£80m challenge to speed up dementia diagnosis Nine new technologies, from faster MRI brain scans to a 15-minute cognitive test you can take at home, are to be trialled in [...]
Plans unveiled for Britain’s first Workplace Health System Every year, around 300,000 people with a health condition leave their job. A new government-backed plan aims to stop many of them [...]
A National Care Service needs more than a great speech Part of our ongoing coverage of the Casey Commission – see the full timeline. Andy Burnham’s pledge of a National [...]
Bridging the Gap: why end-of-life wishes still go unheard Update 5 October 2026: what came out of the webinar Compassion in Dying has now held the first webinar linked to [...]
Stoptober 2026: 28 days to quit smoking, and where to get free help Stoptober is back, running from 1 to 31 October 2026. The idea is simple: stop smoking for [...]
Protein powder in the accessible kitchen: a practical guide for difficult cooking days This is a sponsored article, produced in partnership with Naked Nutrition. Ask anyone who has spent a [...]
Cost of living crisis hitting blind and partially sighted people hard, RNIB warns Only 13 per cent of blind and partially sighted people receiving disability benefits say those benefits fully [...]
Seven money-saving schemes disabled households could be missing Water, energy and transport bills have all risen sharply in 2026, and the pressure falls especially hard on the UK’s 16.7 million [...]
Organ donation: NHS launches first-ever urgent response (external links below will open in a new browser tab or window) Organ Donation Week (21 to 27 September 2026) opened with stark [...]
Annual review of social care complaints by LGSCO The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has revealed that complaints about adult social care have increased by more than a [...]
Buying a mobility scooter? Why a trained retailer makes all the difference A mobility scooter or powered wheelchair can open up daily life again – trips to the shops, visits [...]
Taking a mobility scooter on buses, trains and public transport A mobility scooter can make it possible to get to the bus stop or station – but can you take [...]
The House of Lords Public Services Committee has launched an inquiry into children’s social care This is the system of support that children, young people and their families receive from [...]
Propel Dance – Momentum: seven short, powerful works Birmingham-based Propel Dance, the UK’s first and only professional wheelchair dance company, has announced a new autumn tour of Momentum, a landmark [...]
Who is disabled anyway? Towards an inclusive and accessible digital infrastructure Professor Annalu Waller OBE, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Science Engineering and Environment, at the University [...]
Closomat webinar explores bathroom independence for people living with Crohn’s, IBS and diverticulitis Closomat, the UK’s only specialist manufacturer of wash and dry toilets, is inviting occupational therapists and other [...]
Motability Scheme to launch customer town halls in 2027 The Motability Scheme is creating new opportunities for disabled people, their families and carers to share what matters to them, with [...]
MHRA issues national safety alert over risk of death and serious harm from patient hoists The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a National Patient Safety Alert [...]
Discontinuation of seizure monitoring products Medpage has announced that they are discontinuing their long-established range of seizure movement monitoring products. This is obviously not a decision that has been taken [...]
