Ask SARA

Ask SARA how to assess your mobility aids and adaptions Wigan Council’s MyLife website has a free service to help people assess their own mobility aids and adaptions – it’s called Ask SARA

What Is Ask SARA?

Ask SARA is an easy-to-use, award-winning 24 hour online self-help guide that has been developed to help you find solutions and equipment to enhance your daily living. Ask Sara gives advice on mobility aids, disability aids and daily living equipment. There is also a directory of suppliers who can give you advice on how to find and buy equipment.

How does Ask SARA Work?

Ask Sara has 3 broad categories, these are: Your Health, Your Home and Daily Activities.

You can choose from any of these categories in order to find the information you are looking for in just 4 easy steps, as described below:

1 - Choose a category

2 - Choose a topic

3 - Answer some simple questions

4 - Receive a personalized report with impartial advice and relevant product

Assessing Your Needs

Most Councils have a community equipment service which is used by both health and social services. Occupational Therapy equipment is generally issued based on an assessment of your need, but for individuals who would like to find out more about assistive equipment and major adaptations, Ask SARA is a system that can guide you to the appropriate information for you at any time of the day.

Ask SARA is able to do this by asking you specific questions around areas of your life that you might find difficult. For example, you may have difficulty with stairs, unsafe access to a bath or shower, difficulties with transfers on / off different surfaces and many other areas. Based on the answers you have provided, Ask SARA will outline a full report detailing services and suggestions of who will be able to advise you on how to overcome the areas of difficulty that you have identified.

In order to access more complex equipment, an Occupational Therapy assessor might be required to visit your home. They may ask you to try an activity to see how and why you are finding it difficult. This will highlight to them the most appropriate equipment to meet your needs.