Key Facts About Disability in the UK

 In the UK, there are over 13.3 million people that are considered to be living with a disability. This accounts for one-in-five people having some type of disability. A medical condition does not have to make you unable to work or unable to care for yourself to be considered a disability. In many cases, a disabled person simply needs the assistance of a medical device to get through their daily routine.  

Some interesting facts about disability in the UK include: 

• Only about 17 percent of people with a disability were born with the condition. Most people acquire a disability later in life. 

• Pensioners have the highest amount of people with disabilities at 44 percent. Children under 16 have the lowest amount with 7 percent.  

• One out of 20 children under the age of 16 has a disability in the UK. This equals 800,000 children. 

• Almost every child with a disability lives at home. 

• The most common disability for children age 16 and under is social or behavioral problems followed by learning disabilities and then breathing problems. 

• The average income of a family with a disabled child is often lower than the average family income. At the same time, the cost of raising a child with a disability is three times more expensive than that of a child without disabilities. 

• 46.5 percent of all disabled adults are employed. 

• 308 out of every 1,000 people in the UK are over the age of 65 – representing 11.8 million people. There are 1.6 million people over the age of 85. 

Facts about Disability Equipment 

• Over 1.9 million households have at least one person that feels as if they need an assistance device in their home to help with their medical condition. The most common devices include: 

o Rails for assistance with standing or sitting down 

o Toilet seat attachments 

o Bath or shower seat 

o Shower stall to replace a bathtub 

• Mobility devices such as wheelchairs and scooters have significantly increased in demand over the last decade and are anticipated to triple in demand over the next ten years as more Baby Boomers reach their golden years. 

• Hearing and speech aides account for 20 percent of the disability equipment market. 

• Artificial limbs, joints, implanted hearing aids and eyes now account for nearly 18 percent of disability assistance equipment. 

• Every year new technology is emerging that allows for more devices to be made that help people with disabilities remain independent. 

Whatever your disability, Aids 4 Mobility has several options for assistance devices.  We're happy to answer questions and appreciate you considering our products.