Head of Independent Living Tricia Grierson was part of a team who were personally invited to present their idea to Prime Minister Theresa May

Tricia is currently seconded to the Adapting with Age project. This pioneering initiative is looking at how we can support people who – even though they may be growing older – don’t want to be made to feel elderly by their surroundings.

What this means in a practical sense is that they are finding discreet and dignified ways to make minor adaptations to help people remain living independently at home.

So the ‘invisible innovations’ project will offer attractive home adaptations such as grab rails disguised as modern plant holders or house numbers and toilet roll holders that are strong enough to help someone lean on as they stand up.

The team’s presentation was warmly received by the PM as well as other housing organisations. And when they followed it up with a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitch to housing specialists on Thursday they once again received really positive feedback. One visitor to the summit summed the project up by tweeting: “they are products that have hidden accessible superpowers.”

The team plans to refine and improve the range of prototypes and work with asset managers to understand how we can get them into the market.