Investigation into Telephone Enquiries Made to the Leeds Disabled Living Center

Abstract

Disabled Living Centres (DLCs), of which there are 23 in the UK, provide a valuable service of information for those involved in all aspects of life of disabled people. Most initial contact with the Leeds DLC is made by telephone. All incoming telephone calls were monitored over a 3-month period during 1986–87, with the aim of discovering who was telephoning the centre, for what purpose and from where they had heard of the centre. 145 calls were received: 33 from disabled people, 25 from their carers, 60 from medical and paramedical staff and 27 from others. The source of information covered a wide range, including hospitals (17), occupational therapists and physiotherapists (17), and social services (11). Nearly half of the reasons for calling were for information about equipment. Few (8%) disabled callers and their carers had discussed their problem with their GP. Information about such resource centres must be readily available to both disabled people and those involved in their care.