A mum who has to watch her daughter go through "agony" just to get in the front door in their bungalow has issued a desperate plea to be moved to a more suitable house. Patsy Cann, 65, lives with her daughter Nadya Walker, 34, in Barry - but says their current house isn't accessible for Nadya, who has Down's syndrome, heart defects, osteoporosis and scoliosis.
The pair live in a bungalow in Barry which can't be properly accessed step-free - and Nadya uses a powered wheelchair due to her health conditions. This means that just to get in and out of her house, she has to go through intense pain which leaves her gasping for breath.
Patsy told WalesOnline that watching her daughter deal with this pain has made her mental health worse. She said: "I've tried to commit suicide and I've had to be on depression tablets. I've got numbers to call for the Samaritans. You don't know how much weight it would take off my shoulders to move to another house.
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"Our last house was flat entry and had a stairlift inside... Outside this one is all uneven, even for me to walk on, and in the middle there's a big dip. My daughter fell off the scooter down the hill and was bruised but luckily nothing was broken.
"It took me over a year to try and get her back on the scooter. We still have to go down that big dip, she's really petrified and we've got to walk her around that."
An environmental assessment from a medical technical officer at Rookwood Hospital said there was "no access" into the property for a powered wheelchair, with steps and thresholds at all doors and too many tight turning points inside the house. The report also highlighted "concerns over the local environment close to the property, lack of drop kerbs and an open banking with no hand rail."
Patsy explained that navigating these corners is difficult for the scooter, which is old, doesn't turn properly and has effectively broken down. She said this means Nadya has to walk part of the way into the house, including up and down a tall flight of stairs.
She said: "The steps are killing her. She was only diagnosed with scoliosis a month or so ago. We found out because she couldn't walk at one point - she couldn't even get out of bed to go to the toilet."
But Patsy said it's been near-impossible to find a house that matches Nadya's needs. She said: "When there’s a house available including ones with stairlifts and ramps, we haven’t been offered it. I’m supposed to be at the very, very top of this list."
Patsy and Nadya moved to their current three-bed bungalow from a three-bed house in 2019. Patsy said she showed the council evidence that the third bedroom at their old house was in use, but she was still made to pay the bedroom tax when it was introduced in 2016.
She is confused about why she hasn't had to pay the bedroom tax on the new property despite having the same number of bedrooms, and has said she wants to be refunded for the tax she was made to pay on her last house. She also claims that she was "coerced" into accepting the move to the current property, something which Vale of Glamorgan Council strongly disputes.
A council spokesperson said: "The council is acutely aware of Mrs Cann’s situation and is doing everything possible to assist. Mrs Cann has a live application on Homes4U, the council system for allocating housing, and has been awarded the highest priority in recognition of her and Nadya’s medical requirements. Their needs have been assessed by an occupational therapist who has recommended they be homed in a fully accessible bungalow or ground floor flat that has a level access wet room."
Patsy said: "They just make one excuse after another. I bid for everything that's suitable, I phone up and find out where I am on it, and they just palm me right off."
The council spokesperson said: "Unfortunately, there is a shortage of these types of homes which has led to a delay in rehousing. Mrs Cann has bid for several three-bedroom homes, but these were not found to be suitable for her needs, while she refused the offer of a bungalow.
"Prior to moving into her current home three months ago, Mrs Cann lived in an adapted housing association property, but wanted to move to a bungalow for health and medical reasons. Mrs Cann applied for her current property and accepted the offer. The council strongly refutes the suggestion she was pressured into doing so.
"We are eager to find Mrs Cann a more suitable property and will do so as soon as one becomes available. In the meantime, staff will continue to provide advice and support."
Patsy herself also struggles with a number of health conditions and said she's had issues with neighbours making horrendous threats of violence, which she claims is motivated by the fact she's Scottish. A police spokesperson confirmed that one incident, an "argument between neighbours" was reported and logged but that the reporting person did not wish to make a formal complaint.
Patsy feels extremely frustrated - as she said, she feels like she "can't do anything". She continued: "I’ve got my daughter to look after, I don’t want her taken off of me. I know there’s people who’d want to take her off of me and take her into a residential place.
"We’ve been together 34 years. She goes to a centre and she absolutely loves it, they love her, but she can’t go at the moment this week because she can’t get up and down the stairs."
She added that her electricity bills have gone up "the same as anyone else," and meaning she couldn't afford to get the broken mobility scooter repaired.
After contacting councillors, her local MP Alun Cairns, doctors, the charity Pobl (who have been helpful in chasing things up on her behalf), and social services, Patsy reluctantly reached out to WalesOnline in the hopes that sharing Nadya's story can help her move to a house more suited to her daughter's needs.
For anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts, mental health issues, or anything else, the Samaritans are available on 116 123 or by emailing jo@samaritans.org, 24 hours a day.
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