No dignity for dad in dying months

STUART’S STORY

STUART Morris doesn’t have long to live – and unsuitable accommodation has robbed him of all dignity in the time he has left.

Stuart, who has motor neurone disease, is sleeping in a living room and showering at his mother-in-law’s because his family’s flat in unsuitable.

He was given a maximum of two-and-a-half years to live when he was diagnosed 10 months ago.

Stuart’s condition has deteriorated rapidly. He uses a wheelchair, can barely move his arms and his speech is almost unintelligible to everyone apart from his wife Lorraine, 37.

The family have been on a waiting list for five years but Argyll and Bute Council have been unable to identify a suitable home.

The council no longer hold any housing stock, having off-loaded their homes to Argyll Community Housing Association. But they do retain some influence over who should get houses.

Father-of-two Stuart, 39, needs a walking frame to move around the flat the family are living in but he is unable to get into his BY VIVIENNE AITKEN bedroom because it is too small for his Zimmer.

There is a bath in the flat but he cannot get into it and his private landlord will not allow the family to make alterations.

Lorraine has type 1 diabetes which has left her blind and she suffers diabetic neuropathy, which means she can’t feel anything from the knees down.

Their eldest daughter Kaci, 16, has cystic fibrosis. She takes 46 pills a day and needs a room of her own as coming into contact with anyone with a cold or flu could kill her.

And the flat is damp – one of the worst things for Kaci’s health.

Lorraine said: “Stuart doesn’t sleep for more than two hours at a time.

“He is so worried about what will happen to us.”

Stuart was a mechanical fitter at Aggreko before his illness forced him to give up work. The company have been very generous but because Stuart can’t work, he can’t buy a home.

Sobbing uncontrollably, he said: “I am worried about where my wife and children are going to live.”

Lorraine added: “Getting a house is the only thing that would give him peace.”

Craig Stockton, chief executive of MND Scotland, said: “Given the limited life expectancy of MND, we are urging Argyll and Bute Council to make the Morris family a priority.” MSP Jackie Bailie said: “I appreciate Argyll Community Housing Association are under severe pressure but when the condition of a family’s home is affecting their child’s health and Mr Morris has a life-limiting condition, it is right that they are given the highest priority.”

Argyll and Bute Council said: “We are in discussions with registered social landlords in the area to try to find appropriate housing for the

family.”