Disabled woman ‘trapped in her house’
New lift is too small for her wheelchair
ADISABLED woman has been confined to the first floor of her house for 15 months because the wrong size lift was installed.
Stroke survivor Michelle Phillips relies on a wheelchair, but has been able to live independently for many years by having a lift in her two-storey home.
In March last year, Stockport council installed a new model in her privately owned Davenport property, after the previous lift malfunctioned.
But when Michelle, 47, who cannot bend her knee and has had her leg in a ‘cricket pad’ splint for several years, tried to use it, she discovered it wasn’t deep enough to safely accommodate her wheelchair.
With her leg needing to be kept horizontal, the lift is around 15cms too short in depth for Michelle to be able to close the door.
Michelle first spoke out about her situation last autumn, when she had been stuck inside for six months.
She marked off a year of being confined to her home just as the coronavirus lockdown began across the country.
Now she says her mental health has significantly deteriorated from being cut off from the outside world for months on end.
She lost her hair due to stress alopecia and says she fears she might end up spending the rest of her life in one room.
Michelle, who also has epilepsy and the connective tissue disorder EhlersDanlos syndrome, is reliant on the support of her dad Stuart,
carers, friends and neighbours and fears her health will deteriorate further if nothing is done.
She said: “We are no further forward than we were six months ago.
“It’s affecting my physical health and my mental health is deteriorating significantly. Because we cannot access any medical treatment, hospital clinics are now starting to discharge me”.
The lift, which was funded by a Disabled Facilities Grant, was locked shut when it became clear it wasn’t safe to be used, and has never been commissioned.
Michelle says some of the alternative solutions she has been offered include moving into a nursing home, or moving downstairs, which isn’t big enough to accommodate a wet room.
She would like a lift that is actually suitable for her needs, but knows even this would take months to build, meaning more time being isolated.
Michelle added: “I’m socially isolated, it’s affecting my relationships. I’ve lost my independence, my carer thinks I’m losing my confidence.
Most of the time I’m bed bound because of complications.
“I want to know how much longer it will be until there is a resolution. Am I to spend the rest of my life in one room?
A spokesperson for Stockport council said: “The current lift is not fit for purpose for a number of complex reasons so we are working on different ways to resolve the situation
“In the meantime, the owner has been offered various alternatives to enable her to access the community whilst we try and find a permanent solution.”