I’m 43 and have been forced to live in a nursing home for 9 years
Disabled woman’s hopes of independent living dashed
A 43-YEAR-OLD disabled woman forced to live in a home for almost nine years had her hopes of moving out dashed – even though the cost of the home is more than twice that of living alone with help.
And the Disability Federation of Ireland warns she is far from alone – as HSE figures show that more than 1,000 people aged under 65 live in nursing homes.
Julia Thurmann spoke to the Irish Mail on Sunday last March about her plight. Now, one year on, she is in an even worse situation as an apartment she had been promised by Fingal County Council was rejected for safety reasons.
Originally from Germany, Julia was working in Ireland when she was left paralysed from the neck down after a bout of ADEM (Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis) at 33. An intensive year at the National Rehabilitation Hospital allowed her to regain the use of her upper body, but she remains wheelchair-bound.
In spite of ongoing pain and fatigue, Julia went back to work with Hertz in Swords, determined to maintain some semblance of normal life.
Years of communication with Fingal County Council and the HSE, who categorise her as a ‘medical priority’ and ‘Category 1 priority’ in emails seen by the MoS, have left her fearful for the future: ‘I’m 43 now, I’ll have been here nine years in September. I have friends in the home, but it’s depressing being surrounded by sick people all the time.
‘The environment is really getting to me; I don’t want to play bingo or have the newspaper read to me. Are they going to leave me here until I’m 70 and ready for the Alzheimer ward?’ she said.
Late last year, the council told her it had bought a ground-floor apartment in Swords for her. But, unbelievably, it appears that it had not been assessed by medics.
Visiting the apartment with council staff, Julia thought she was there to discuss adaptations, but instead was left devastated by what she was told it was unsuitable for her. ‘I was ill when the occupational therapist said it. She was there with the architect and they said it wouldn’t work. I was in a daze for a few days after.’ Julia said she broke down in tears when told the apartment was not going ahead.
The council’s budget of €250,000 would have been more than ample in the downturn, but could now prove inadequate as prices soar. There are currently no bungalows at this price for sale on Daft.ie, but there are apartments and twostorey houses that Julia believes could be renovated.
HSE data on nursing home costs show a weekly cost of €1,100 weekly or €57,200 annually at this nursing home. In contrast, if Julia was living on her own, the annual cost to the HSE for a personal assistant would be around €26,000.
A proposal to house Julia in a planned social housing development in Rathbeale in Swords is frequently mentioned in emails. But Labour councillor Duncan Smith said this week: ‘It has been delayed for a number of reasons.’
Julia stresses how grateful she was for the care at the home in the beginning, but said: ‘I go out to work from a nursing home. I wonder how many other people do this? My friends don’t like to come here, it feels like visiting me in a hospital, they say.’
John Dolan of the Disability Federation of Ireland, said: ‘A woman under 50 could live for another 40 years. It’s terrible to think of a life being lived like this.’
A spokesman for Fingal County Council said it could not comment directly on Julia’s case. He said: ‘The council has a significant construction programme under way with houses currently under construction in several locations.’
‘Are they going to leave me here till I’m 70?’
‘The environment is really getting to me.’