Broken door means gran stuck in hospital
Family’s despair as council delays repairs to property
A woman in her 90s is unable to return home from hospital because her broken front door has still not been fixed... five weeks after she went away.
Police had to break down the door to 94-year-old Christine Miller’s home in Auchterarder when she was taken ill on June 30.
The great-grandmother developed an infection during the hot weather and when help was called, she didn’t respond and her door had to be forced open.
While Christine was recovering in hospital, first at PRI and then at St Margaret’s in Aucheterarder, her family tried to get Perth and Kinross housing services to make repairs the door.
But ten days after being declared fit to go home, Christine can’t be discharged because the repair has not been done and her door is still boarded up with plywood.
Andrea West has been trying to get action for her elderly grandmother from her home in Inverness. She said: “My gran is very upset, she’s lived at that address maybe 40 years. It’s hard to explain to her why she has to stay on in hospital.”
Andrea has lost days making trips to Perth and made countless phone calls.She said: “It’s been utterly exhausting trying to liaise with the council. I’m at my wits’ end and so is my sister Lynne, who’s also trying to sort this out, but she lives in Blairgowrie.
“Gran’s been waiting five and a half weeks for her home to be made secure for her to return.
“She’s been waiting so long now. It’s hard for an elderly person, I’m not surprised she’s becoming emotional, the wait in hospital is getting her down.
“The door manufacturers, Sidey have been wonderful. When they heard about the situation they said they’d get it fixed, regardless of what the council said. That way my gran could get back home.
“But that’s caused aggro, as all the PKC tenants in Auchterarder are due new windows and doors from the council in the next few months and the housing department doesn’t want Gran’s door to get done separately when those wider works are all booked.”
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said: “While we cannot comment on a tenant’s individual circumstances, we can advise that the property in question was already due to be included in our window and door renewal contract. We have arranged with our contractor Sidey to bring this forward and to replace exterior doors and all windows in the property next week.” Christine Miller, (95) has been unable to return to her home in Auchterarder for five weeks
It’s been utterly exhausting trying to liaise with the council. I am at my wits’ end