New home joy for MND sufferer

A LOCHABER man suffering from motor neurone disease (MND) has been re-housed in a bungalow after spending a year as a ‘prisoner’ in his own home.

James McAleer, was confined to the ground floor of his house in Caol after he became unable to climb his stairs and had to sleep in a recliner chair in his living room.

The former mixed martial arts and mountain bike enthusiast struggled to come to terms with being confined to a wheelchair just a year after being diagnosed with MND and matters were made worse when he was housed in a ‘grossly unsuitable’ property.

He said: ‘About a year and a half ago I started dropping things, then I started to trip and fall over for no reason. My partner begged me to see my doctor. I was not prepared for what was to follow. There is no one test that can tell you if you have MND. It is a battery of tests to rule out other conditions till you’re left with MND. In a year I have gone from being an active man to being confined to a wheelchair. I can no longer walk, I struggle to talk, I can no longer eat by myself, I can no longer wash by myself.

‘I have been a prisoner downstairs in my own home for seven months and had to sleep on a recliner chair.’ Mr McAleer was also having problems receiving benefits, which has now been sorted.

Mr Thompson, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, said: ‘As someone suffering from the debilitating motor neurone disease, he was not only housed in grossly unsuitable circumstances, but the problems he was encountering with the Department for Work and Pensions was compounding his despair.

‘After my office took up the case on behalf of James, with the help of Ian Blackford and Highland council, I am delighted to report he has recently been relocated in a socially rented bungalow in Banavie, which is far more suitable to his specific needs.’