It’s been
seven hours and twenty seven days and I wish I felt as poetically mournful as
Sinead O' Connor in the video but no, I’m just hopping mad.
My brother’s
bathroom door is still unmended and the council repair team have come to
measure it four times and gone away again.
I’m not
joking. It’s like Right Said Fred.
The door is
still wedged with a bag of cat litter wrapped in polythene and gaffer taped to
the frame, and the carers have all been showering him with the door open. He
has to use the loo with the door wide open and so do they, and so much for
respect and dignity. Aside from the danger of Nick getting stuck when he’s on
his own, it’s really awkward for everyone.
I sent a
complaint to the council who replied that I would get a response within three
days. Ha ha! Still waiting.
Went in to
their offices and demanded to see a manager.
“I’m not supposed to do this,” said the
sympathetic officer I saw, “but you could
try calling ----- on this number”
But that
was a week ago and I still haven’t been able to get through. This magic person
is based in an office on the other side of town that I simply don’t have time
to trek over to on the off-chance that he might be in.
Do I call
the local paper? Get them to come round with a photographer to take a picture
of me and Nick pointing at the hole in the door where the handle should be, and
the home-made stopper (which is bearing up surprisingly well in fact, and thank
goodness for that) ?
I am very
very tempted to just organise a fait accompli and let Nick get stuck in there
and have to call out the alarm service, but it is too unfair on him – even if I
explain really thoroughly what we’re going to do, he will get flustered and
panic.
He was such
a mischievous little boy and I still see glimpses of that, just every now and
then, but mostly there is no room for naughtiness or bucking the system; he
needs things to be routine and ordered and the same as they were yesterday.
It’s me
that wants to buck the system, and I think for bloody good reason.
I’m also
scratching my head about Nick’s wheelchair, as the electric wheelchair we were
so excited about has turned into more of a curse than a blessing. Most of his
outings involve car travel, especially now the weather is getting colder, and
it won’t go into the car unless we dismantle the power pack and even then it is
terribly heavy and unwieldy. It’s not really meant for manual use so I’m
worried about the tyres too. Simon and I are so used to lugging things about
and getting barked shins and bruised ankles that it doesn’t matter to us, but I
can’t expect carers or friends to risk their safety, and the carers who are
supposed to take him out on a Saturday are all saying it’s too heavy to lift or
that they can’t get it into their car. So the great treasure has turned into a complete
liability.
We need to
get a collapsible one, but Nick has already broken two of those with his weight
and super-strength. Are there any portable wheelchairs that are vaguely HD proof? And would we even be able to afford it? I need some advice. The OT and physio are coming to see him tomorrow, so here’s
hoping.
