Mum-of-three with Parkinson’s disease has to crawl to bathroom after care is cut
A mother is forced to crawl to the bathroom on her hands and knees after her care was cut from 23 hours a week to just six.
Lisa Sadler, from Arnold, Nottinghamshire, has described how it feels like she is 'walking through tar' when she moves as a result of her Parkinson's disease.
The 47-year-old from is isolated and severely depressed because of the cuts orchestrated by her local council, Nottinghamshire Live reports.
She said: "It is definitely not good enough.
"I am struggling with day to day living. I get very fatigued and if I am at home I do not have the support.
"There is more pressure on me to make sure the house is habitable. I feel isolated and frustrated.
Drinking coffee could reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease, scientists claim
Mirror confronts US health predator banking on Boris Johnson Brexit to raid NHS
"They don't want to help me and I feel let down. I don't eat. I have to go to the toilet on my hands and knees. I don't know what else to do."
Mrs Sadler was forced to give up her childminder job after when she was diagnosed with the severe brain disease in April 2009.
Since then she said her condition has worsened over the years; sometimes struggling to carry out small tasks such as dressing herself, cooking, or going to the toilet.
A tearful Mrs Sadler said: "Parkinson's is horrible – I would not wish it on anyone and the effect it has on my kids as well.
"My partner, my dad, and my children have been my rock. It affects my mobility, my speech, and it causes anxiety and depression. I can't sometimes function.
"I have to hold onto everything, I struggle to cook and wash myself. My muscles are stiff and it is like I am walking through tar.
"I can't stand up for a long time and adult social care don't seem to understand the condition."
She was first offered 23 hours of care a week from the adult social care team in September 2018.
Dave Clark won't be slowed by Parkinson's disease as Darts presenter returns to Ally Pally
This included a carer who would help with washing, shopping and cooking and supporting her youngest son, Josh aged six.
The council says it has helped Mrs Sadler adapt her home and provided funding for a childminder to pick and collect Josh up from school.
But they are trying to encourage their patients to be as independent as they can.
Mrs Sadler said she was initially told that she didn't need care despite her partner working full time and supporting two children who live at home, aged six and 16.
The hours of care per week she was given after the reduction was initially three which she fought to bump up to six and a half in October.
Her close friend Mandy Hoy, 56, also from Arnold, said: "It is having a devastating effect on her and her family.
"The only person who can help her shower is her daughter, so her daughter is doing everything that Lisa would do if she was well. She has just turned 16.
"When she is in bed and can't get up, her son has to sit on the end of the bed and wait until she wakes.
"He is isolated just like she is in school holidays. She will have a breakdown."
Nottinghamshire County Council said it had provided a package of support to Mrs Sadler and her family including adaptations to her ground floor bedroom.
The local authority said it had also provided funding for a personal assistant to meet Lisa's care and support needs and aims to work with her.
It had also provided funding for a childminder to assist with parenting tasks now her partner's working hours have changed – but Mrs Sadler said this just involves taking Josh to and from school and does not include the summer holidays.
Addressing the cuts in Mrs Sadler's care, Ainsley Macdonnell, service director at the council, said: "We work with people in a way that considers their strengths and abilities and encourages them to be as independent as they can be in all aspects of their daily lives, whilst providing support where it is needed.
"We have offered a range of support to Lisa, including adaptations to her home, assistive technology and equipment as well as funding for her personal care and childminder support.
"We continue to work with Lisa to review her needs to ensure they are being met in a way that supports her independence and help her to access the services she is eligible for."
Source: Read Full Article