I have been trying to move from my current flat for almost four years. It is unsuitable for me because I cannot get my electric wheelchair through the front door to charge it without folding it, which means taking the batteries out and lifting the chair and the batteries over two steps, something I have to rely on somebody else to do.
A few weeks ago I went to see a flat that should have been ideal for me, and with some adaptations it would be, but without them it is impossible for me. Ideally I need a walk/wheel in shower in the bathroom. I can just, but not very safely, manage to use a bath, manoeuvring myself onto a bath board but need
shower controls and the shower head to be within reach as my balance is too poor to allow me to stand.
The housing association who own the flat are willing to do the adaptations, but then a great big snag occurred. The flat I want to move to so I am nearer my family is in a different London borough from the one I’m now in.
Before the adaptations are undertaken I have to be assessed by an OT (Occupational Therapist) who will ensure that the controls are in the right place, the seat is safe and suitable and the grab rails are at the correct height. The OT from the borough in which I live is not allowed to assess me for a property outside the boundaries of the borough. When the OTs from the borough
I am moving to were contacted, the housing association was told that it is not possible for an OT assessment to be done on me unless I am already living in the borough!
Hence I am now in a catch 22 situation, wherever and whenever I move.
If I move before the adaptations are carried out I would have to wait to be assessed, then wait for funding to be agreed and then wait again for the work to be carried out. Before I moved into this flat, bathroom adaptations were needed and the whole process took about six months. This therefore makes moving and waiting a non-starter.
My wonderful new Motability car has a specially fitted electric hoist, so my wheelchair, complete with batteries, is hoisted in and out with minimal assistance from me. All of which is really great, and gives me a greater degree of independence that I have had for some years. But I still need to move to a
flat with level access so I can easily get my chair in through the front door and charge the batteries every few days.
I have no idea how long it will take me to move, all I know is that the housing association is; “trying to find a solution”.
All I can say is, ‘Please keep trying’, because the longer I stay where I am, the more trying it is for me!
Life from my Wheelchair 
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