A man suffering from muscular dystrophy has revealed he is unable to open the door to his flat, sparking fears over what would happen in the event of a fire.
Robert Smith, 57, resides in a ground-floor social housing flat in Willerby and was once able to socialise and work at a bookmakers in Anlaby. However, after breaking his hip in March last year, he had to leave his job and now can't exit his home without help. He claims he's been left battling loneliness while also enduring constant pain. His mum, Pam Smith, 80, who lives in Derby, fears he could be trapped and perish if a fire ever occurs in the block of flats.
Robert said: "It affects me going in and out because I have mobility issues and nobody is there to help me. I broke my hip and that was last March and, ever since then, I've not been able to walk much which has made it difficult. My legs have got weaker." Initially, Robert hoped his mobility might get better over time but having muscular dystrophy has impacted his ability to recover from the fracture.
"At the moment, I only go out once a week with someone's help," he said "Even with a wheelchair, it's a struggle." Robert has carers who visit for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon, making it impractical to go out for anything more than short shopping trips, reports Hull Live. "It's very lonely," he admitted.
Pam was horrified when she visited Robert a few weeks back, prompting her to ring up Occupational Health and plead for his relocation to a more accessible apartment. Despite this, they claim they've had no word back, even though East Riding of Yorkshire Council insists they're "working with Mr Smith."
"I said to them, on more than one occasion, if a fire broke out in that block he would be killed, he couldn't get out," Pam expressed her frustration. "I can't believe they have left him like this. It's really ridiculous." Robert lamented that his mobility has now deteriorated beyond that of his ageing mother. He hopes: "I'm hoping they [Occupational Health] will get me somewhere more suitable and more adapted to what my needs are. I need accommodation that's more accessible."
East Riding of Yorkshire Council said in a statement: "The social care team is working with Mr. Smith, to look at the most appropriate support for him." However, Mr Smith says nobody has yet been in touch.