A Dundee dad says he has been ‘forgotten’ after spending a year in sheltered housing for the elderly.
Alan Smith, 58, has been staying at Servite Court retirement home for the elderly in Dundee since September last year.
He was originally moved into the care home while he awaited an operation on his Achilles tendon to enable him to walk again.
After having the operation in February this year, he remains unable to walk independently and is still in a wheelchair, hampering his ability to leave the care home.
Dad-of-one Alan says: “I had my stroke in May 2021 and we’re basically no further forward. I had to wait eight months for my operation.
“I think everyone thought I’d be back on my feet and walking pretty shortly after that. But it’s now August and I’m still not walking on my own.
“What concerns me, because other people could be affected as well, is the fact I’ve been put here and forgotten about.”
‘I’d expected to be more mobile by now’
Alan’s stroke caused leg problems, for which he has been receiving physiotherapy from the NHS.
However, Alan feels the number of sessions he’s getting isn’t enough and claims this is affecting his progress.
He continues: “I’ve been getting physio sessions recently and she’s very good, very encouraging.
“She came to see me on August 17 and 30, and I think I see her again on September 12, so it’s around every fortnight.
“The staff here at Servite Court are brilliant, but they’re not physiotherapists. I have exercises to do, but it’s not the same as someone coming and helping you do them.
“The staff do their utmost to help me, but I’d expected to be more mobile by now.
“It almost feels like I needed the operation, got it done and have been forgotten about.
“I got some crutches to use but I can’t use them on my own. They want me to have a member of staff with me at all times in case I fall.
“I can understand that, but staff aren’t always available. They have their own duties to do.
“I didn’t expect to be running marathons after my operation, but I also didn’t expect to still be stuck in a wheelchair, either.”
Medication confusion
On top of his challenges relearning to walk, Alan claims he’s also been taking the wrong dosage of his seizure medication, on advice from the NHS.
He explains: “Last week I was speaking to the neuropsychologist about medication and apparently they’d made a mistake with how much I should be taking.
“On the final discharge communication paperwork from hospital, it said to start reducing how much I was taking. But they told me I should actually be increasing it.
“I’m concerned because the result of that could have been really nasty.”
‘The system’s at fault, rather than people’
While Alan commends the care he has received from both the NHS and staff at Servite Court, he still hopes to get into his own place and live independently once again.
He says: “The staff and care I get here are fantastic, it’s really first-class.
“It seems to be the system that’s at fault, rather than people. I’m still hoping to get my own place, that’s the long-term goal.
“There have certainly been ups and downs over the last year. It’s very difficult at times, but I just try and keep a smile on my face.”
An NHS Tayside spokesperson says: “Due to patient confidentiality we cannot comment on individual cases.
“We would invite Mr Smith to contact our Complaints And Feedback Team with any concerns he may have.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “It is not appropriate to discuss the details of individual cases.
“Anyone with any concerns about their situation should raise these directly with the council.”
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