A Fife man who feared a call saying his dad had fallen and died need no longer be afraid.
Now David Welsh can “finally relax, knowing he is safe” thanks to the generosity of a firm, and a little help from The Courier.
Last week The Courier highlighted the plight of Dalgety Bay pensioner Gerry Welsh, who was forced to crawl upstairs as he waited in vain for a Fife Council assessment to see if he was eligible for a stairlift.
His worried family were “disgusted” and felt ignored by Fife Council as they attempted time and time again to find out when an assessment would be carried out.
Not know where to turn, they contacted The Courier.
And help was at hand – for Acorn Stairlifts saw the story and offered the retired MoD policeman a free stairlift.
Now Mr Welsh, 75, who is awaiting two hip and two knee replacements, can zip up and downstairs, rather than face the painful, harrowing and risky trek he endured many times every day.
“You do not want to bare yourself to the public, it is not a nice thing to do, but if my story helps some other people in my position, that will be a good thing.”
It was when the Haddington office of Acorn saw video online that they got in touch with Mr Welsh’s son David, installing the stairlift the next working day.
Thanking everyone involved, the family said after months of non-communication from Fife Council, it too sent out an assessment team.
And while there was no mention of a stairlift, the local authority will instal a bathlift to help.
David said the worry had been lifted from his shoulders.
“I lived in fear that I would get a phone call at work to say that dad had had a fall and had died.
“It hung over me every day.”
Acorn Stairlifts company secretary Dave Belmont said the team was keen to help.
“There is really no need to suffer unnecessarily when a more independent life is only a day away.”
The family’s case was taken up by local councillor Gavin Yates who added: “This is an incredibly generous gesture by the company and I am personally very grateful for the support they have shown to my constituent.
“However, the issue of resources for assessments and support remains.”
He told the council there was a “huge structural funding gap” within health and social care.
Learning recently of NHS Fife’s funding gap, and the additional millions put into council budgets when he was social work spokesman, the budgetary position was still parlous, he added.
Divisional general manager Julie Paterson said: “We encourage service users to contact us with any concerns.
“We reassure that we continue to work in partnership with Mr Welsh to assess his need and to ensure appropriate equipment and support is in place to promote independence.”
