A disabled couple feared they were just days away from being left to starve in their own home and are now “terrified” the same situation could happen again.
Former Rosyth dockyard worker Kenneth Grindlay, who suffers from severe multiple sclerosis, and his retired wife Anne, a Paralympic gold medalist who suffers from cerebral palsy and osteoporosis, said that until Tuesday, they had no idea who was going to wash, dress or attend to the toilet needs of Mr Grindlay when his care package ends.
A temporary solution has now been found. Fife Council social work service has arranged a month of respite care for Mr Grindlay and said it has done everything possible to help the couple, who have worked their way through a number of care agencies in recent years.
But the couple are now angry that they are to be forced to live apart for the longest time in their married lives and say they are fearful about what will happen when the respite period ends.
Wheelchair-bound Mr Grindlay, 58, receives a seven-day-a-week care package through a care agency. The care package which is for 63 hours per week and is supported by Fife Council sees Mr Grindlay having all his requirements catered for, including being washed, dressed, fed and his toilet needs addressed.
However, the Windygates couple say due to the care agency withdrawing its care and problems they claim to have had with Fife Council’s social work service, they are “terrified” at the prospect of being left to fend for themselves.
Mrs Grindlay a former council day centre officer who won three gold medals in shot putt, medicine ball and kick ball at the 1984 and 1988 Paralympics told The Courier: “We were given 28 days’ notice by the care agency that care would end on Friday, but right now we have nothing else (long-term) in its place.
“We managed to arrange for another company to take over (provision of) care.
“It was going to take them six weeks but, when our social worker found out, she went ballistic and said we couldn’t do it because the company was only going to come in from 8am-noon and 5pm-10pm.
“She said due to liability issues with bed sores, he could not be left for five hours.”
Mrs Grindlay said the situation is having a “very negative impact” on their marriage and she feels “very guilty” that she cannot provide further help for her husband.
She said: “I’m a strong, determined woman and never let my own disability hinder me in any way, so it’s really annoying and upsetting that we now find ourselves in this situation.
“The way Fife Council are treating us is diabolical. I am ashamed to be a former employee of the council.
“I have paid my taxes. My husband worked for 21 years before being forced to retire and when we really need them, they are not there for us.”
Helen Townsend, service manager for Fife Council, said: “Fife Council social work service currently support Mr and Mrs Grindlay through the provision of a direct payment, which they are able to use to make their own care arrangements.
“The service is aware of the difficulties they are experiencing at present in having suitable care providers to meet their needs.
“To deal with this matter, social work staff will be meeting Mr and Mrs Grindlay as soon as possible to discuss how they will be supported in the future, to ensure that Mr Grindlay’s support needs are met and Mrs Grindlay is supported in her caring role.”
Picture by George McLuskie