Fife Council has pledged to find a solution to a cancer patient’s plight.
Frail Margaret Wallace, who is suffering from inoperable bladder cancer, can no longer climb in and out of the bath at her Kirkcaldy home.
Husband George, 70, had been lifting her in and out of the bath but has had a quadruple bypass and was finding it increasingly difficult to cope.
The pensioner, 73, and her husband thought they were on a Fife Council waiting list to have a shower installed.
When Mr Wallace called to find out if their request had moved up the list, however, he was upset to learn they were not on it.
“My wife is a proud woman,” he said, “all she wants is some dignity, to be able to wash herself.
“We applied last summer but it was February or March when I asked to see where we were and was told we weren’t on it. All that time had passed and we didn’t know.”
The couple, who are not council tenants, claimed the local authority was letting them down.
However, Helen Townsend, service manager with adult services, stressed their situation was being treated as a priority.
“We are sorry to hear of Mrs Wallace’s distress, but would like to reassure her and her family we will continue to do everything we can to meet her needs.
“Since our involvement with Mrs Wallace began last May, we’ve treated her case as a priority for support and will continue to do so.
“We’re going to arrange another meeting with her so we can work together to find a solution for her personal care needs.”
But Mr Wallace said he felt the council’s stance was taken on the possibility his wife, a mother-of-five, may not gain long-term use out of the equipment because of her deteriorating health.
“We do not know how long she has, we do not want to know. We do away for ourselves; we just want her to have a shower.”