Parents' relief after they are offered new home so they can nurse their dying son, 37, in his final days
Housing bosses are set to move a dying man's family so he can be nursed at home in his final days - but only after the Manchester Evening News stepped in. Salford couple Peter and Annie Elcock say they were initially told it would take up to 12 months to carry out alterations on their Broughton home so that their 37-year-old son Patrick's wheelchair could fit through the door.
But Patrick, who has been bed-bound in Salford Royal Hospital since February as a result of a rare muscle-wasting illness, is unlikely to live that long, say his parents. Peter, 57, who is himself disabled and Annie, 54, had asked housing provider Salix Home to make door-widening alterations to their Flora Drive home, even offering to foot the bill themselves.
Patrick suffers from myotonic dystrophy, a genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting. He also has a benign brain tumour. The illness is affecting his heart, lungs, liver and kidneys and he has to be fed by tube.
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Despite the intense level of care he requires, Peter and Annie said they are well-equipped to care for him at home and have made his room ready. “The only problem is, we can’t get his wheelchair through our door,” said Peter.
“They can’t widen the front door, so Salix have suggested putting patio doors at the back of the property directly into his room, but that it will take between six and 12 months to complete. By that time it’s likely to be too late. We just want him home so he can spend his last days with us in a loving home.
“He’s extremely frustrated lying there in hospital. The staff at the hospital have been remarkable. They are fantastic."
Annie added: “We have weekly