'Trapped' residents at Walsall assisted living site stuck in homes for a month due to broken lift
"I feel trapped, I feel as if they have put me in prison."
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Those are the words of a 73-year-old woman living at a supported living accommodation in Walsall who has been unable to leave her home in more than a month due to a broken lift.
She is a resident of Old Vicarage Close in Pelsall, a homely assisted living service formed of 59 flats which sees older people live independently, with some visited by carers to support with their daily tasks.
The lift and chair lift on site have been out of order since February 22, leaving residents – some of whom are wheelchair users – faced with the impossible task of walking down several flights of stairs to exit the building.
Noleean Dyke uses a walking frame to get around and has not left her home in more than four weeks.
As a result, the former care worker has been forced to cancel multiple hospital appointments, one of which she has been on a waiting list for since September 19, 2021.
Due to the shared laundry facilities being located on the ground floor – four flights of stairs away from Noleean's flat – she has been tasked with washing her clothes in the sink.
Meanwhile, her beloved one-year-old Chihuahua, Cuddles, hasn't gone for a walk and is unable to go outside for toilet trips.
