A HUDDERSFIELD woman fighting to care for her partner at home has finally been able to meet council and health workers - almost two years after he became ill.
Angela Shaw, of Edgerton Grove Road, Edgerton, met officials from Kirklees Council social services and the Huddersfield primary care trusts at her home yesterday.
They discussed ways of adapting her first- floor flat so that her partner, David, 48, could be cared for at home.
David suffered severe brain damage in 2004 after being stung by 100 wasps while on a canal boating holiday.
The allergic reaction to the stings - which could have killed him - caused swelling in his brain.
It is hoped this could reduce this year, but in the meantime David cannot walk and talk.
Since being discharged from hospital in February last year, he has been cared for at the Beechwood Cheshire Home in Edgerton.
He had physiotherapy for six months and was able to stand, use a computer keyboard and communicate by using a letters board.
But the physiotherapy was stopped and David has now lost his ability to stand and use the letters board.
Angela believes that if he had better care his condition would improve.
She has given up her art degree course at Huddersfield University to be with David every day and try to help him herself.
She said: "He's only 48 and I want to give him the best quality of life I can for the future."
But she has had to fight for months to get Kirklees and health staff to try and find a solution.
Yesterday's meeting was arranged by Greenhead ward councillor Mehboob Khan, who is helping Angela with her battle.
He said: "I am surprised is has taken a councillor to get involved to simply get a meeting. This kind of thing should happen automatically."
Angela's plan was for a ramp or steplift to be installed at her front gate, so that David's wheelchair could get up the garden path.
A stairlift was to be installed on the steps up to the flat.
A company told Angela this would cost £4,470.
Social services quoted £23,000 and said that their representative from the same company decided the stairlift was not viable.
Yesterday officials said a stairlift would be unworkable because David cannot stand and would need two people to move him from a wheelchair to the lift.
Angela said: "That idea would have worked if he had had the physiotherapy, because he was able to stand.
"But that's not the case now. I've had negative responses from them all the time, instead of people trying to find solutions."
Another plan was discussed. This would involve putting in a lift from the road down to the flat's back garden, then running a ramp across to the building.
There, a vertical lift would be installed to take David and his wheelchair up to the flat.
But this is expected to cost far more.
Angela was told the measures had to be `reasonable and practicable' in legal terms. Due to rising costs they may not be.
However, officers are preparing detailed costings for this option.
Clr Khan and Angela plan to check the ownership and access rights relating to the back garden.
Angela expects to hear within a week whether or not the plan is feasible.
Clr Khan said he thought the best option was for David to be cared for at home.
He said: "It costs £45,000 a year for David to be in the home. He could live for 40 years. That's nearly £2m.
"The initial work on the flat would cost a lot, but the care afterwards would be cheap.
"It would be a one-off payment. I have been told you cannot compare the costs, because they come from different kinds of budgets. But it is all public money."
