A DISABLED woman in Wrexham feels her life has been “destroyed” because she has not been able to bathe properly for four years.
Anne Mahrenholz, 53, suffers with spondylosis and osteoarthritis which leaves her in constant pain and means she has to walk with the aid of crutches.
Mrs Mahrenholz was offered and accepted a council bungalow at Heol Camlas, Gwersyllt, in May last year but says it is not suitable to live in because damp is coming from the concrete floors.
She also says she cannot sleep in her own bed because there is not enough space to move in and out of the bed as she has knee callipers and finds it difficult to move her legs.
Instead she has to manage on a 44 inch long chaise longue with a two-inch deep mattress which does not help her condition and has left her with an inverted disc near to her central nervous system.
She said surgery would not be possible because it would leave her paralysed from the neck down.
Wrexham Council officers have agreed to carry out alterations to the bathroom to provide a walk-in shower and alterations to the kitchen but Mrs Mahrenholz has refused because she is not happy with the living situation in Gwersyllt.
Because she cannot get into the bath she is forced to sit on a rubber mat on the toilet seat and wash as best she can.
“I have got sores on my body and I feel dirty all the time,” she said. “I feel ashamed.”
The nightmare ordeal began when Mrs Mahrenholz and her husband David were living in a bungalow in Bangor-on-Dee.
At the end of 2004 she asked Wrexham Council for an assessment because she was struggling to access her overbath shower.
But when Mrs Mahrenholz mentioned that a doctor once told her she “may or may not” have to use a wheelchair later in life, the social worker decided the bungalow was not suitable should she need to go into a wheelchair.
Mrs Mahrenholz was advised to sell the property which she owned and then moved to Gwynedd in May 2006. Her husband had to give up his job for this move and the couple were left with financial difficulties.
Unfortunately there was some trouble with neighbours in their new property in Gwynedd and the pair had to move out.
Having sold the house in a hurry the pair then had to rent privately in Brymbo.
Eventually there were offered the council bungalow in Gwersyllt.
An Independent Complaints Secretariat panel held on November 26 upheld Mrs Mahrenholz’s complaints.
The document says: “Mrs Mahrenholz’s present state of accommodation ... is a matter for both Social Services and housing to respond to with some urgency.
“The panel members believe Mrs Mahrenholz’s case should be considered as an exceptional case for further prompt review by both services.”
Speaking about her situation, Mrs Mahrenholz said: “I feel like my life has been destroyed by this. I live with pain every day right through my body.”
Andrew Figiel, Wrexham Council’s chief social care officer, said: “Mrs Mahrenholz was assessed in 2008 and adaptations to her kitchen and bathroom were recommended.
“Mrs Mahrenholz declined the adaptations citing her need for more space and the presence of damp in the property.
“Officers have tested for damp at the property and found none to be present.
“Offers to carry out further tests on flooring under the carpet have been made, but Mrs Mahrenholz has refused these offers.
“The assessment in 2008 found the bedroom is suitable for Mrs Mahrenholz needs.”