Getting a walk in shower removed - for bath / long term pain

themaskedwhippet · February 2020

Hi everyone, my name is Jamie, I am 30
years old living in East London. I have a condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (type 1) as well as scoliosis - I am under investigation for numerous other things. I suffer with a lot of bone and muscle pain which the only thing that helps is long hot water therapy. I have recently moved to a ground floor property as I lived on the 2nd before and the stairs were too much. In order to get moved quickly I downsized my 2 bed to a 1 bed, when I viewed the property it wasn’t advertised as disabled but I saw it had a walk in very old out of date walk in shower. I was told by the lady showing me the property if I got an occupational therapist to write a letter supporting this change they’d change it. I was rushed very quickly into accepting and moving into this flat - they have been very unhelpful ever since I moved in. I asked my consultant at the hospital to also write me a letter supporting this - which he has. I have put in an application for the occ health dept to assess me, someone called today saying they’d be in touch but he wanted to let me know it’s highly unlikely they’d do this as I am able to shower and bathe and the pain relief is considered more therapeutic. I am very angry obviously and want to prepare what to do if they do say no. My only form of pain relief is a bath / hot water - everyone of my clinicians tells me to take long hot baths as long term painkillers have now caused me long term damage and I cannot use them anymore. It was my only way to ease my pain. My housing are Tower Hamlets community housing and occupational health are from tower hamlets housing. I feel they will definitely say no, as they work for each other and want to prepare how to take it further and what to do next. Can someone help advise me please ? Could an occupational health department from my hospital write me a letter ?

Thanks in advance
Jamie

poppy123456 · February 2020

HI and welcome,

If you are refused then i'm assuming it's because there's a walk in shower and the shower is also hot water. It's unusual for them to replace a walk in shower with a bath because usually it's the other way round. You could certainly try a letter from your Consultant but it may not help you. Once the decision is made if you are refused then the first step will be to ask them to look at the decision again.

newborn · February 2020

First: This is an old argument, you won't win except perhaps using your own money. The hot water pain relief is common to many disabilities. But the tick box says a walk in shower is a one size fits all. It is unlikely any court would comprehend, so fighting is a waste of effort.

Second: Please please please can you break up your text into only one or two sentences to each paragraph?

It is extremely difficult for many people, especially with certain conditions, to cope with large blocks of text.

People who would really like to read what you say are excluded by that obstacle, and of course you would not want to do that deliberately.

poppy123456 · February 2020

@newborn completely agree about the use of paragraphs making it easier to read. I find it extremely difficult to read something without them.

janer1967 · February 2020

Hello and welcome to the community, I would suggest if you get refused then you look at alternative accommodation with the housing association, they may have people waiting for a property like yours with a walk in shower and could maybe have a swap. It may take a while to find somewhere suitable but it could be an option

newborn · February 2020

Is there a mutual exchange swap advertising scheme? Council tenants appear to use shop postcards and local papers. Some have online 'matchmaking ' or similar ways to make contact.

It makes good sense to make it as easy as possible for tenants to switch. A flat or house might officially be ideal. But only in theory. In fact, it might be a miserable bad fit for the occupant, because it is in the wrong place. Too far from an affordable accessible way to get to work, or too far from someone they need to help care for, or too far for friends they need to be in contact with, or too far for an estranged ex-partner to be able to pick up their children from school

Meanwhile, officially, it might look like the wrong tenancy for someone else. For example, someone who is disabled ought not to have it, because it doesn't have a walk in shower. Officials believe that all disabled people absolutely must have a walk in shower.

Or, maybe the tenant who really wants it is someone who's mum lives a couple of doors away. For her, the fact it has the 'wrong' number of bedrooms is easily solved, because her teenage daughter will love to stay at granny's overnight, and granny will love to babysit the younger sibling so mum can get to work. Let people move and swap around, and everyone wins.

Chloe_Scope · February 2020

Hi @themaskedwhippet and a very warm welcome to the community! I really hope they are able to help with this, please do let us know.

Getting a walk in shower removed - for bath / long term pain

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