Woman with multiple sclerosis struggles after apartment adaptations make life worse
We first met Beverley Rothstein 17 years ago. The advocate for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) needed a new place to stay because she was too ill to walk up and down the stairs.
That was in 2005
"You can't be independent. I was a fully independent person before" she said at the time.
Fast forward to 2022.
Beverley Rothstein is now well into her 60s, and the degenerative condition of MS is affecting her motor skills, so her health has worsened.
She now uses a wheelchair, and her hands and legs constantly shake, turning the most simple movements into painful chores.
"It's hard. I was very outgoing before, and then it started going, and I can't be in control like that," said the former business owner.
Four years ago, she placed a request with her CLSC to have her bathroom adapted for a wheelchair.
The program exists to keep patients in their homes as long as possible.
It took until this winter for an occupational therapist to evaluate her needs and give out the contract to have the work done.
When Rothstein returned home, however, she noticed her modified bathroom was just as hard to use.
Starting with the sink...
"It's so low; look what it did to my legs!" she said while pointing to the inadequate space preventing her from effectively rolling her chair under the sink.
She can wash her hands but can't wash her face or brush her teeth because the measurements don't match her wheelchair.
As for using the toilet, the bars are awkwardly-placed. It forces her to stretch her arms to grab it. Then the sidebars to the toilet are placed too high, making them impossible to hold on to.
The set-up makes a huge noise when she sits down while holding the sidebars. Neighbours have started to complain about the noise.
A domestic helper, who comes three times a week, has to help her in and out of the bathroom and the shower.
Rothstein says she's been calling the CLSC and the health board since March to have corrections made but to no avail.
Advocates for those with limited mobility say people in Rothstein's situation often end up in long-term care facilities, not because they want to but because their homes are not properly adapted.
"There's almost 35 per cent of them who will go the way of the CHSLD because it takes too long," said Linda Gauthier from the Regroupement Activistes Pour L'Inclusion Quebec (RAPLIQ). "The cost of maintaining a patient in a long-term facility is considerably higher than providing them with support to live at home."
Gauthier also said the program to make homes adapted is severely underfunded, especially in neighbourhoods where there's a higher number of seniors.
CTV News requested an interview with the regional health board to see what could be done for Rothstein.
A spokesperson declined to comment, citing privacy policies.
Meanwhile, Rothstein now has bigger issues.
The noise made by the support bars and her occasional screams because of the pain have led to complaints, and she's now being threatened with eviction despite her condition.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.