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
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
'Reimagining Mother's Day': Toronto woman creates Motherless Day event after losing mom
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
Sherpa guide Kami Rita scales Mount Everest for 29th time, extending his own record again
One of greatest climbing guides on Mount Everest has scaled the world's highest peak for the 29th time, extending his own record for most times to the summit, expedition organizers said Sunday.
As Israel pushes deeper into Rafah, Hamas regroups elsewhere in ungoverned Gaza
Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
Feds 'committed to doing more,' but minister offers no timeline for Canadian Disability Benefit boost
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Balancing act: Canadian North’s first Inuk CEO juggles Arctic airline challenges
With carriers' flight volumes above the 60th parallel hovering below pre-pandemic levels, Canadian North’s first Inuk CEO now bears the task of balancing those financial and logistical challenges with the needs of communities for which she feels a deep affinity.