A 58-year-old woman who has been waiting five months for essential at-home carers has said she can't bring herself to leave the house. Christine Thomas, from Swansea, suffers with several health issues and is in remission from cancer, and now can't walk or perform basic hygiene tasks.
Speaking to us on the phone, she said: "I'm not that good. I've got everything wrong. It's been about five months. I never thought it would be this much of a wait. I can't even walk properly. I've got this scooter thing but I can't get out."
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Miss Thomas, as well as being in remission from cancer, suffers from asthma, emphysema, cardiovascular disease, pancreatitis and arthritis of the spine. Her mobility is severely limited, and she struggles to go about her daily life without visits from a carer, which she would need twice a day.
When she moved into her current flat, the company that provided her at-home care couldn't cover her new address, so her family reapplied through Swansea Council. The care package has been put out to brokerage (offered to private companies) regularly since early May but no companies have picked it up in the 23 weeks they've been waiting.
Miss Thomas' son, Robert Conipane, said: "It has taken its toll emotionally. We are struggling, it feels like there is nothing more we can do. We are at the end of our tethers.
"We are a close family but we are feeling the pressure. I’ve not been well myself recently and I feel stretched to my limits. We are all so tired."
Robert, his father, and his sister Samantha try where they can to support Miss Thomas - but as a matter of "dignity" she only wants her daughter doing some of the tasks, including showers. Samantha no longer has a car, making it more difficult for her to visit and help.
Robert said the situation had become "worse" since we originally told Miss Thomas' story in early August and claims that the council have not been in regular contact - which the local authority denies. A council spokesperson said: "We have been in regular contact with the family and as a result we are aware that they have now requested an alternative type of service known as direct payments and steps are being taken to arrange that.
"We are continuing to do all we can to secure a care package for Mrs Thomas after her previous provider was no longer able to continue. We have been actively promoting her case to care providers several times each week and due to the fact we have increased the number of providers we work with, we are now awaiting confirmation that a provider will be able to commit to providing a package of care imminently."
The council are looking to organise a "blended" care package which Robert says could mean the family can find someone privately to look after parts of his mother's care, with the rest of her care being organised via the council. The council spokesperson added: "The private care sector not just in Swansea but in Wales and across the UK is under extreme pressure and locally we are doing all we can to provide support.
Miss Thomas has now been waiting for her care since May 9, having previously had regular visits for the past 10 years. Caroline Abrahams, director at Age UK, has said the social care sector has been in a "weak state" due to "years of underfunding by central government", and that low pay for care workers made it worse.
Miss Thomas has been offered a place in a residential care home until an at-home carer can be found, but Robert said in August: "My mam didn't want to do that. She's 58, she doesn't want to go into a care home.
"She sees it as: once she's in there, that's it and she'll be stuck in there for a long time. I'm with her on that - the reason she moved is to keep as much independence as possible and going into a residential setting that would be a massive step back for her."
At the time, he described his mother as "fiercely independent, and very, very stubborn" and said she had been "a warrior" for her whole life. He said she was "like our mother and our best friend rolled into one," and that "she's had so much independence taken from her already, for someone who's been independent and never needed anyone else."
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