A family in Stockport has had a homelift installed for their disabled daughter after a no-show by the local council’s usual supplier.
Jasmine Blueman, 6, has Global Motor Delay (GMD) – a complex disability not dissimilar to cerebral palsy – which means she is wheelchair bound and constantly relies on care from her parents, Andy and Tara.
The Blueman family applied for a Disabled Facilities Grant from their local authority, with the hope of making their home more accessible for Jasmine by installing a homelift.
After two years of waiting, the council arranged for such a lift to be installed by their primary supplier.
Without warning, the company failed to show up on the day.
This issue was resolved, however, when private company Stiltz Homelifts arrived to save the day and provided Jasmine with an easy way to travel around her home.
Andy, who works as an Airfield Operations Manager at Manchester Airport, revealed that the family made the decision to have a homelift installed after carrying Jasmine around the house became unsafe.
He said: “My wife was really struggling to lift Jasmine. At one stage they both fell on the stairs when I was away working nights.
“It was such a frightening experience and a real wake up call for Tara and I.
“Thankfully neither of them was badly hurt but we knew then, this simply couldn’t happen again.”
When the local council’s usual supplier failed to turn up on the day of installation without warning, Andy and Tara decided this was the “final straw”.
They made contact with Stiltz Homelifts, who agreed to directing the chairlift from the kitchen to Jasmine’s bedroom – as the family had originally wished.
After a few weeks of dialogue between Stiltz, the Bluemans, and the local authority, Jasmine’s chairlift was installed to bring the family’s accessibility worries to a close.
Expressing his relief, Andy said: “Our homelift is amazing, it’s made a huge difference to our lives.
“As Jasmine grows we’re going to be even more reliant on the homelift.
“It’s not just invaluable for us but eventually when we need to call on respite carers, (as) it’s something they will also need to ensure safe manual handling.
“Most importantly though, Jasmine loves riding in the lift and looking at the lights.”
Mancunian Matters has reached out to Stockport Council for comment.
Featured image credit: Stiltz Homelifts
