Woman who ate catfood after care cuts now to get earlier meal
Suffers hypoglycaemia attacks due to dipping sugar levels causing her to pass out
A BLIND pensioner who claimed she begged strangers in the street to cook her food when her care visits were reduced is relieved her meal times have now been changed.
Jan Milne, a disabled diabetic, said she suffers hypoglycaemia attacks due to dipping sugar levels causing her to pass out.
The 71-year-old widow from Dormanstown, Redcar, receives daily meals when carers visited at 8am, noon, and then 8.30pm. From Monday, the last call out will be replaced with a tea time dish at 5.30pm.
Sheelagh Clarke, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Social Wellbeing, said: “We will always do our very best to meet any reasonable request from a resident, but it would be inappropriate to comment on the particulars of an individual’s care.”
The council insisted the reduction in support was not due to any cuts in services. It said her level of support had recently been reviewed with both health partners and Mrs Milne.
As reported in today’s (Thursday) The Northern Echo, Mrs Milne said she had once been so desperate to eat she mistakenly took a spoonful of catfood from her fridge.
“I have got lots of food in – I just cannot see it. I have even been out onto the street and begged people to come inside and cook something, but they just walk away,” she said.
“It is good news and I am relieved that they will be coming out earlier for my evening meal now as that’s when I have been feeling ill,” added the former nurse.
