Christine is the latest recipient of the Clive Deane WashPod temporary disabled wetroom which is a charitable venture between Dignity Access and Jay Deane, in her husband’s memory, allowing others with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) to benefit from the WashPod free of charge.

“I feel extraordinarily fortunate to benefit from Dignity Access’ Clive Deane WashPod; the difference this makes for us is transformative” says Christine. “It leaves room in our lives to try to make the best of my remaining time while we now focus on practical preparations for the next stage, knowing we can remain in our home. This will make a daily difference to my quality of life.”

Christine has MND and is now at the stage where she will very soon have to stop attempting the stairs. With a double turn on the staircase, a stair-lift was too expensive for the short-term gain it would have given and she needs a ground level shower facility to support a ground level sleeping arrangement.

Her local MND Association volunteer directed her to WashPod and it was timely as the Clive Deane model had just become available. Other alternatives were not an option as Christine explains:

“Like many facing a sudden terminal diagnosis, we are caught with a mortgage, insurance that will only settle on death, a house that isn’t suitable, and a short time in which to make rational choices. To undertake property conversion would have made a huge dent in our limited savings. We would also have faced the delays of planning approval and getting the work undertaken in time to meet my needs. We seriously considered moving house but were unable to find somewhere suitable that we could afford without moving completely away from our now established support network”.

Christine’s support network is extensive – the local MND support draws on the regional hospital and the specialist MND Consultant. There’s also a relationship with a separate MND centre for research, an NHS coordinator, local community teams, specialist NHS teams, a ‘wonderful GP’, the local hospice support, and assistance from the MND Association. Then there are all Christine’s friends.

“Trying to re-establish all that would have been a larger obstacle than the disruption of a house move” says Christine. “Worse from my point of view, moving out of area would also have left my husband severely isolated after my death”.

Christine was impressed with the installation process:

“Having previously renovated a home, this was amazingly straightforward. Its design origins in architectural practice are evident with the delivery being well planned, well-practised and incredibly quick. No mess, no fuss. Professionals and friends have all commented on the high quality, noting that it exceeds their expectations. It’s an excellent solution”.

Now that the installation is complete, Christine can focus on getting the downstairs bedroom properly set up and they have avoided months of stress, expense and building work.

“It’s hard to quantify how valuable that peace of mind is” added Christine.

“We would recommend WashPod to others primarily as it is a high quality, functional solution that can be delivered with convenience and very swiftly. The fact that it can be reused by individuals and councils feels like a gold standard approach that is worth wider publicity at a time when social care is in real need of innovative solutions”.

“I am indebted to Jay Deane for donating the WashPod back to Dignity Access who then provide their time and logistics for free (while also storing and refurbishing it in between uses), and to the MND Association for having identified my needs” says Christine.