Mark spent 12 years in the RAF when he was younger and was grateful to the RAF Benevolent Fund for its support in funding a WashPod temporary accessible wetroom which was installed in his Kent home following the diagnosis of a brain tumour.

“The WashPod has been a real Godsend to Mark” says his wife, Hazel. “After a couple of falls on the stairs, we moved him to the ground floor to keep him safe but this meant he was strip washing which didn’t do much for his dignity”.

Mark, 60 years, lived in an old property which wasn’t suitable for the adaptations that he needed but his Occupational Therapist, Annabel Storey, suggested a Compact Internal WashPod that fitted perfectly in the conservatory, with ramps to allow him easy access in his wheelchair.

“The WashPod was been a brilliant interim answer to Mark’s washing needs as the Local Authority had a 6 month backlog to manage before anything more permanent could have been be considered” said Annabel. “The WashPod’s modular build gave it a flexibility that I didn’t find anywhere else. It could be in the conservatory but still leave room for Mark to get outside to his garden”.

“Mark had very little feeling down his left side and could not walk” said Hazel “Our WashPod made such a difference to him as it catered for his particular needs. And it was so quick to install. The pipework was done on the Monday and the pod fitted on the Wednesday” she added.

RAF Benevolent Fund helps both serving RAF and veteran RAF personnel with support, both financial and advisory. These include grants for home care costs, alongside Local Authority assessments.

“I’m not sure where we would have been without the RAF Benevolent Fund – they were brilliant” Hazel enthused.