Young woman says no to nursing home

A 29-year-old Lincolnshire woman who has chronic arthritis launched
a protest last week after being told she had to live with older
residents in a nursing home.

Becky Wheeler is currently living with people three times her age
in Eastholme Nursing Home, Lincoln, and has been told she will be
there for at least eight weeks and possibly as long as 18 months
while she waits for a council flat.

Wheeler, who spent all her life in a wheelchair until she had all
her joints replaced two years ago, said: “They are great at
Eastholme. But being in an old people’s home is holding me back.
Some of the residents are in their nineties.”

A spokesperson for Lincolnshire social services blamed a shortage
of appropriate housing. “Miss Wheeler is a priority case for us and
we are working hard to find her suitable accommodation,” he said.