Wales News
A disabled woman who hasn’t been able to shower in her own home for four years says a lack of urgency in addressing her needs is “demoralising”.
Katherine Dutson, 41, cannot walk or stand and has to use an adapted chair to move around her house in Grangetown, Cardiff.
But her reduced mobility now means the equipment she needs won’t fit in her bathroom, despite requests to the council and housing association for a solution.
Cardiff council has previously said that it was “exploring all avenues” to find suitable accommodation “as a matter of urgency”, but that the process was taking “longer than we would have liked”.
Mrs Dutson says her mobility issues, which she has experienced since childhood, worsened in her 20s, and she now has to use a hoist to move between her bed and chair.
She was previously able to use the shower in her home, but her deteriorating health, including an undiagnosed genetic condition and scoliosis on the spine, now means she needs a specially adapted shower chair which can extend horizontally.
However, as she is 6ft 6in (1.98m), the only piece of equipment long enough for her won’t fit in her bathroom alongside her carers.
“It’s been really hard and really demoralising,” she said.
“It’s just been four years of hell, and no hope that we can find a bathroom that’s going to work for me and give me that dignity.”
It means Mrs Dutson now relies on bed-washing from carers, but says that comes with a “high infection risk” for someone in her condition.
She and her husband James were told by their housing association that extending their current property would be too costly, while they’ve also been waiting years for alternative council accommodation.
“They’re not understanding the suffering that I go through on a daily basis,” said Mrs Dutson.
“I think it’s been normalised, to allow bed-washing as an acceptable solution.
“A lot of able-bodied people wouldn’t like to just have a wash in a bowl every day, and I think there’s a lack of urgency to find me somewhere.”
Charity Disability Wales says housing is one of the main concerns among people who contact them for advice and assistance – and that Mrs Dutson’s experience is all too common.
“It’s quite often around general accessibility issues,” said Leandra Craine, the charity’s business and membership officer.
She added: “If you can’t have a home where you can actually thrive and be independent, then it’s difficult to go out and about and live an independent life as a whole.”
The “limited capacity” at many councils to cater for people needing accessible housing is a “huge issue”, she added.
But more disabled representation is also needed “across all sectors”, with work ongoing to engage with the Welsh government on an action plan, she said.
“If you don’t have access to the lived experience, you sometimes don’t understand how big of a priority issues are, and how serious they are,” said Ms Craine.
“A really common theme when we talk to disabled people is that feeling that they’re forgotten and pushed aside, being made to feel a burden to society, when all they want is to live with a bit more dignity.”
Three years ago, Mrs Dutson began documenting her struggles on TikTok, and says her videos encouraged other disabled people to share similar stories of housing difficulties.
But she still feels “no hope on the horizon of finding a suitable home”, despite Cardiff council acknowledging in a letter sent 16 months ago that the process was taking “longer than we would have liked”.
The letter in April 2024 also said the council was “currently exploring all avenues” to find suitable accommodation “as a matter of urgency”, but admitted that “this will not be resolved in the short term”.
That has left Mrs Dutson feeling as if she’s “not a priority”.
“I think having a can-do attitude to find solutions is what’s needed, not apathy and being put in a ‘too difficult’ pile,” she said.
“It’s a horrible feeling when… people with more complex needs are often the ones that are left with no help, because it’s too difficult and it costs a lot of money.
“You need to be taking an active approach to this situation, and understand how much suffering this situation it’s causing.”
Cardiff council and Linc Cymru housing association have been contacted for comment.
