Mum with osteoporosis spends 10 minutes climbing stairs in her council flat

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A mum with osteoporosis in her knee spends 10 minutes climbing the stairs to her bathroom because a council won’t move her into a ground-floor flat.

Afaf Ahmed’s children have to help her up the 14 steps separating the two floors of her home in Kennington if she wants to reach the toilet or bedroom.

A doctor told Lambeth council Mrs Ahmed, 48, was struggling with stairs in the two-bedroom property in June 2021. But almost two years later, she, her husband Muhanad Elobaid and their three children are still stuck in the house.

Ms Ahmed said: “Because of my pain, I can’t get up the stairs easily. I have pain in my heel, a problem with my right knee and a problem with my back. I also have a problem with my left foot.

“The shower is up the stairs and sometimes if I have pain I have to wait for one week or 10 days to use it. I need somewhere on the ground floor, but it’s not just the stairs. I also need a suitable shower because it’s difficult for me to stand up.”

Her husband, Mr Elobaid, 54, added: “It’s very difficult for her to get up the stairs and she sometimes falls down. The boys have to help out and it takes time, sometimes 10 minutes to go down. It’s really awkward if she wants to use the toilet.

A letter from Ms Ahmed’s local GP to the council dated June 28, 2021, informed officials that she struggles to climb her flat stairs because of back pain.

The family’s flat on the Cotton Gardens estate has a lift which Ms Ahmed is able to take to reach the property. But she still has to take the stairs to get between the kitchen and living room downstairs and the bedrooms and bathroom upstairs.

The family have been seeking to move into a bigger house since 2016 so that their two teenage boys, aged 18 and 16 and their daughter, nine, no longer have to share a room. But Mr Elobaid said the need to move has become even more urgent since his wife injured herself.

He said: “The flat is overcrowded. We have outgrown it and our circumstances have changed in many ways. We have two boys and one girl and they have got one room. It’s really awkward for them and for us. My daughter is going through puberty soon and keeps asking for her own room.”

A Lambeth council spokesperson said: “We appreciate the difficulties faced by this household and have given them priority on our housing waiting list. This means they are able to bid on suitable properties that offer ground-floor access.

“However due to the extremely high demand for council homes, a symptom of the housing crisis affecting boroughs across London, securing a move of this kind can unfortunately take time.

“We have spoken to our tenant today to ensure they are aware of the home swap scheme which can work for some people, and we will continue to do all we are able to in supporting them.”

Pictured top: Afaf Ahmed struggles to climb the stairs of her flat in Kennington (Picture: Robert Firth)