OAPs stuck after lift breaks down

The church said it was not a happy situation for the residents/Pic: Graeme Fullerton

A group of twelve elderly people have been stuck on the upper floors of a care home since Christmas Day because a lift has broken down, it has emerged.

The residents have been trapped in the Church of Scotland run Clashfarquhar House, in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire.

A church spokeswoman said they had ruled out carrying the residents up and down the stairs on safety grounds.

The problem arose after delays getting a replacement lift gearbox from the Italian manufacturers.

Staff have made several requests for the components to be sent and the firm has now promised that it should be operational by 10 April.

The staff are doing everything they possibly can to make it a bit less difficult for residents Church of Scotland spokeswoman

Normal emergency procedures to evacuate all occupants are in place.

The spokeswoman said: "Clearly it is not a good thing for residents to stay in their rooms but there is not a choice at the moment.

"We are not happy about it but the lift has to be fixed.

"The staff are doing everything they possibly can to make it a bit less difficult for residents and to brighten up their days."

Friends and family

Entertainers have been brought in and ministers hold services every Sunday on each floor of the five-storey building.

Nine of the 21 residents are either in flats on the ground floor or were cleared by physiotherapists to use the stairs.

The other twelve, one man and eleven women, are all in their 80s.

Obviously there are some people regrettably who haven't been able to come downstairs since 25 December Susan Hayward Unit manager

Clashfarquhar House manager Susan Hayward said the lift began to cause problems on Christmas Day and was taken out of use as a safety precaution.

Ms Hayward praised the support given by friends and family of residents and said they now simply had to look forward to the repair completion date.

She added: "There have been new friendships which have built up because people have been living in closer proximity than normal.

"They've been to visit their neighbours more, chat with their neighbours' friends and relations and have more quality time in small groups.

"But then obviously there are some people regrettably who haven't been able to come downstairs since 25 December and they are feeling quite frustrated, understandably, about it."

Alternative accommodation was not set up because it had not been expected to take so long to fix the lift, but it is an older model which requires special parts.

The Care Commission and environmental health officials have been consulted on the situation.