Dave Thompson MSP

Dave Thompson, SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch and Ian Blackford, MP for Ross, Skye, and Lochaber reacted with delight as news came through that James McAleer, a Motor Neurone Disease (MND) sufferer from Caol (now in Banavie), following spending months in totally unsuitable private rented accommodation, and after approaching Mr Thompson for help at one his surgeries, was finally re-housed in a suitable council bungalow.

MND is a progressive disease that attacks the motor neurones, or nerves, in the brain and spinal cord. This means messages gradually stop reaching muscles, which leads to weakness and wasting.

MND can affect how a person walks, talks, eats, drinks and breathes. However, not all symptoms necessarily happen to everyone and it is unlikely they will all develop at the same time, or in any specific order, therefore the need to be suitably housed is essential.

Mr Thompson said, “I, and Ian Blackford, visited James at home after he requested a meeting with us in late February”.

“It was apparent that, as someone suffering from the debilitating Motor Neurone Disease, he was not only housed in grossly unsuitable circumstances, but the problems he was encountering with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was compounding his despair.

“After my office took up the case on behalf of James and with the help of Highland Council, it is with delight that I am now in a position to report he has recently been relocated in a socially rented bungalow in Banavie, which is far more suitable to his specific needs.

“Ian Blackford MP chased the DWP relentlessly on getting James’s Personal Independence Payment (PIP) backdated, which he was entitled to, but the DWP has stubbornly resisted all attempts to get them to be fair to James.

“Unfortunately benefit delays are not uncommon at the moment, under orders from the UK Government, as the heartless DWP embark on a programme of unprecedented harshness, targeting the vulnerable in our society, including those with debilitating diseases”.

Mr McAleer said, “I suffer with motor neuron disease.

“About a year and a half ago I started dropping things like my pens and cigarettes. Then I started to trip and fall over for no reasons. My partner begged me to see my doctor. I was not prepared for what was to follow. There is no one test that can tell you if you have MND. It is a battery of tests to rule out other conditions till your left with MND.

“In a year I have gone from being an active man who enjoyed mixed martial arts and downhill mountain biking to being confined to a wheelchair. I can no longer walk,  I struggle to talk,  I can no longer eat by myself, I can no longer wash by myself,  I have been a prisoner downstairs in my own home for seven months and had to sleep on a recliner chair.

“But, MP Ian Blackford and MSP Dave Thompson from the SNP stepped in and helped me to get a bungalow from my local Council.“They managed to get me back into my bed which I will always be grateful for.

I do believe without their help I would still be in my recliner chair in the living room. MND is a killer there is no cure and we need to raise awareness”.

Note:

If you require assistance or advice on motor neurone disease – please see the motor neurone association website:

http://www.mndassociation.org/getting-support/