Jonathan sustained a spinal cord injury which left him paralysed from below the neck and in need of 24-hour care
Jonathan Hammocks(Image: Spinal Injuries Association)
A man who “basically lived in a room or a hospital ward for the best part of five years” has finally regained his independence.
Jonathan Hammocks, of Grantham, sustained a spinal cord injury which left him paralysed from below the neck and in need of 24-hour care.
However, due to limited options within the funding he received, Jonathan was unable to afford live-in carers and had to spend years in care homes with limited freedom or inadequate care.
Back in April 2021, Jonathan was walking down the stairs to the landing and says the next thing he knew was waking up a few days later.
Jonathan Hammocks, of Grantham(Image: Spinal Injuries Association)
Due to his injuries, doctors believed he fell down the stairs and landed head-first, causing a spinal cord injury in his neck and leaving him with no bladder or bowel function, and with chronic nerve pain in his arms.
He said: “I couldn’t talk, I was rigid, couldn’t move a muscle, and obviously scared to death.”
The 53-year-old spent six weeks in hospital, followed by six months of rehabilitation, and was then left with nowhere to go as his previous upstairs accommodation was now inaccessible to him.
Jonathan was sent to a dementia care home as this was deemed the most suitable place for his care needs with the funding he had.
Over the next three months, Jonathan ended up in hospital six times due to a blocked catheter.
He said: “After about my fifth water infection, I ended up with a chest infection and got sepsis.”
A blocked catheter can create a risk of autonomic dysreflexia, a condition that affects people with high-level spinal cord injuries and that can lead to life-threateningly high blood pressure.
The inadequate care he was receiving at the dementia home was becoming dangerous, but Jonathan was still unable to live alone due to not being able to afford the appropriate care.
He moved to a complex care facility, where he remained for three years and during that time had very little freedom, only managing to go out for two hours a week with an occupational therapist.
Jonathan was left paralysed from below the neck and in need of 24-hour care(Image: Jonathan Hammocks)
Jonathan said: “I’ve just basically lived in a room or a hospital ward for the best part of five years.
“I only got three hours of occupational therapy a week, and I used two of those hours to go to Tesco’s café and have a coffee.”
Five years after his injury, Jonathan has finally secured the funding needed for live-in carers and has moved into his home and regained his independence.
Jonathan has received support from Spinal Injuries Association, which offers practical and emotional support, but is also campaigning for an end to the unnecessary harm and suffering for those like Jonathan who are living with spinal cord injury in the UK.
A spokesperson for the Spinal Injuries Association said: “There is currently a postcode lottery in funding and care for those living with spinal cord injury.
“This is leading to distress for those we support and in some cases a danger to the individual.
“Spinal cord injury is a complex condition requiring specialist care and support and we are witnessing more unacceptable delays in accessing the vital services that people need.”
Reflecting on his new home, Jonathan said: “I’ve never been busier, there’s always something to do.
“It’s like a weight’s been lifted, I’ve adapted really well.”
He added: “The biggest bonus is being able to see my daughter far more in my own home, not a clinical setting.
“It’s just the feeling of having the freedom to go out and have two or three hours, even four hours if I need to. I’m just really happy being where I am.”