Carers left me lying for six days, says tetraplegic

Johnson Selwyn was treated in hospital after being found. Picture / Daily Post

A tetraplegic says he was left lying helplessly without food or water for six days after his caregivers failed to show up.

But they have disputed the man's claims, saying he could have called for assistance at any time.

Rotorua man Johnson Selwyn is bound to a wheelchair and has limited movement in his arms since a car accident in 1996. He says he was left lying in his own faeces for six days last month because the firm contracted by ACC to provide round-the-clock care for him did not show up.

Mr Selwyn said his cellphone battery was flat and he could not get to his home telephone to call for help.

But the caregiving firm, Assist Health and Care, does not accept it was as long as six days, or that Mr Selwyn could not use the pre-programmed phone by his bed to ask for help.

"He had a way of communicating with people at any time. There is a lot of things he can do that he won't tell you he can do," Assist director Peter Flower said.

"There are more questions to it. I have got an incident report of two-and-a-half pages here."

Mr Selwyn said he struggled to sleep during the days he was isolated and feared a fire or a break-in.

"I was in a hell of a state. I wouldn't want anyone to go through this. It has really knocked me. I'm a tough old bugger and normally bounce back pretty quickly but this is one thing I don't want to let go of. I'm frightened it might happen to someone else."

Mr Selwyn said that if he had known a carer was not coming, he could have got a family member to help look after him.

He was treated in hospital after being found. He said he was not worried about going back home next week. "It is time to get on with things. I'm a busy person; I'm involved with two companies."

ACC spokesman Laurie Edwards said Mr Selwyn had insisted on being cared for by Assist Health and Care, even though it was not an ACC-accredited firm.

"He wanted to use this particular provider because he knew these people and felt comfortable with them. We had no particular reason to have concerns about them."

The arrangement had fallen apart and questions remained about the care he received, Mr Edwards said.

"We have now got our own firm in there doing a very good job."

Mr Flower said 12 carers had quit looking after Mr Selwyn last year.

"Two of the four of my staff don't want anything to do with him.

"He probably won't get any better care anywhere else."

- additional reporting: Daily Post