"Unable to access social care"

I am a woman in my late 80's living with my son who is handicapped. My son recently had a big operation on his throat and nose. I have a broken back in 3 places, I’m worried that if I fall again he’ll be on his own, I have no help.

I’ve been trying to get through to someone on the phone to seek help, there’s social workers out here and they aren’t helping I’ve been trying to call but can’t get through to anyone and they put the phone down on me.

I was at the hospital last week in Craigavon, sometimes I’m sent to derry with both me and my son, we both have to go for different things, it was banbridge poly clinic, I went to last week, the doctor came to the poly clinic and gave me injections in my back, I told him about our situation and he gave me the Care Opinion number and the number for a service at Southern trust but I am the last house in the south eastern trust, so southern Trust couldn’t help me as they said it would need to be south eastern trust, even after I explained my situation to them, they didn’t give me a number to contact them.

I don’t have any help, there’s no one who comes in to help me and I’m scared that if I have another fall, my child couldn’t make it out himself, he doesn’t know he’s handicapped and I love him dearly. I’m not in a town I’m out in the country.

I think his social worker is useless he may as well have nobody. His social worker actually phoned my niece and asked my niece to help to get me help. But that’s their job, not my niece’s, my niece is not close by and has her own family to look after. His social worker is based in down Patrick hospital, it’s closed. Its’ all up for let.

My son is 45 he has Downs syndrome, he had an op on his throat he can’t talk.

I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to get help and It feels like nobody cares. It’s just me and my son now. If I fall again my child couldn’t come out to look for me or anything he would sit there until he would die.