'I'm 48, I shouldn't be living in a care home'

Chris Smith has been living in a care home since he was discharged from hospital in 2019



On 24 February, 2018, Chris Smith woke up and couldn't feel his legs.

It's a day etched in his memory, one in which his whole life changed. It's also the reason he is now living in a care home for the elderly - aged just 48.

Once in hospital, Chris had been told he had an infection in his spine. The spinal cord injury led to paralysis in his lower body and legs, and means he is now a full-time wheelchair user.

The care home he lives in should have been a stopgap until he was found a fully wheelchair-accessible property, Chris told the BBC.

Instead, he spent the last five years in a room meant for someone at the end of their life, with no idea when he'll have a home of his own.

Chris's care home is in Rugby, about 10 miles away from where he grew up in Coventry.

He says he lives a "completely sedative life" away from his family and friends.

"I don't live here, I exist," he says.

Before his injury, Chris says "there wasn't a minute in my life that I was on my own".

Now, he says his elderly parents have only managed to visit him a few times. He has made a couple of trips to see friends, but it costs up to £120 in an accessible taxi.

Chris doesn't need 24-hour care, and says he could live an independent life in an accessible property. Since arriving at the care home he says he's only been offered one property to move to - but it wasn't wheelchair accessible.

Coventry City Council says Chris is now on their housing priority system and will be notified if he is shortlisted for a property.

I also know of someone in a wheelchair forced to live in a hotel room near me.

It's odd how the council can find homes for certain groups but not for others?