An elderly couple in Pimlico say they have been left virtually “trapped” in their top-floor flat because the building’s lift constantly breaks down, forcing them to miss vital hospital appointments and cutting off their independence. Diane Gordon, 79, and her husband Brian, 81, cannot manage the four flights of stairs, leaving them reliant on a lift that fails several times a month, often for days at a stretch.
Loss of independence
Once able to enjoy daily walks and simple errands, the couple now find themselves confined to their home. “It would be pretty dismal without our family near us - we're just grateful that they are,” said Mr Gordon. Their daughter Jessica and her husband Richard, who live on the same Peabody housing estate nearby, visit daily to provide social contact and practical help. “I feel very sad and sorry for them. They're isolated. They can't go and see their friends,” she said.
Mrs Gordon, a former teaching assistant who once ran her school’s art club and had artwork featured in the Saatchi gallery, tries to fill the long days with painting and drawing. “We do our best to keep going. I've got various hobbies that I do but that doesn't take-up all my time,” she explained. Mr Gordon, who “gets bored easily,” attempts DIY tasks around the flat, but the couple miss the simple pleasure of going out. Richard noted, “Brian used to go like each morning up to the corner shop to get his own paper and walk back and that was like his social bit of going out and seeing people and exercising.”
Missed appointments and health concerns
The lift’s unreliability has had serious consequences. Mrs Gordon, who has a serious health condition, has missed several hospital appointments because the lift was out of service. She is also unable to take her daily walk, which medical staff have said is essential for maintaining her strength. “You don't know when you can be [given another] appointment. It's quite worrying,” she said.
Even when the lift is working, the fear of being stranded outside often deters them from leaving. Both Mr and Mrs Gordon have been left stuck outside their building after returning home to find the lift broken. On one occasion, Jessica had taken her mother out for the day, only to return to a non-functioning lift. “There was a Peabody meeting being held in Lillington Gardens. So I wheeled her around there in the wheelchair and I said to the panel somehow between you lot, you've got to arrange for my mum to get up four floors,” she recounted. This situation is especially difficult because Mrs Gordon uses a wheelchair and requires an accessible bathroom, which her daughter’s home cannot provide.
Maintenance concerns and landlord response
Richard, who works in maintenance, doubts the lift is being properly serviced. When he called the auto-dialler in the lift shaft, he was connected to a company that said they had not maintained the lift in six months. The longest period the lift has been out of action is around eight days.
A spokesperson for Peabody, the landlord, said: “We’re very sorry for the problems with the lift and the impact this has had on Mr and Mrs Gordon and other residents. Our neighbourhood team has been checking in regularly to make sure people have the support they need. We’re already in touch with Mr and Mrs Gordon and will do everything we can to support them with their request to find a more suitable home. The lift has now been repaired and is working, and we are keeping a close eye on it.”
The couple have repeatedly reported the issue and are now asking Peabody to rehouse them in a ground-floor flat, a plea that highlights the broader challenges faced by elderly residents in buildings with inadequate accessibility.
