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7 months ago
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A son whose arthritic mother was found dead in a home after the central heating stopped working claims 'nobody gives a damn.'
Eleanor Maver, 74, was found slumped in her North London home by a family member on January 5.
The central heating in her house on Moselle Avenue, Woodgreen, stopped working on December 15 and was not repaired until January 2. Her son Derek Rollins claims this contributed directly to her death.
Mr Rollins said that his mum was riddled with arthritis and spent her final days alive sleeping in a bath chair.
He claims he made repeated calls for a care package to be put in place to help his mum, but nothing materialised.
Mr Rollins shared a video with MailOnline which appeared to show disturbing conditions inside his mum's house, which he said was riddled with damp and infested with rats.
The central heating in her house on Moselle Avenue, Woodgreen, stopped working on December 15 and was not repaired until January 2. Mr Rollins claims this contributed directly to her death
Eleanor Maver, 74, was found slumped in her North London home by a family member on January 5
Derek Rollins, her son, said that his mum was riddled with arthritis and spent her final days alive sleeping in a bath chair
Her son claimed he made repeated calls for a care package to be put in place to help his mum, but nothing materialised
Haringey Council have now launched a Safeguarding Adults Review into the circumstances surrounding Ms Mavers death.
Council bosses will be working with Clarion Housing Group, who managed the house where Ms Mavers died.
Mr Rollins said: 'The central heating stopped working on December 15. My mum reported it straight away to Clarion.
'They sent an engineer out straight away, who said that he had to source a part to fix the boiler.
'My mum was told the boiler would be repaired on the 22nd, and Clarion offered to provide blow heaters while she waited.
'On the 22nd my mum received a call to say that the engineer had a family emergency, but that he would be back on the 27th.
'I phoned the office and expressed my concerns, but I was told that nothing could be done until the 27th.
'On the 27th an engineer called to the house but after mum let him in she became concerned as he had no ID or toolbox so she asked him where his toolbox was he responded saying it was in his van.
'She then asked him where the part for the boiler was and he said he didn't have it, then my mum got distressed. I think she might have swore at him out of frustration.
'The engineer then said he was not dealing with this and walked out of the flat.'
Haringey Council have now launched a Safeguarding Adults Review into the circumstances surrounding Ms Mavers death
Council bosses will be working with Clarion Housing Group, who managed the house where Ms Mavers died, to get to the bottom of this tragedy
Her son said that a heating engineer was meant to come to her house on the 22 December but had cancelled last minute because of a family emergency and it could not be rearranged again until 27 December
Image shared with the MailOnline show the house had mould growing up the doors, with broken windows and mess everywhere that Mrs Rollins had been unable to handle because of her illness
Derek explained that he complained to the housing association but they insisted the boiler could not repaired until January 5.
He said Clarion managed to send an engineer on January 2, who fixed the central heating system.
Derek said that during this period of time he was also concerned that a care package was not in place to support his mum, who suffered from restricted mobility because of severe arthritis.
Derek said that he told the local authority that his mum had to sleep in the bath chair.
He said: 'My mum was struggling to get herself out of the sofa bed in the mornings because of her arthritis. It was a major concern so in the end she just started sleeping in the bath chair at night.
'The bed upstairs was untouched. My mum had not been up there in 12 years because of her arthritis.
'I spent so much time on the phone to the adult care team at the council but they did not seem to care. I could never get through to the right person and there was always a problem.
'I am so angry that my mum had to end her life in such grotty circumstances. She deserved more than that.
'I am furious with the council and the housing association and want to take this further.
'My mum's death has left me devastated. There is now a huge whole in the the family. She was my mum and now she is gone forever.
'The truth is nobody gives a damn.'
Mr Rollins said: 'My mum was struggling to get herself out of the sofa bed in the mornings because of her arthritis. It was a major concern so in the end she just started sleeping in the bath chair at night'
Her son added: 'The bed upstairs was untouched. My mum had not been up there in 12 years because of her arthritis. I spent so much time on the phone to the adult care team at the council but they did not seem to care'
A Clarion spokesperson: 'We are deeply saddened by the passing of our resident and our sympathies are with her family.
'We provided extensive support to Ms Maver. Our gas contractor attended the same day the heating issue was reported and identified a part needed for a permanent fix to her central heating.
'In the interim, we provided temporary fan heaters to heat the home. Our operatives visited her home three times in December and ensured the fan heaters remained in working order.
'We constantly review our services and will be reviewing this case to see if there are any lessons we can learn for the future.'
A Haringey Council spokesperson said: 'Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Eleanor Maver.
'We have asked for an independent Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) to work with the family, Clarion Housing Group and other stakeholders to address the issues that have been raised.
'The SAR review will ensure all agencies participate and any outcomes and lessons learned will be implemented.'
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