By George Palmer-Soady,Indigo Jones

Copyright walesonline

When Hilda Pannell first reached out to her local news website, Nottinghamshire Live , it represented her final hope. The 96-year-old widow had devoted months to telephoning virtually everyone she could consider in her quest to secure a new handrail along the pathway beside her house. For Hilda a handrail meant she would be able to leave the brick bungalow she relocated to in 1993. Previously working as a dinner lady and carer for her parents, Hilda settled into the property following her husband’s passing. Stay informed on the latest health news by signing up to our newsletter here . Three decades on, the pensioner cannot envisage living anywhere elsewhere, with the bungalow having transformed into her “forever home”. Yet after tumbling twice on the path outside, striking her head during one incident, Hilda grew “terrified” of venturing out from her home unassisted. Although, aided by a handrail along one section of the steep incline, Mrs Pannell (who relies on a walking stick) feels vulnerable as the support extends only partway from her entrance to the path’s summit. If the handrail could be extended to reach the main road’s corner, it would provide Hilda with the confidence to leave her home. Since March 20, the 96-year-old has been appealing to every contact she can for help. What ought to have been a simple telephone call to the council became a protracted battle. Nottingham City Council, NHS third-party care providers and local disability charities were amongst the organisations Hilda contacted for assistance with installing the handrail. However, following 85 days of continuous calls, correspondence, and determination, Hilda had made no progress, with numerous telephone conversations concluding identically. The pensioner was pften redirected to online forms or providing conflicting information between various departments. It was only after Nottinghamshire Live reported on Hilda’s situation on June 13 that she started receiving the assistance she had desperately sought. Beyond Nottingham City Council confirming it had subsequently placed Mrs Pannell as a high priority on its occupational therapy referral list, numerous members of the public contacted her to offer their own assistance to Hilda, whether helping with the handrail installation itself, or simply providing her with some companionship. Nevertheless, more than three months on, as of Tuesday (September 23), Hilda remains without her handrail and cannot leave the house independently. Nottingham City Council stated it has commissioned installation work on the handrail and the standard procedures are presently being followed before it can be fitted. She said: “I keep thinking they’ll never come – I don’t know why they bothered in the first place. “I want help now, not when I’m laying on the floor and I’ve banged my head for the third time. I keep sitting here and I see big lorries coming along. “Every time I think ‘here we are’ and that the handrail’s going to get fitted – but then they turn around and it’s ‘oh, of course’ and I realise they’re just tarmacking the road the round the corner and using this street to reverse.” Following Nottingham City Council’s confirmation that a high-priority referral had been submitted for Hilda’s case in June, Nottinghamshire Live regularly contacts both the local authority and Hilda for progress updates. Hilda was advised that work on the handrail would be finished by mid-September “or even earlier”. Despite these assurances, no one has arrived to fit the handrail. Hilda now feels she’s returned to the beginning, remaining unable to exit the house she’s called home for 32 years. Her daughter cannot visit as she’s using crutches after recent surgery, preventing her from walking down the slope, whilst her son-in-law also calls round on Mondays and handles her weekly shopping. Additional family members reside in various parts of the UK, mainly the South East of England. Apart from carers who call every Monday to escort Hilda for her hair appointment, the 96-year-old passes most of her time by herself in the bungalow. When Hilda ventures out nowadays, she’s been forced to depend chiefly on the kindness of taxi drivers who offer to meet her at the entrance and assist her along the pathway when returning to the property. Hilda said: “At my age, you’ve had a lot to deal with in your life. I keep telling myself ‘I’m not bothered anymore’ and just forgetting about the handrail. But then I think, I’ve come this far and I’m not going to give up.” According to Age UK, a charity that offers support and guidance to older people, 4.7 million individuals aged 65 and above lack the fundamental skills needed to navigate the internet successfully and safely. The charity had previously branded Hilda’s absence of in-person and face-to-face support as “plain and simple discrimination”. Nottingham City Council confirmed it has commissioned work on the handrail to commence and this is “currently going through the system”. A spokesperson for the local authority stated: “The Community Care Officer has been liaising with Highways Services about this case. “A works order for the handrail has now been raised by Highways and is currently going through the system. “In the meantime, the Community Care Officer has also made a referral to Physiotherapy to look at alternative walking aids that may help improve safety and mobility until the handrail is installed. “We understand how important this is for Ms Pannell and will continue to monitor progress closely.”