James

James story

James is an 83 year old gentleman who lives in his privately owned townhouse which he has lived in for 50 years. The house is in need of some repair. His stepson (63) from his second marriage lives with him but in a self-contained section of the house on the first floor and occasionally pops in to see James when he goes out or comes in.

James’s second wife lived with him until she passed away two years ago. 

James' mobility has deteriorated significantly over the past 2 years. His living room has been converted into a bedroom. James is cared for in bed with a full body hoist transfer to his recliner chair where he sits for a two hour period once daily. 

He has two carers to support him with all activities of daily living. The carers visit James four times a day to support him with personal care, meals,  medication administration. 

James suffers from severe eczema, so he has been prescribed emollient creams to manage the condition. He also suffers from Emphysema and needs oxygen to aid his breathing. 

James has been a smoker all his life and refuses to stop smoking. He uses electric bar heaters to heat the room in the winter.

The fire service were called out by the carer after ashes from James cigarette had fallen onto his clothing which contained emollient residue that ignited the fire that quickly spread and killed James.