Plans to move a quadriplegic out of a hospital ward that he has called home for 40 years to a facility for people in wheelchairs has hit a $6,000 stumbling block.

And the charity that hopes to take over the care of Luke Caines after his ordeal at the Continuing Care Unit of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital is now issuing an Island-wide plea for financial support.

For although health chiefs have finally authorised the release of Mr Caines from KEMH to the Summerhaven care home in Smiths, the charity cannot admit Mr Caines until it finds the cash to install a new shower facility for its newest resident.

Yesterday The Royal Gazette revealed that Mr Caines, 53, had appealed frequently and sometimes publicly to be moved to more appropriate accommodations.

Life expectancy on the Continuing Care Unit, where Mr Caines has lived among the frail and dying since the age of 14, is less than two years.

Diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Mr Caines was moved into the CCU after his mother died in the early 1970s.

Earlier offers by Summerhaven to take in Mr Caines were rejected by the Bermuda Hospitals Board for reasons that have yet to be explained by health officials. But while the bureaucratic red tape for Mr Caines’ transfer has finally been removed, the charity that runs his new home is facing financial challenges — and needs an immediate cash injection before it can accept Mr Caines as a resident.

Summerhaven charitable trust chairman John Powell explained that, under health regulations, a shower stall has to be installed in every resident’s room — and that the room allocated to Mr Caines does not have that facility.

“Basically we have to comply with health regulations which stipulate that there has to be a shower in every room,” Mr Powell said. “Luke’s room doesn’t have that yet, and it’s going to cost us $6,000 to put it in. We have tub rooms where everybody can take a bath but for day-to-day care we need showers. Bed baths are not acceptable.

“We are trying to help people be more independent and give them some dignity, and that’s why Luke needs a shower.”

Mr Powell pointed out that, even with a $6,000 donation, the cost of Luke’s monthly expenses at Summerhaven might not be covered.

He explained that, as well as full-time care, Mr Caines will need specialist equipment such as tools to enable him to eat independently — something he was not given during his 40 years at CCU.

He estimated that Summerhaven may have to pay up to $7,000-a-month to provide Mr Caines with the special attention he needs.

That is considerably cheaper than the estimated $13,000-a-month that the Bermuda Hospitals Board was receiving from Government for each CCU patient.

Nevertheless, it is more than an anticipated $4,000 that the charity can expect to receive from Financial Assistance.

“No one has ever guaranteed Luke’s rent and keep,” he said. “We’re still waiting on Financial Assistance to approve Luke’s application, but even when they do, it’s still going to leave us with a shortfall.”

Mr Powell also claimed that BHB has continued to accept funds for four CCU patients that recently moved to Summerhaven — despite assurances that it would divert the cash to the charity that is now caring for them.

The agreement has left Summerhaven with a $750,000 shortfall.

“We have one patient who receives a $1,200 pension each month,” he said. “For the last 15 months BHB has taken $900 of that pension, without passing any of that money on to us, even though the patient is now in our care.

“That equates to $13,500 in the last 15 months — money that could have been used to put in Luke’s shower.”

Mr Powell also pointed out that Summerhaven’s 30-year-old infrastructure was also in continual need of maintenance. And while he praised Government and local philanthropists for supporting the charity in recent years, he added that it could never match the fundraising muscle of the Bermuda Hospitals Board, which has received millions of dollars to build a new acute care wing in recent years.

“We’re very excited about the things we are doing here and where we’re going, but to be honest with you, I don’t know how we do it,” he said.

Asked if the cash crisis could force Summerhaven to reject clients, Mr Powell was adamant.

“Summerhaven is a family and our residents are here to stay,” he said.

“Regardless of the financial situation, how can we turn anyone away?”

* Anyone interested in helping Mr Caines move to Summerhaven can contact the charity on 293 2099, or e-mail therese.summerhaven@northrock.bm.