Chandler's Ford woman fatally falls (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Chandler's Ford woman fatally falls

8:10am Saturday 29th September 2012 in Winchester By Joseph Curtis

A CHANDLER’S Ford woman died after a fall at home just hours after leaving a care home, an inquest heard.

Phyllis Matthews, 83, sustained serious head injuries after falling in her house in Scantabout Avenue, Chandler’s Ford, on June 25.

Earlier the same day she had been released nearby from Challoner House care home to move in with her son Paul.

The inquest heard she had repeatedly requested to leave the home to regain her independence, despite having a number of mobility problems.

She suffered from Parkinson’s disease and arthritis and had a girdlestone hip operation in 2010 which left one leg six inches shorter than the other, meaning she needed a special shoe.

Mr Matthews said: “She was very, very frail since the operation but she was improving.

“I was opposed to her coming home and never thought it was a good idea because I thought she would get into trouble walking. But it was really the only thing that kept her going and eventually we all agreed to it for a trial basis.”

The fall happened when Mrs Matthews lost control of her walking frame when trying to cross over a step from the living room into the conservatory.

Mr Matthews was upstairs when it happened but immediately came to her aid and called an ambulance.

She was taken to Southampton General Hospital but died three days later.

On Wednesday, September 19, Deputy Coroner for Central Hampshire Simon Burge recorded a verdict of accidental death.