A number of residents living in a seniors' home in Brandon may not be able to leave their residences for the summer.
An elevator broke down in the Kin Village six-storey building a month ago and stairs are now the only way up and down for its 50 residents.
Of those, there are eight people on the top floors who can't use the stairs.
"If I did go down, it would take me some time but then I'd never get back up again because I can't climb," said Grace Boles, 89.
She lives on the fourth floor of the building and has arthritis.
"My hip is my worst enemy right now," she said.
The elevator, which is old and may have to be completely replaced, might not be up and running for three more months.
"It's a critical failure of the actual elevator itself, which requires quite a bit of engineering to come up with a solution that will be both time effective and cost effective," said Sheldon Pollichuk, board president for Kin Village.
Friends, neighbours and staff have been helping the eight people stuck in their residences cope by making visits, delivering food and doing laundry, because the washer and dryer are on the ground floor.
Fire and police officials have been told about the situation in case of an emergency. Grace Boles said that's comforting, but she's also hoping the elevator will be fixed soon because she's already missed medical appointments, shopping trips with friends and visits with family.
Kin Village is owned and operated by the Kinsmen Club. Manitoba Housing subsidizes rents for some of the building's tenants and is helping with elevator repairs.
- with a report from CTV's Josh Crabb
