THE other weekend, my mother, aged 87, had a cataract operation, which left her rather weak and wobbly and unable to do things like walking to the toilet, getting washed, etc., without help.

I realised that the temporary use of a Zimmer frame would allow her to manage these things herself, so I rang the Central Loan Store, to ask if we could borrow one.

I was told we needed a requisition from our GP, which I organised, only to be told that a physiotherapist needed to come to assess her for the frame, to make sure she got the right size.

Zimmer frames can be adjusted for height by any competent 10-year-old. I have been unable to leave the house for a week, but Mum is now coping with a stick, so the need has passed, but it makes me really angry that we have had to struggle because of bureaucracy.

IRENE WHITTAKER (Mrs), Thwaites Road, Oswaldtwistle.