Hidden home problem left a 'perfectly healthy' 37-year-old woman with dementia
The constant wet weather that has plagued Australia’s east coast over the past 18 months means many residents are now acutely aware of just how quickly mold can take hold in the home – and how difficult it can be to get rid of.
What she and her partner didn’t know was that the waterproofing in the shower was messed up during a recent renovation and, as a result, water was leaking under the carpet and through the apartment every time it was used.“It may have taken that long just because it was over summer and it was really sunny, we always had the windows open and we never registered that there was a leak at all.”The waterproofing of Amie Skilton’s shower had been damaged during a recent renovation.
Skilton had a Vespa that she would ride down to the local shops, but while she was out she would forget where she parked and when she finally found her bike the keys would be in the ignition.“I went fill out a form one day and I was staring at the box that said my name and I was like what is it again? I was staring at it, searching for it,” she said, describing the horror of forgetting something so “deeply personal”.
The plumber came and left and they never heard anything again, so, naturally, she thought everything was fine. The owner had reportedly been arguing with strata this whole time about who should have to pay to fix the problem. The woman, who also has Lyme disease, lived in a home where the bathroom leaked through her bedroom wall for years.
“You can either get a building biologist to check your home or a certified mold testing technician. All building biologists have done that training but not all mold testing technicians have gone on to do the rest of the building biology stuff,” she explained.