An 85-year-old man has been stranded in his West Vancouver apartment for five weeks because the elevator is broken and his foot injuries prevent him from taking the stairs.

Sydney Rose is among several elderly people on the fifth floor in the apartment at 1765 Duchess Street for whom taking the stairs is taking its toll - with no end in sight.

"I've got cabin fever. I've got to get out of here," Rose told CTV News, adding that he has been leaning on friends, family and an 88-year-old neighbour to get him groceries and medication.

To add insult to injury, he says the property management company can't tell him when the elevator will be fixed - and instead of offering tenants a discount, has warned them of a rent increase of four per cent.

"Do I want an increase? I'm stuck here! How do you think I feel?" Rose said.

Another tenant, 72-year-old Alexandra Steele, said she has a calf muscle injury and must wear a soft cast and use crutches while climbing the stairs.

She said the constant wear has made the painful injury worse and contributed to another hip injury. It's gotten to the point where she doesn't want to leave the building.

"I tell you, I've been waking up with panic attacks in the night. I'm awake every night for two hours with my heart pounding because I can't get out of the building," she said.

The pair do have some help from 88-year-old Juanita Allen, who is more mobile - although even she says she has reservations about hauling herself up five flights of stairs.

"It's my knees. All it would take is for one knee to give out and I'd be down. And at my age that would be the end of me," she said.

The building's manager, Vista Realty, said it is trying to fix the Otis elevator, but it's waiting for parts. Without the elevator, the mail isn't getting delivered, and moving out is difficult - every moving company they have tried to call won't help.

There are other difficulties - many of these elderly tenants are on fixed incomes, have had rent control for some time, and moving to a new place would mean they'd be paying some 40 per cent more.

The tenants have asked for help from the District of West Vancouver, but a spokesman said the city's only power is through the fire department, which could order improvements if the stairs were blocked - but the elevator is not meant to be used during a fire.

The tenants have considered going to the Residential Tenancy Branch, but say they have been told they must all apply individually, face long wait times, and ultimately only be entitled to a portion of their rent refunded.

What they really need is for the elevator to be fixed - or for the management company to get those who can't realistically use the stairs somewhere else to live.

"I am putting a plea out," said Steele. "That the management put me somewhere for the duration until the elevator is fixed. If they don't, this could cripple me for life."