Patrick Connors still cannot afford home care despite government promises to revise the financial assessment. (CBC)

Despite their deteriorating health, an elderly couple in St. John's has received no home-care assistance since CBC News brought their story to light one year ago.

Pensioner Patrick Connors, 79, has spreading cancer and is the sole caregiver for his ailing, housebound wife Shirley.

Connors can't afford home care because Newfoundland and Labrador government policy is that Connors would have to give up half of his monthly income to pay for any government-assisted home care.

Connors and his wife of 56 years live on a combined monthly income of just $2,100.

"All I can do is just work around the kitchen and cook a little stuff for me and my wife," Connors said Wednesday.

Connors, who has bowel cancer and has had triple heart bypass surgery, has had additional health problems in the past year, including emergency surgery for a ruptured bowel. Cancer has since spread to his lungs and he has had part of his lung removed as well.

Now, Connors is having problems with his throat, and said he is afraid cancer has spread there as well.

"I has my days. Some days I feel pretty good. And there's days I'm really down in the dumps. Really, really down in the dumps," Connors said.

Connors did get approved for about two hours per day of home care in the summer of 2008 after he had bowel surgery and lung surgery, but the care ended soon after he returned home from hospital.

In February 2008, CBC News brought the Connors' case to Health Minister Ross Wiseman, who said at the time that the way financial assessments are done needed to change.

"One of the things that we've heard repeatedly in the last couple of years, and more particularly last year when we did the consultations on aging, is that that financial tool just doesn't work," Wiseman said.

Wiseman also said at the time that he expected the policy to be changed and said an announcement could be made later in 2008.

When contacted Wednesday by CBC News, Wiseman's department said that review is still proceeding, but they hope to give an update in the "very near future."

Meanwhile, the stress on Connors continues.

"I'm worried, you know what I mean? I'm a worried person... not only for myself but for my wife," Connors said.