Daughters tell of mum’s ordeal after care home shut

The daughters of an elderly dementia sufferer who was forced to move after her care home closed have told of their family’s ordeal and said homes “shouldn’t be treated like businesses”.

Julie Watson and Jakkie Hope said their mother Kath had been the “life and soul” of the care home, becoming “somewhat of a TikTok star with her banter and smiles and laughter”.

But they said the 85-year-old’s smiles had been “few and far between” since she was moved from Acorn Lodge in Failsworth, Greater Manchester.

Its owners said they were closing due to rising costs and a lack of funding.

Ms Hope said her mother “broke her heart crying” during her relocation to a new home.

“She is not the same person, she’s just crying all the time, she’s distressed. She’s had three infections.”

Councillor Barbara Brownridge, cabinet member for health at Oldham Council, said: “We understand this is a very stressful and emotional time for residents and their families and we sympathise with them.

“If people feel they have not received the proper level of support then I can only apologise.

“But please be reassured we are doing our very best to support all those involved, because the welfare of residents is our priority.”

Speaking about her mother’s condition, Ms Watson, who previously cared for her for 20 years, said: “The new care home manager has actually said it’s all down to the stress of the move – she’s traumatised by it.”

Acorn Lodge’s owners Oldham Property Investments previously said funding was not rising in line with costs and they believed it was the best option to close the home – which had 68 residents – before it started to struggle financially.

The sisters are now considering whether their mother needs to move to another home, and Ms Hope said: “The new care home are doing everything they can, but at this moment in time they currently can’t meet mum’s needs.”

Adult social care services in England have been described as “underfunded, understaffed, and struggling to supply the quality of care deserved” in a recent study published by the medical journal Lancet, which found that more than 800 for-profit care homes have shut since 2011.

Researchers said “unmet need is increasing and reports consistently diagnose the sector as fragile and unsustainable”.

Ms Hope said “these are the most vulnerable of people” in society and care homes “shouldn’t be treated like businesses”.

Her sister added: “There’s not enough care homes now, so if they close down the way they are what’s going to happen to the elderly, the vulnerable?

“It’s just so wrong, it’s just so wrong.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “Our sympathies are with the family for the upheaval they’ve been put through.

“Social care faces a significant challenges and too many people are being left without the care they need.

“It is the ambition of this government to build a National Care Service, so that there is care available to all who need it.”