Caro House to shut its doors in May
The home will close its doors after it is said to no longer be financially viable.
Judy Wilmot (88) currently lives in Caro House in Northcliff but is filled with anxiety due to the facility closing its doors – after 80 years.
Her son, Clive, is flabbergasted that the lovely home is shutting its doors. “My mother was not a nurse but has lived there for 15 years, paying a premium to do so because she can’t benefit from the subsidised accommodation given to retired nurses.”
He says after celebrating the home turning 80 towards the end of last year, he is astounded to be told his mother must vacate the premises by May 31. “We were called to a meeting with the trustees and informed of the closure.”
Judy is taking the news very badly, according to Clive, who says finding suitable alternate lodgings is proving stressful. “We don’t want her to have to move more than once more so we need to be careful about our choices that fall within our budget.”
Clive is convinced that the trustees just don’t want to be in the business of caring for ‘old people’ and are just walking away.
Duncan Harrison, chairman of the board of trustees, says the decision has not been an easy one to make.
“Opened as a benevolent society for retired nurses, the number of nurses needing subsidised accommodation has been consistently dwindling. It is just not financially viable to keep operating, as nurses today get better pensions than they did in the past.”
He says the trust will continue to help nurses in need, just not with accommodation.
The house currently has less than 50% occupancy.
“We are not in the business of running a general retirement village, and the property was not set up for that, although we have taken in some residents who are not from the profession, as an exception rather than the rule.”
He describes the decision taken in January as one of deep sadness. “We are offering as much support as possible being dedicated to helping the six nurses currently living at Caro House find suitable alternative accommodation near each other. Unfortunately, the nine non-nurse residents will need to make their own lodging arrangements.”
Clive said one resident only moved into the home last November and now needs to move again. “These kinds of upheavals are so taxing on the elderly and should be done with the utmost care and respect. Why they took in a resident then when surely they must have known what they were going to do?”
Asked what would happen to the property, Harrison said, “I am not sure. The land is not ours but the building is so we need to investigate how to wrap things up – I can’t answer that right now.”
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