Cara House board 'would like to keep residential centre open'
The board of management of an elderly care facility on Cork's northside — with some residents 100 years of age — has said it would like to keep it open, as community anger grows at its threatened closure.
Mount Cara, also known as Cara House, on Redemption Rd, is set to close, amid anger from staff and relatives of the 15 elderly people who live there.
The board of management said the closure is necessary due to Covid-19 and a reduction in occupancy.
Staff have claimed they were told as recently as June that the facility was not going to close, and that it was a shock to be told last month about its impending end.
Families and staff have called on the HSE to step in and save the facility, which the health body says it cannot do.
According to company accounts for 2019, with statements approved by the board of directors on April 28, Cara House saw a surplus of €22,467 for the financial year.
It is in receipt of funding from Cork City Council, the HSE, and residents' fees, on which it says it is "fully reliant".
Staff have told the that closure will effectively mean the eviction of old people from their homes during a pandemic that disproportionately affects the elderly, particularly in facilities such as elderly residential care.
A second vigil by staff and families was held at the facility on Wednesday evening, calling for Mount Cara to be saved.
Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to intervene.
"The Taoiseach is a Cork man and he needs to show his support for Cara House and reassure residents, families, staff, and the local community that he has a plan to prevent its closure," said Mr Gould.
"The community is out in force on this issue but the Government is worryingly silent.:
Fianna Fáil city councillor Dr John Sheehan is chairman on Mount Cara's board of management. He said it was "committed to exploring all options" around its future as a viable elderly care centre.
"We have had constructive engagement and support from the HSE at multiple levels, Hiqa and the National Treatment Purchase Fund who approve the Fair Deal scheme. We have also had extensive engagement with different care providers in terms of exploring all options for Mount Cara.
"The board continues to engage with residents, families, and the wider community to explore all options that would allow for Mount Cara to continue as a care facility for the elderly," he said.