Praise for care at Lisgarel home

I have experienced respite in Lisgarel myself. It is a wonderful facility, not only for Larne but all surrounding districts.

I would hate to see Lisgarel go the way our lovely Moyle Hospital went. Sadly we, the people of Larne, left it too late to fight to keep our hospital.

Behind closed doors, faceless men and women sit and decide which home, hospital or A&E department should be closed next - all in the name of saving money.

There is no consideration of the human element. Take Lisgarel: many of the residents have lived there for years, it’s their home.

Can you imagine how afraid and worried they are going to be if it does close? They will be sent away from their friends and be among strangers. It’s cruel, especialy when they are the generation who lived through WWII, rationing, bombing and severe unemployment, yet when they reach their twilight years they are treated, not with respect but just a number or a statistic on some file tucked away gathering in dust in a medical record office.

I know a group has worked hard for some years trying to keep Lisgarel open, but they cannot do it alone.

There is a weapon called ‘people power’. We’ve seen pictures on TV and not for one moment would I suggest violence, just non-violent protest.

It has worked in other countries and if enough people in Larne let their views be known, who knows what the result might be?

One other point is that the staff in Lisgarel are highly professionial in their caring.

Kathleen Roddy