‘It’s just tragic’

A FORMER carer at Pool Cottage has spoken out about the devastation and hurt felt by staff and residents at the closure of the much-loved Melbourne care home

“It’s just tragic, it really is,” said Jo Plant, of Melbourne, who has worked at Pool Cottage as a carer for two years

Fighting back tears, she said: “The residents are so settled there – that’s their home For some of them, they have been there for years. They see us every day. We get them up in the morning, we give them personal care That’s what they are familiar with.

“Knowing that they are going to be ripped from there, they are going to go somewhere with people they don’t know, surroundings they don’t know –it’s cruel

“A lot of the residents are 90-plus. To rip them out of their familiarity and their security – and for us, to have to pack their belongings up and send them off to somewhere they don’t know, it has

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relative felt sure this could be life-threatening for some

The current owners of Pool Cottage Ltd stepped in in 2013 when previous owners were facing severe financial difficulties and closure seemed inevitable

Mrs Margaret Wheatley said she was keen to avoid any repetitions of the problems created when she took over and had prompted early discussions on the lease She said she was faced with a fait accompli when told that a new lease would not be granted, but if it were to be renewed it would be at a commercial rate

She was fully aware, unfortunately, that conContinued on Page 5

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