Irenee McLoughlin speaking about the care provided to her late sister Lorraine at the South Westmeath Hospice.

VIDEO: 'What the South Westmeath Hospice did for our Lorraine was immeasurable'

As part of the campaign to save the South Westmeath Hospice, a sister of a woman who was cared for there has spoken about the importance of the wonderful service it provides in Athlone.

Lorraine Degg (née McLoughlin) of Iona Park, Athlone, passed away from throat cancer, in April 2019.

In a video released this week by the South Westmeath Hospice Committee, her sister, Irenée McLoughlin, said the hospice had been like a "home-from-home" for Lorraine during her last days.

Irenée said her sister had struggled a lot with pain while she was at home but she was "much more comfortable" after going into the hospice.

"(The hospice staff) had the time to prepare Lorraine for her final journey," she said.

"What they did for our Lorraine was immeasurable. We couldn't do that as a family at home. We couldn't take care of everything for her, as much as we wanted to and tried.

"It's not just about administering drugs or rubbing the back of their hand. It was much, much more than that. And that's what I believe is going to be lost.

"I truly believe that's what's going to be lost, and that is the essence of our hospice," she stated.

Irenée said it would be neither "fair, just or right" if the Hospice service in Athlone was taken away.

"There's going to be lots of Lorraines coming along, unfortunately, that will need the care of our hospice.

"A building is a building the world over, but what goes on inside that building is the essence of our hospice and it must not and cannot be taken away."

You can watch the powerful video here:

The South Westmeath Hospice Committee is urging the public to get behind its campaign to protect the full range of services offered at the current hospice facility in the grounds of St Vincent's Care Centre.

The HSE is planning to close the facility, and replace it with four beds in a new community nursing unit in Clonbrusk, but the Hospice committee says the current proposal is not a like-for-like replacement and would see the loss of many of the services currently provided.

The South Westmeath Hospice committee was formed in 1994.

The facility itself was eventually established years later with the support of substantial fundraising from members of the public in Westmeath, Roscommon and beyond.