HSE to offer Loughloe residents accommodation in St Vincent's

Relatives of the eleven remaining residents in Loughloe House in Athlone have been called to a meeting with HSE management this Thursday, where it is expected they will all be formally offered accommodation in nearby St Vincent's Hospital in a bid to end the stalemate between the two sides since the closure was first announced back in May. However, at this stage it looks unlikely that the grouping will accept the proposal as it they appear determined that their family members will remain in Loughloe House and want to kept open. The offer first came into the public domain last Thursday after Local Health Manager, Joe Ruane contacted Deputy Mary O'Rourke explaining that the HSE were prepared to offer all of the residents of the Abbey-Road care facility beds in St Vincent's Hospital. Deputy O'Rourke in turn contacted a relative of a resident, who put the proposal before the regular meeting of Loughloe House Action Committee on Monday night last. PRO of the family group within the action committee, Kay Munnelly, whose mother is in Loughloe House is unhappy that amid rumours of the offer around the town the last few days and no official word from the HSE, they have now been called to a meeting at very short notice. News of the offer was relayed to them through a member of the group, who was informed of the offer by Fianna Fáil's Mary O'Rourke. "I'm very happy that the HSE appear to found 11 beds in St Vincent's Hospital, there may be some respite beds in Athlone now. I don't know where they materialised from," she said this week. "I'm very happy with Loughloe and my mother is very happy there, she has her own room and what she considers it her home. She has Alzheimers and to move her would be a disaster," Kay explained, although she said the initial feeling among the meeting was to adopt a wait and see approach. "They will all be expected to give up their single rooms if they move and I think I can speak for all the family members that they don't want their loved ones to go and we are determined that Loughloe will stay open," she concluded. The meeting between family members of the residents and Joe Ruane of the HSE is expected to take place in Loughloe House on Thursday at 3pm. Meanwhile, last Friday Sinn Fein Deputy Caomhaín O'Caoláin and party spokesperson on health lent his support to the campaign to keep Loughloe House open, meeting with committee members, residents and relatives during a tour of the care facility.