Loughloe House residents refuse to allow HSE eviction

The injustice is what enraged people the most: the heartlessness of the HSE, the disappeared billions pumped into Anglo Irish Bank and worst of all; the stress, fear and upset caused to residents of Loughloe House, faced with eviction in this day and age. Around 250 to 300 people took to the streets of Athlone last Saturday, to march for the third time in support of those who cannot march, in protest at the proposed closure of nursing home Loughloe House by the HSE. As chants of 'Loughloe must not go' rose up in St Mary's Square in the sunshine, the crowd sent out a message to the HSE, Health Minister Mary Harney and the government, that the remaining residents will not be cruelly evicted from their home. Jimmy Reilly, a Loughloe House resident, who spoke to this paper in May about his desire to stay in Loughloe with his dogs and freedom to go to the shops, was the grand marshal of the march and was honoured with a big cheer. Niamh Gavin's father Pat lives in Loughloe House. Her family was marching to raise awareness of the plight of the residents in Loughloe House. "We're here today because of Dad. For him Loughloe House is not just a bed, it's his home. Dad is from Athlone and all his family are in Athlone, so where could he go? We don't want to have to move him to Moate or Ballinasloe," she said. "The HSE delegation said the closure is going to go ahead, but we're saying no. We're sticking with it, we're happy with the care he's received and we're happy with Loughloe House. Why should it close? The HIQA report made 37 recommendations and out of them 34 have been completed, so what's the reason?" Kay Munnelly, whose mother just celebrated her 90th birthday in Loughloe, described the current situation as an "impasse". "The HSE is determined it's closing, but we are refusing to move our relatives. The ball is in their court," she said. "The residents are terribly, terribly upset. The HSE put in new doors in the building and they're upset to see that happen. The residents are waiting for good news, they're very happy there and have nothing bad to say about it." She called on Fianna Fáil Deputy Mary O'Rourke to support the residents and fight to keep the facility open. "She's the only one with the (Health) Minister's ear," she added. Addressing the crowd, Kay said that the residents were not going to move. "They thought it was going to be easy. They thought that we'd roll over and watch as they reduced the health service in Athlone from next to nothing to nothing. The message to Joe Ruane is - my mother is staying there. And to Minister Mary Harney - you should come and see the devastation you've caused. But we're not moving." "My mother got the best of care in Loughloe House, I couldn't speak highly enough of them. She's six years dead but because of the care she got I still feel I owe something," said Marie Gibson from Talbot Avenue, who is secretary of the action group. "We're very resolved, we're not for moving. We'll fight it to the last. We'll all be old one day." Mary O'Sullivan from St Kieran's Terrace agreed. "I got involved in the action committee because I live near Loughloe House. It's struck a chord with us definitely. The health service is like a third world set up and the amount of money put into Anglo." Noel Tiernan's brother Paddy is also a Loughloe resident. "He's there five years and I won't move him. He's contented and happy and that's the most important thing." Organiser Tommy Connaughton said he was very pleased with the march. "The big turnout sends a large message to the HSE: We're going to fight to keep Loughloe House there," he said. "The residents are determined not to move or engage with the HSE. So what are the HSE to do? Throw them out?" The Athlone Architectural and Historical Group were also out in support of Loughloe. Chairman Padraig Nally said it was a "very worthy cause" but that local government representatives didn't seem to be doing enough to keep Loughloe open. Mick Meade said that local TD Mary O'Rourke should have attended the march to represent the people. After marching across the bridge from St Peter's to St Mary's, Mayor Mark Cooney (FG) made the opening speech. "It's a sad turn of events when you can say that the banks in this society are more caring than our health services. At least when the banks want to evict someone from their home, they have to go to court. The HSE just evict people like the landlords of yore," he told the crowd to roars of agreement. When he asked does the crowd believe what the HSE tell them, they roared back 'No'. He said the town council supported the protesters actions to date and will continue to do so. Sinn Féin's Paul Hogan asked why is the HSE insisting on closing Loughloe, when the HIQA report didn't make that recommendation. "On May 22, the HSE said they were proceeding with the closure, but HIQA on May 20 gave a very positive report," he pointed out. He said that the attempted closure was only a "cost-saving exercise" by the HSE, which wants to move the mental care facility from Gentex to Loughloe House and redeploy staff to St Vincent's and other parts of the county. "We need to send a very clear message that it is not good enough for any of our local public representatives to not come and support Loughloe House today. Deputy O'Rourke needs to come out and tell us she'll support the fight to keep Loughloe House open. We have to tell Mary O'Rourke we will not accept her not fighting on the campaign to keep Loughloe House open." Fine Gael Cllr Gabrielle McFadden said Mary Harney is Ireland's Margaret Thatcher. "Her legacy is her attempt to evict residents from their home. If that happens, she and her cronies will be evicted from office," she said. "Minister, the people of Athlone will fight to keep our residents in Loughloe House. We're brought up to respect our elders and not put them out of their homes. They have a right to be treated with care and respect. The care afforded to my aunt in Loughloe House was second to none. She was treated with dignity and respect." Katherine Samuels, Chair of Keep Loughloe House Open Committee, described the eviction of residents as horrific. "These poor, vulnerable individuals were just told to be out in two months' time on May 5. But we are resolute. They are not going anywhere." She said that similar situations had occurred in Galway, Carlow and Boyle, but that these people have remained resolute and the facilities were kept open. "Respite care is the greatest gift any carer can have, those two weeks are a godsend," she said. "We need to make these crowds bigger and bigger. Bring 20 people with you next time, support this. The relatives are determined to stay there and they are not moving." SIPTU's John Kane who represents staff in the facility, said he was in Loughloe on May 5. "The anguish and upset I witnessed is something I'll never forget, from both residents and staff. What sort of a country are we living in?" He said he was concerned by the "spin" the HSE has put on the report and blamed the government's bailing out of their friends while making the elderly and the unemployed suffer. "We're being run by a Tory party, not in name, but actions. I have a question for those who are here today from that party. What are you doing here? How can you be a member of a party doing this? You should be ashamed of yourselves." Fianna Fáil Cllr Frankie Keena said he was very supportive of keeping Loughloe open and his stance has not changed. He said that moving the residents would cause stress, alienate them from their families, friends and community and also make it more difficult for relatives to visit. He said he was concerned by the way the goalposts have moved, with the reasons being cited for closing Loughloe not the issues recommended to change in the report. The march dispersed, but the people were more determined than ever: the innocent residents are staying in their home.