ELDERLY residents at a South Lakeland care home are in a race against time to find alternative accommodation after the owners announced its closure.

Families of tenants living at the Westerley home, at Grange-over-Sands, have been told the doors will shut on July 15 because major maintenance is required.

Many of the residents at the home on The Esplanade have dementia.

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The Westmorland Gazette reported last month that the 27 residents and more than 20 staff members faced an uncertain future because the owners, The Leaders of Worship and Preachers Homes (LWHP), could not raise the £800,000 required to replace heating systems, pipes, and complete other remedial works.

Some of the residents moved on amid the uncertainty, but the rest now have three months to find somewhere else to live.

Jean Smith, 65, has been in the Westerley home for just a few months – another relocation would prove hugely stressful for her. She has dementia and an assessment has shown she needs specialist care, which is available at just a few South Lakeland homes.

Her husband Trevor Smith, 70, from Kents Banks, is struggling to keep his wife local to Grange.

"I'm finding all this very stressful and difficult," said Mr Smith. "But my main concern in Jean.

"With all the change going on it seems to me that the residents are aware of what's happening. It's made Jean very anxious and with dementia she's always thinking 'it's happening today' and I'm having to tell her not to worry.

"Some days she's okay, some days she's quite agitated."

Mr Smith learned of the home's closure on April 15, but had expected it after an earlier meeting on March 22 between the home owners and relatives of residents.

"It got heated at at times," he said. "I got the impression from the meeting that in fact this had been planned for a long time.

"There were relatives who had prepared some alternative solutions. The owners were not pleased at all and were not willing to consider any of the alternatives."

LWPH's director of care services, Simon Lee, said many of the suggestions raised were not plausible.

"The alternatives raised by the relatives had already been looked into. They were not realistic," said Mr Lee. "The decision has been made because the fabric of the building needs work we can't carry out with the residents in situ.

"Obviously to carry out the work it would not be possible to give the level of care there residents require and as a charity we only have limited reserves."

Mr Lee also said that the decision had not been taken lightly and if there were any residents still needing accommodation when the July deadline comes around, then they 'will not be putting chains across the door'.

He added: "As a Christian company we will be helping them and giving them the level of care they require."

Philip Nuttal, LWPH's financial director, reiterated that there was no way to do the work without moving the elderly residents.

"The advice we've got from our experts is that we can't do this work with the residents in occupation.

"In a sense, it has been forced upon us.

"We don't have anywhere (to move residents to) and if you relocate them temporarily you have to move them back. Two moves in a row would not do them any good.

"We want the best for everyone in the circumstances."

Russell Warburton, also of Kents Bank, branded the decision to close the home as 'shameful'. His mother-in-law, Annie McCulloch, had been in the home for more than five years when she passed away on March 26. She was 99.

Despite her death, Mr Warburton continued to press for a way to be found to keep the home open.

"I'm extremely disappointed and upset for all the residents and staff at the care home. It leaves them in a desperate situation.

"Vulnerable old people should be cared for and loved – which is what happens with the staff – and they are being expected to leave at a time in their lives when it's not easy for them. It's shameful.

"There were 27 very vulnerable old people who relied on the home and some amazing staff."

Mr Lee confirmed that once all residents have been relocated, the building will be put up for sale.