Public meeting in Roscrea for Dean Maxwell nursing care unit

On Thursday night next, April 11, at 8pm in Roscrea’s Muintir na Tíre Hall, Limerick Street, there will be a public meeting to which all TDs in the Tipperary constituency have been invited to attend.

Members of the public are welcome to this event, and TDs will be invited to make a commitment that they will seek a capital allocation to ensure that the long term stay facility delivered by the Dean Maxwell Nursing Unit for nearly 50 years, continues in the town.

The HSE has advised that while the Dean Maxwell unit will continue as a day care centre and respite unit, “while giving a commitment in so far as possible that existing residents will continue, if they wish, to live out their lives in the centre, there will be no new admittance of long term stay residents to the Dean Maxwell Unit from 2021 onwards,” said organiser John Lupton.

The meeting is being called by Roscrea Community Development Council (RCDC), who want to ensure that all in the community and catchment area of Roscrea are “fully aware of the situation and that if it is to change it requires a capital allocation from the exchequer to build a facility which meets with HIQA requirements for such facilities.

“Roscrea community development council, while concerned that Roscrea should lose any facility, or any aspect of any facility, believe that the elderly of the community, just like the elderly of any other community are entitled to more than beds in their advanced years and are entitled to have a ‘home’ experience in their advanced years in their local community.”

RCDC says that “Roscrea and district and its people have been so very fortunate for so many years that the Dean Maxwell Unit managed, so excellently, to provide such a facility for the people of Roscrea and its surrounds.

“It says that if that element of the facility goes it goes forever and future generations will be at such a great loss,” added RCDC chairperson Mr Lupton.