'My dad is unsettled and missing his friends after having to leave Aldwick House Care Home'

Aldwick House announced its 'difficult decision' to close down last Thursday (January 17), despite its 'best efforts' to resolve the financial challenges it faced. Read more here.

Gemma Louise Pullen, whose dad, 70, suffers from dementia, said families were told of the homes’ closure at the same time as the residents.

She said: “We found out not longer after the new year at a meeting on January 8th.

“It wasn’t the right way for the residents to get told and some of them were upset. The families should have been able to tell them.”

Gemma, who lives in Aldwick, said the family was given support by a social worker but said she has had to do ‘most of the looking around’ herself.

“There are not many places around for dementia care,” she said.

“We have moved him to a dementia room at Homebeech, but he is very unsettled. It is a new environment with new people. It is like starting all over again and he is missing the friends he had made.

“It is causing me a lot of stress and worry.”

According to Gemma, residents were told at the meeting that they had a month to find somewhere to move to.

“We were only given a month to move out, so had until February 8 to find somewhere else," she explained.

“It was late notice and we had not been aware before.

“I would love to have my dad back home but I have my own disability and can’t care for him.

“Myself and my partner have to move out ourselves as well as we were given an eviction notice the same day we found out Aldwick was closing so my stress levels are through the roof."