THE elderly residents of the Cedar Wharf Lodge Anglican Care nursing home at Bulahdelah were delivered the news last week that their home would be closing.

The closure leaves some 35 residents with nowhere to call home and a time of great uncertainty.

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Ripple effects of the closure can be seen through the community.

35 families may now need to find a home for their loved one, with further impacts felt by the families of the 50-plus people employed at the facility.

Bulahdelah’s Cedar Wharf Lodge was originally known as Great Lakes Nursing Home, and began operating in 1991.

It was originally a community-owned facility with 57 beds, and was taken over by Anglican Care in 2017.

John Sahyoun, President of the Bulahdelah Chamber of Commerce, told News Of The Area, “This decision obviously will affect the 50-plus workers who will need to search for employment away from Bulahdelah as well as the effect it will have on their families.

“After the recent devastating effects of fire, flood and COVID it is another blow to the community.

“The community as you would well expect is absolutely outraged by this decision given that they invested a great deal of time, energy and funds into making the nursing home happen in the first place.

“We are working towards a solution to all this,” he said.

The home is one of the largest local employers and businesses throughout the township will be impacted – from the florist and newsagency to the restaurants and cafes.

The social cost of the homes closure will be high with local residents who work in the home needing to travel out of town for work, and residents who thought that they were going to be able to age in place no longer able to do so.

Local resident Anne-Marie Barry said, “We don’t know where we can go to from here, the home to my knowledge has not been advertised for sale, the community will fundraise to keep it.

“Since the end of last year they have not been taking any permanent resident bookings, it has been well planned, the first anybody knew about it was when they had their meeting with the staff and residents.

“The staff are gutted and don’t know what will become of their residents.

“They can go anywhere and any relationships that they have found within the community will most likely be lost.”

There is no public transport in Bulahdelah other than a bus that runs from Taree to Sydney, no taxi service and no Uber service.

“One resident visits her husband in the home using a mobility scooter – if he is moved out of the area she, like other family members, may have no way to visit their loved ones.

“For residents it is scary not knowing where they will go and the whole transport issue makes saying goodbye to families when they leave so much harder.”

Anne Marie’s father has Parkinson’s and he had hoped to age in peace at the nursing home, but now he is facing an uncertain future.

Her in-laws originally fundraised to build the nursing home and are now in their eighties.

Anne-Marie said their efforts years ago had been made so that they would be able to stay in the community.

She said they feel abandoned and that their future has been taken away.

The community is hurting, fearful and disappointed, yet they are hopeful that there is something that can be done to save the nursing home in their township.

Upon hearing the news of the homes’ closure, Port Stephens Citizen of the Year November Sheehan of Heart Pen Letter immediately sent an express post package of letters, with one for each resident, to let them know that there are people in the community who care about them.

By Marian SAMPSON