An 87-year-old man has been unable to sleep after learning that his wife, 80, might be moved to a care home that is too far away for him to visit.
Don Hurst carries his ancient Sony CD player into Knowsley Manor care home in Huyton to “have a little sing and a dance” with his beloved Winnie.
The couple met in a dance hall 64 years ago and had not spent a night apart until former nurse Winnie, 80, had to move into the care home 22 months ago, reports the Mirror.
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Her Alzheimer’s had become too severe to safely stay with Don in their Liverpool home.
However, Don was told last month that Knowsley Manor, which is just a 10 minute drive from his house, will be closing down and Winnie will have to be moved to another home.
Since hearing of the closure, Don has been unable to sleep and is terrified the wife he “lives for” is about to be moved too far away for him to carry on their precious daily visits.
Don, who has six grandchildren and four great grandchildren, told the Mirror: “I go and see her every day and we play her favourite music and have a little dance in her room.
"She laughs and smiles when she sees me. I’m the only person she really recognises, so if I can’t be with her she will be very frightened.
“I can’t sleep worrying about what will happen to Winnie. It took months for her to get used to the home she is in now. She can’t express herself any more so the staff need to get to know her.
“It takes time for them to know when she is distressed or when she needs something because she can no longer put a coherent sentence together. I’m terrified she will be moved far away from me.”
The home she is currently in was the only one near Don that could take Winnie.
He said: “I really don’t know what will happen to us now. I tried to look after her in our own home but I couldn’t cope with the physical demands as her condition deteriorated.
"It broke my heart when we had to find a nursing home for Winnie but now we are in a routine. She is well looked after. I spend every afternoon with her.
“I can’t bear to think of her being moved and upset in a strange place with staff she doesn’t know.”
His son, also called Don, aged 61, was away with his wife Nicky Hurst, 59, when he got a phone call “out of the blue” from a director of the Knowsley Manor care home, owned by HC-One.
Don Jr said: “All they said is, ‘The home is closing. We need to relocate all the residents and we have to liaise with Knowsley social services and take it from there.’
“My dad is quite distressed. He keeps asking me, ‘What’s happening to Winnie? I can’t cope with this stress’. The last thing he wants is mum to be placed in a care home outside of the borough or one that is difficult for him to get to.
"The staff have been great and they love my mum. But if she doesn’t get placed near him, they could soon have another case on their hands.”
The stress has taken its toll on his father’s health which has deteriorated rapidly. Don Jr said: “All he’s living for is going in each day to see mum.”
A spokesman for HC-One said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of the individuals we support are our top priorities. Despite our best efforts, and a considerable investment of time and financial resources into Knowsley Manor, we have not been able to overcome the challenges we have faced.
“This decision has not been taken lightly.”
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