'Heartbroken' couple fear being split by home closure

Dorothy and Dennis Vesty's family are concerned they will have to move to separate homes

A couple who have been married for 68 years fear they will be separated when the care home they live in is closed.

Dennis Vesty and his wife Dorothy live at a residential home in Leicester Forest East, in Leicestershire, but the charity that runs it has said it can no longer afford to keep it open.

The couple's daughter, Denise Hamm, said she was struggling to find a care home which could take both of them together because of their differing care needs.

Mrs Vesty, 89, has advanced Alzheimer's disease and her husband, 95, has no mobility in his legs after he was hurt in a fall.

Relatives of the couple, pictured on their wedding day, said they were in turmoil

Mr Vesty moved into the Kathleen Rutland home in April to be with his wife who has been a resident for three years.

However Vista, a charity for people with sight loss, says it has to shut the home and another, Applegarth also in Leicester Forest East, which look after adults with complex needs.

Residents have been told they will need to find places elsewhere by 22 September.

The charity confirmed 37 residents would be affected across the two homes, with a total of 84 jobs lost.

'Sleepless nights'

Mrs Hamm told the BBC her father was devastated about the prospect of being split up from his wife after decades together.

"They've always been together and even when mum had to go into the home dad would visit her every day," she said.

"He didn't want to go into care but when it became necessary, after his fall, he was glad to be in there with mum.

"We've had so little time to sort this out because there was hardly any notice of the closure.

"We are struggling to find a care home that can take the both at such short notice.

"Mum isn't really aware of what's happening bud dad is so sad. He just wants to spend the rest of their lives together.

"He's so sad and tells me he just now wants to die. It's heartbreaking.

"It’s turmoil for us. We’ve had sleepless nights and I’m sure I speak for many of the families."

Steve Payne, from Vista, said the charity was trying to help find residents places at other homes

Vista's director of care and services Steve Payne said the decision to close the homes had been "very difficult".

He said: “In essence it’s for the financial sustainability of the charity, the viability of the charity as a whole, and not just the residential sector the charity runs."

He acknowledged the impact the closures were having on residents and their families and said the charity was working with local councils to try to find alternative care.

Additional reporting by Ady Dayman

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