Madam, – As the daughter of one of the residents transferred from St James’s Hospital to the TLC nursing home in Maynooth in October last (Home News, February 3rd), there are a couple of issues I’d like to raise. Your articles indicate that the TLC and St James’s hospital did not show good judgment in transferring so many residents so fast. But surely the families of those residents have some responsibility also?
I was only too delighted to get a place for my Mam so quickly and to get her out of a hospital setting. While I would agree that there were teething problems, Mam’s call-bell may not have been answered promptly, or she was put to bed too early, I feel writing about the TLC and Leas Cross in the same article is grossly unfair. My experience of the TLC is exactly that – “tender loving care”.
The director of nursing and her staff have been outstanding in their attempt to make my Mam’s new home as comfortable as possible. Christmas was a very sad time for many families trying to deal with feelings of guilt and grief involved in admitting a loved one to a nursing home. Yet the staff, even under pressure, managed to make it special.
It takes time for both residents and staff to adjust to such enormous changes and I feel this important issue has been omitted. What is important to me is that my Mam is happy, settled and well looked after and the TLC presents a warm, friendly and caring place, not only to stay in but also to visit.
Perhaps a more balanced review in future would be fairer. – Yours, etc,