LEYTONSTONE: "No fair deal" for elderly over centre closure

4:30pm Tuesday 9th March 2010

By Carl Brown

USERS of a doomed day care centre for the elderly are not getting a fair deal when offered alternative services.

Crownfield Day Centre in Crownfield Road, Leytonstone, is being axed by the council in order to meet government guidelines on the personalisation of services.

Eight of the 42 reglular visitors to the centre are yet to be assessed and some have hired solicitors in an attempt to ensure their needs are met.

Sue Pond of the Silver Warriors group, which is fighting to keep the centre open, said: “Alternative services and activities offered by the council are mainly targeted at active retirees, they are not like for like, are less than what is currently being provided and the majority are located in other boroughs.

“Users do not want to move outside their borough as the journey will take longer.”

The Warriors say the Morley Centre in Billet Road, Walthamstow, has been offered to dementia patients as an alternative facility but is close to full capacity.

Mrs Pond added: “The aromatherapy and relaxation room has now become a store room, the craft room has been offered to a group of Asian ladies with special needs, and the wheelchair store room has been offered as a prayer room.

“The Morley Centre is shrinking. To add to this, the dining room is smaller than that at Crownfield Road and there is no medical room should a user be taken ill."

Susan Ayres 87-year-old mother Winifred Philips, a former Crownfield visitor, suffers from dementia. She will now use the Resource Centre for Older People in Plaistow, Newham, after being unhappy with what is on offer in Waltham Forest.

She said: “The Newham day centre is wonderful, it has hairdressing, chiropody, singing rooms and all in a day centre setting.

“Waltham Forest does not have anything like this, why do we have to move to another borough to get this level of service?"

A cabinet report, approved by Councillor Liz Phillips, cabinet member for older people, says increased choice and control has improved the quality of life for service users who have chosen alternative facilities to Crownfield.

The report adds: “Service users are being professionally reviewed to make sure their needs are being met and alternatives to the traditional day centre care at Crownfield Road are being found for all the current residents.”