An east Cork doctor has told an Oireachtas Health Committee that not all family members of residents at Owenacurra have been consulted about where their relatives will end up.
Dr. Orla Kelleher is a niece of one of the residents at the centre in Midleton and has described the service as life saving.
The HSE announced that the centre would close due to the building not being fit for purpose last year.
However, residents and their family members hit out at the decision and say they should not be moved, as many of them have been living in the centre for up to 20 years and have made Midleton their home.
The Joint Health Committee visited the centre in April, and have described the evidence given by the HSE to justify the closure as unconvincing.
Speaking at the meeting, Dr. Kelleher slammed the HSE's decision, expressing her aunt's worry surrounding the closure:
"The whole process has taken a severe toll on Anna and on our family. For Anna, the past 12 months have been extremely difficult. She's expressed her clear wish to remain in Midleton at the Owenacurra. This is her home. She's had to endure terror and fear that she's going to be made homeless, she has had to watch fellow residents, many of them friends being sent off to different places around the county."
