Management of the Queensland-based Not For Profit has handed 10 remaining residents at Feros Village Byron Bay a letter informing them that the home’s closing date has been extended by one month.
The home will now close on 19 July 2023 having secured staff and a GP to work in the facility for the additional weeks.
In February 2023, Feros Care announced it would close the Byron Bay home because its 33-year-old buildings were no longer fit for purpose.
However, 10 residents refuse to move out of Feros Village Byron Bay, which was scheduled to close on 23 June 2023.
“We’re not moving,” 95-year-old resident Kate Smorty told A Current Affair this week.
“If [staff]try to lift, literally carry me out, I’ll invite the press along and you can watch me being carried out, me scratching the policemen.”
26 residents have moved to new homes in the region, and the remaining 10 residents have two accommodation options available to them immediately, says Feros Care.
“Feros Care can accommodate all 10 remaining residents in our homes at Bangalow and Wommin Bay or in the region with other providers if they prefer, with more than 10 places immediately available and held for them if they choose to engage,” Feros Care said in a statement on its website.
In May, Feros Care received a letter from lawyers representing the remaining residents, instructing them to cease direct communication with the residents about the closure.
Feros Care management has offered to meet with the residents, either individually or as a group.
“No resident will be left homeless or forcibly removed from the village at any stage,” Feros Care said.
The home was built as a hostel and is not suitable for delivering high-level care. It is a regulatory requirement of contemporary aged care homes that they be able to deliver the full range of care.
