‘An amazing adventure’ in new care home

EXCLUSIVE by Wendy Williams

“WHAT an amazing adventure,” was how 96-year-old Lily Mullis reacted to the news that she was moving care homes.

And how happy it is to see the pensioner finally installed in a leafy new home with seven other residents from the disgraced Jacaranda care home.

“We explained that it was closing and there would be a new home and she was completely unfazed,” insisted carer Danielle Jenkins, 44, who has now set up her own care home to look after her former clients.

“In fact she said it was another amazing adventure and a last bit of fun before she went,” she added.

It is excellent news to see the majority of elderly residents, who had been caught in the crossfire of a vicious dispute between past and present owners of the Jacaranda care home, in Alhaurin de la Torre, finally settled again.

After much pleading from their families, Jenkins, the former senior supervisor at Jacaranda, is now caring for all but four of the original residents with help from eight former staff members.

“It was stressful for everyone and there were a lot of tears when we first heard that the home was closing,” explained Jenkins at the home in Benalmadena.

“It was overwhelming and daunting, especially when we only had five days before being evicted and nowhere to go.

“But thankfully things fell into place and we are now over the moon at how well everyone has done.”

As reported in the Olive Press the residents – some with Alzheimer’s – moved out last month after its owner Iain Sands was evicted by former owner Georgie Shapiro.

Several residents decided to stay on with Shapiro, but they have also now been forced to move after Jacaranda was officially closed and the 11-bed property put up for sale.

The estate agent website insists the large villa, on sale for €500,000, ‘would make an excellent family home or even an old people’s home’.

The sale follows a clash between Shapiro and Sands that culminated in claims that Shapiro had concealed the death of a former resident in order to sell his properties.

This is strongly denied by Shapiro.