’Heartbreaking:’ Elderly couple’s retirement dream destroyed by defective concrete - Donegal Daily

An elderly couple, one with dementia, have been forced to relocate from their hard-earned retirement home due to defective concrete.In a very personal update, 1...

An elderly couple, one with dementia, have been forced to relocate from their hard-earned retirement home due to defective concrete.

In a very personal update, 100% Redress Party Councillor Ali Farren shared a video on his Facebook page, in which he told how his parents bought the home in 2007.

They hoped to live there all their lives, but now don't know if they will ever be able to return.

In the video, Cllr Farren can be seen standing in front of the home, which is very visibly cracked and crumbling.

Cllr Farren's mother has dementia and he told Donegal Daily that the move was very emotional.

He added how, despite the heartbreak defective concrete causes, quarries are still self regulating.

"There's no way to know if the blocks you're getting this time will make a better job or not than the ones you're knocking down.

"You've a better chance of getting a good burger than a good block in this country."

Cllr Farren outlined how his parents bought their retirement home after a lifetime of hard work.

"They reared eight of us and worked 24/7 in the bar and business.

"They bought this retirement home and now have to leave, through no fault of their own.

"Some people have asked why we're putting them through it, but it's my father's decision - he doesn't want to leave this handling for someone else."

Cllr Farren said his family is fortunate, as there are so many of them available to help, but others don't have that support.

"We're lucky, in many ways, that we have a scheme that will allow us to demolish this house.

"But, we don't know how much of an impact it will have on my parents, or how the new surroundings will affect my mother.

Letterkenny guesthouse refused permission for emergency accommodation use

"But the reality is this was built as a retirement home and had defective blocks.

"And, we don't know if the blocks we're getting today are any better or fit for purpose.

"We've no regulations on the people who manufacture blocks, in this State. The Government could be putting good money after bad.

"They've given us a grant, to rebuild this house, which is better than nothing.

"The reality is, this could happen again in another 20 years' time.

"So, this is not about getting sympathy. It's my parents, yes, but it could be your parents, or anyone's going forward.

"The fact we don't have regulations in this country says a lot."

Responding to Cllr Farren's video, his 100% Redress Party colleague, Cllr Joy Beard, said she is receiving 'more and more calls from elderly victims' of the crisis.

She said: " Ali has shared this very personal video about his elderly parents as they prepare to demolish their home because of defective concrete.

"His mum is living with dementia. Thankfully, Ali and other family members are there to help them through what is an incredibly difficult and stressful process.

"But what about older homeowners who don’t have family support?

"I’m receiving more and more calls from elderly victims not knowing where to turn - this is beyond cruel. Always remember victims did nothing wrong!

"This is exactly why I continue to call for an end-to-end scheme, particularly for our elderly and most vulnerable homeowners.

"People should not be expected to navigate engineers, applications, contractors, moving, storage, temporary accommodation, demolition and rebuilding on their own.

"Hard to believe here in Donegal market surveillance is reactive and not proactive after what has happened - shocking!

"Thank you to Ali and his family for allowing their experience to be shared."

This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme