Members of Cupar Community Council have heard an impassioned plea for the retention of an under threat care home.
There are fears that Northeden will be closed as Fife Council struggles to balance the books.
Thousands have signed a petition opposing closure and a public meeting will be held tonight to discuss the matter.
Among those desperately hoping for a reprieve is Shirley Clarke, whose 87-year-old father is a resident at Northeden.
“I am a member of the group set up to campaign to save Northeden house from potential closure,” she told community council members at this week’s monthly meeting.
“No one can dispute the mess that this country is in and the financial restraints we all face.
“However it is important to remember that in the next four years the number of people living in Fife over the age of 75 will increase by 20% and by 64% by the year 2024.
“The number of people over the age of 85 is expected to increase by over 53% by the year 2020.Dementia”Currently in Fife there are an estimated 5700 people with dementia and 36.5% of these people live in care homes. That is 2080 people and by 2030 the number of people with dementia is set to double.”
Given such statistics, Ms Clarke believes closures at this stage would be extremely short-sighted.
“Closing council care homes does not mean the financial burden the authority currently faces would be totally wiped out.
“Fife council is obliged to purchase places for those residents who are not self-funding or have been self-funding and their money has run out.”
Ms Clarke insisted the authority could still avoid closures by taking alternative measures such as reducing procurement and the investigation of more cost-effective buying solutions.
Meanwhile, despite the launching of a “consultation” exercise by Fife Council, Ms Clarke insisted many campaigners feel their concerns have been ignored.
“We feel severely let down,” she said. “My father is 87 and has dementia. Moving him into Northeden was traumatic … moving him out would be disastrous.
“Continuity of care and surroundings is vital to those who have challenging care needs. We do need to look forward … but closing Northeden house is, in my opinion, short-sighted and not the answer.
“In future we will need more residential care homes, not fewer.”