As caring for the elderly reaches crisis point in north east Wales, pensioners have spoken of the heartache they endure when told their home is closing down.

Nine private and two local authority homes have closed in the Wrexham area in the last four years, and low wages have put many people off taking up careers in social care.

It is very hard to move when you have all familiar things around you

Peggy Graver

In an attempt to solve the problem, Wrexham council held a jobs fair this week aimed at recruiting people to the ailing care sector.

However, the closures and subsequent re-housing have proved an ordeal for many.

Ivy Delderfield was moved to the Manor Park home in Holt near Wrexham when another home more than 10 miles away was closed.

She has now settled in, but admitted finding the move difficult.

"Being alone in the world, Dennis [her friend] and I had become quite close friends and I thought 'What on earth is going to happen'.

"I got emotionally disturbed - the home couldn't go on in a very big house but with not enough staff," she said.

Dennis Jones and Ivy Delderfield managed to stay together

Another resident, Peggy Graver, said her friends found it difficult to settle in new homes.

"It is very hard to move when you have all familiar things around you," she said.

Guy Randall, who owns Manor Park, agreed that moving to a new home could be traumatic for residents.

"We had one woman who had been with us three months and she passed away.

"You could see the general change in her attitude, the move at 95-years-old was not happy for her," he said.

Rising need

Mr Randall, who has been running Manor Park for four years, said the homes are not funded adequately and the system was not fair.

"My biggest concerns are how we are funded, it varies from different councils, whether you're in Wrexham or Cheshire," he said.

There is no recognition for social care and the money is very poor

Mario Kreft, North Wales Nursing Homes Association

"The councils pay the private homes �244-a-week per patient, yet they pay the council-run homes, �308-a-week so there's no level playing field."

Throughout Wales, the number of people requiring a form of social care has risen by 16% in the past five years.

It is estimated that this figure will increase by two to three per cent every year.

However, according to figures from the Care Forum in Wales, the workforce will rise by 0.5% per annum.

Mario Kreft, Chairman of the North Wales Nursing Homes Association, is not surprised that people do not want to be employed as carers.

"There is no recognition for social care and the money is very poor," he said.