Varde Municipality has agreed a budget that will close three nursing homes, including Sognelunden in Agerbæk, where 91-year-old Hans Christian Thuesen lives.
DR reports that the budget agreement is backed by 24 of the 25 members of Varde city council. The agreement runs through 2030 and leaves no funding for the nursing home in Agerbæk, east of Varde.
Alongside Sognelunden, homes in Oksbøl and Outrup are also set to close. The municipality plans to concentrate its care capacity in fewer, larger facilities.
Current residents will not be forced to leave. Per DR, residents cannot be moved against their will, so the closures will be phased in over several years.
Council member Henrik Vej Kastrupsen of Det Konservative Folkeparti told DR that residents themselves decide whether to move to another home. Those who decline can stay until they no longer live there.
Kastrupsen said the aim is to build units with high professional standards and to avoid staff shortages. He also acknowledged that the underlying reason is the need to save money in Varde Municipality, and called it a hard decision.
Staff dispute the reasoning
Heidi Andreasen, a social and health care assistant at Plejecenter Sognelunden, rejected the argument about professional standards. She noted that the home has no nurse nearby and that staff manage on their own.
Andreasen also said Sognelunden has no recruitment problem, with no unfilled positions at the home. She described the closure news as a shock.
Thuesen has lived in Agerbæk since 1940, through the war years. He told DR that being able to live in a nursing home in his own town means everything to him, and that he would not move to a neighboring town.
Why the decision comes now
According to a question-and-answer page published by Varde Kommune, the final decision on the closures is taken in the budget process for 2027. The municipality expected that budget to be finalized in September 2026.
The same page states that the municipality’s own analysis identified an overcapacity of around 50 nursing home places once the health structure reform takes effect. Municipal budgets across Denmark are being settled in these weeks.
Regional outlet JydskeVestkysten has covered the budget presentation and named the nursing homes facing closure. The paper also reported earlier that Sognelunden was included in the plans and that local residents were organizing against it.
As noted by earlier reporting from Varde, decisions in the municipality have drawn public pushback before. Trade publication DK Nyt has also reported that Varde will close three nursing homes as part of the budget deal.
