IT'S a fact of life that people become more resistant to change as they grow older. As the years pass by, most of us become more set in our ways.

However, we should not dismiss such foibles out of hand - and especially with regard to elderly citizens who may quite rightly feel that their days of upheavals are over.

As people approach their twilight years, the slightest deviation from the norm can take on monumental proportions. This is understandable.

Years of hard work, raising children and often just scraping by are enough to make anyone suspicious when goal posts apparently start to move.

It is for these reasons that this newspaper sympathises with the fears of those who will be affected by the possible removal of wardens from Worcester's sheltered accommodation complexes.

It is envisaged that the city would be divided into areas covered by teams of wardens. At present, wardens live on-site.

One resident we spoke to voiced concerns about response times in the event of a warden being needed.

But worries were also expressed about residents not knowing their new peripatetic wardens. And therein lies the rub.

For it seems to us that the predominant concern is of losing the personal touch, the relinquishing of the familiar for the unknown.

Letters are to be sent out in the next few days asking people for their views. We hope that all opinions will be taken on board.