As the debate about Gov. Deval Patrick’s plans to close Taunton State Hospital continues on Beacon Hill, several family members of patients committed there expressed fears about how the shuttering of the institution could affect their loved ones.

While some expressed concerns about how the change of setting to a state hospital in Tewksbury or a newly constructed one in Worcester would affect the stability of the patients, others talked about fears related to proposals to put group homes in the community.