Saturday, November 2, 2013

A hero an another indictment of government incompetence. Both the owners and the government abandoned these people. This is how much the government cares for the people


Hero janitor fed, bathed and changed diapers for 19 elderly residents at care home after all staff walked off the job


  • Janitor hired for $8 an hour stayed on at care home after other staff walked off the job following state-ordered closure
  • The Valley Springs care home was closed for safety and health violations on October 24
  • 19 helpless residents remained at the home
  • Miguel Alvarez and cook Maurice Rowland changed diapers, bathed and fed the residents for two days
  • Deputies and firefighters finally arrived to rescue the residents after numerous calls from Alvarez and Rowland
  • Alvarez has never been paid for any of his work at the homeA janitor has described how for two days, he took care of more than 19 senior citizens who were abandoned after a Castro Valley care home was forced to close amid safety and health violations last week.
    Miguel Alvarez, 33, stayed at Valley Springs Manor 24 hours a day when other staff members walked off the job after the operator's license was suspended on October 24 and they went unpaid for more than two weeks
    Another staff member, cook Maurice Rowland, also stayed on to help care for the home's elderly residents, many of whom suffer from dementia and other ailments.
    Hero: Miguel Alvarez stayed to look after 19 elderly citizens at a care home after other staff members walked out
    Hero: Miguel Alvarez stayed to look after 19 elderly citizens at a care home after other staff members walked out
    Last Friday, Alvarez became worried about the elderly resident's health and called 911 several times.
    According to the San Francisco Chronicle, sheriff's deputies and firefighters came to rescue the remaining abandoned residents on Saturday.
    Alvarez, a stay-at-home father of one son and a stepson, took a job at Valley Springs Manor early last month to save extra money to buy Christmas presents for his children.
    He was paid $8 an hour to clean at the facility and met the owners just once.
    He told the Chronicle that the manager gave out paychecks and administered medications to the elderly residents but disappeared in the days before the state-ordered closure.
    Other staff members followed suit and Alvarez found himself frantically changing diapers, bathing and trying to feed the home's elderly residents.
    'I'm a janitor - I didn't know what I was doing. I just tried the best I could,' he told the Chronicle.
    'I'd never want to see my parents or grandparents go through anything like that. I liked these people. I wanted to treat them well.'
    Hero: Miguel Alvarez stayed to look after 19 elderly citizens at a care home after other staff members walked out
    Caring: Alvarez stayed overnight at the home to ensure the safety of its elderly citizens even though he was never paid
    Alvarez became emotional as he described the scenes of chaos at the home after the staff left, saying many people were shouting for help and became distressed and 'zombie-like' after not receiving their medications. 
    'I felt bad for them so I helped them,' Alvarez told the San Jose Mercury News
    'I felt... who's just going to leave these people? Just leave them for damn near dead?'
    He and Rowland took it in turns to sleep on a chair at the home, afraid to leave the elderly residents alone overnight. 
    They were busy tending to other residents on Friday when Edmund Bascom, 65, walked out of the home and has not been seen since. 
    Under investigation: The Valley Manor care home is being investigated for numerous violations
    Under investigation: The Valley Manor care home is being investigated for numerous violations
    Bascom, who went by the moniker 'Goldfinger,' suffers from a mental illness and Alvarez is wracked with guilt about his disappearance.
    Alvarez and Rowland have ridden bicycles around the area searching for Bascom, to no avail.
    'If we can find Goldfinger, then we'd really be heroes,' Alvarez told the Chronicle. 
    'I just feel bad for what happened, though. I wish we could have done more.'
    Alvarez has never received a paycheck for any of his work at the care home.
    The Sheriff’s office is investigating elder abuse charges at Valley Springs Manor.

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