Mold concern grows at Charlotte County assisted living facility

Black mold found in an assisted living facility goes unaddressed for weeks.

A former employee at Parkside Assisted Living and Memory Cottage in Charlotte County – who left a few weeks ago – says the mold was found in a residential unit.

Ettie is Harry Levitsky’s bride of 60 years, “She was an extraordinary woman and still is,” he said.

He said he hasn’t been able to see her since the pandemic started back in March. It’s the longest window of separation for them.

Ettie lives with dementia at Parkside Assisted Living and Memory Cottage. Harry said he just “wanted to find the best and I think I did.”

Haley Wager is a former employee at Parkside, and she says, “When families stopped coming in, it all went downhill.”

She explains that it’s a different story inside, “At the beginning of June, us care  associates, we noticed some of the mold starting in her closet … a month-and-a-half went by, and I kept on seeing that nothing was being done about it.”

Parkside confirms someone found mold on July 26, nearly two months after Wager says her colleagues reported it to management.

A spokesperson for the senior living center said in a statement, the staff relocated nearby residents and no one developed associated health issues – and they’re working to fix the mold issue.

Then, Wager says a current employee sent photos of more mold taken Monday, August 24.

She worries the damage may linger.

Wagner added, “They had the resident in the room while it was in this condition for about three weeks knowing how bad and how worse the condition was getting.”

Harry is concerned, but hopes it’s just a case of bad luck, “I would think that it would be an isolated thing.” Because no one needs another health concern during this pandemic.

The Agency for Healthcare Administration (ACHA) reports it didn’t find any violations during its last visit in March 2019. However, ACHA reported some violations there in August after finding some employees who work directly with residents did not complete all necessary training.