Residents of assisted living center displaced after emergency shutdown

Allegations of sexual assault swept under the rug, bed bug infestations left untreated, and many more horrors are all suspected of happening under the roof of an assisted living facility in Cape Coral.

The Woodlands was shut down under an emergency suspension order and has to shut down by Tuesday.

WINK spoke with a woman who worked there as a housekeeper for three months.

She explained that most residents have already been transferred to other homes and assisted living facilities.

The rest will be transported in the coming days, but people with loved ones here said they feel betrayed after learning details of the allegations.

The state reported that in July, a resident was accused of sexually assaulting another resident.

Documents reveal the facility never contacted law enforcement or the victim’s family. The victim was simply showered off by the facility and continued living right next to the attacker.

The reports detail many other incidents, like when a man’s wife fell through a glass window, which never resulted in an investigation.

Other incidents include a resident walking away from the assisted living facility and wandering a mile and a half along a busy highway. Police and family members were never called.

Reports also highlight a bed bug infestation, pipes leaking into residents’ rooms, and no hot water in three of the five resident halls, forcing the people here to take cold showers.

For some families, this is long overdue.

“My prayers have been answered. I’m so glad that this is being brought to attention because it was falling deaf ears for so long,” said Arista Ramsey, whose mother stayed at the woodlands.

It’s not clear how many residents are still at the facility, but we know one of them is Sherry Brenner.
She has dementia and Alzheimer’s, and she’s the one whose head smashed through the glass window inside.

Her husband said the closest place she could get into is three hours away, which is hard for him, considering he’s battling bladder cancer.