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Golden Pond may keep operating, but Massachusetts bars new residents during safety review
Massachusetts has halted new admissions at Golden Pond Assisted Living in Hopkinton after inspectors identified additional regulatory violations. The facility must address findings from two inspections within 10 days; an 86-year-old resident died in September in a room where temperatures reached 99 degrees.
Golden Pond Assisted Living in Hopkinton has been ordered to stop accepting new residents while it addresses state inspection findings, though the facility is allowed to continue operating.
The Executive Office of Aging & Independence (AGE) ordered the admissions pause after inspectors returned to Golden Pond on Tuesday, Oct. 20, and identified four additional problems. The findings involved emergency staff training, oxygen use and storage, bed rails and specialized care for residents. The agency said none posed an immediate threat to residents’ health or safety.
The review follows the Sept. 30 death of an 86-year-old resident. Her room reached 99 degrees, and the facility was investigated after her death. During an earlier inspection this month, state officials said Golden Pond was taking steps to cool the building, including bringing in air conditioners and fans and opening windows, while also citing violations of state regulations.
In the three weeks after the woman’s death, 30 other residents were taken to hospitals, some reporting heat-related problems, according to the state’s account.
Golden Pond must correct the violations identified in both inspections within 10 days. The facility did not respond to a request for comment about the admissions restriction.
“[T]he safety and wellbeing of residents in Assisted Living Residences across Massachusetts is our top priority,” an AGE spokesperson said Friday, adding that the agency would continue monitoring the facility’s progress.