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A family is upset after repeated sightings of rats inside a San Fernando Valley nursing home.
Cellphone video captured the rat running around a bedroom and jumping behind furniture at Sherman Village Health Care Center in Valley Village.
On Sunday night, the family claimed to have seen at least four rats inside the facility.
Leticia Sahagun said she was terrified that her mother and other elderly patients were living in such conditions. She said she managed to catch at least four rats inside the bathroom that night. They also found rat droppings behind furniture.
“It was dinner time and I think the smell of food drove the rats into the cupboards, behind the furniture and into the bathroom,” Sahagun said. “The only thing I’m worried about is my mom and her roommates. They put their beds on the floor because they’re a fall hazard. I just think they’re going to have rats running through them all night when I’m not there.” I feel so sad and heartbroken.”
Elaine Ballinger, the daughter of another patient, also saw a rat running across the room Sunday night.
A rat is seen running inside a patient’s room at Sherman Village Healthcare Center in Valley Village on Nov. 10, 2024. A rat seen running inside a patient’s room at Sherman Village Healthcare Center in Valley Village on Nov. 10, 2024. Mouse seen running on November 10, 2024, inside a patient room at Sherman Village Healthcare Center in Valley Village. Sherman Village Healthcare Center in Valley Village. (KTLA)
“The nurses were screaming, I was screaming, the other patients’ loved ones were screaming,” Ballinger said.
Ballinger said it’s difficult enough being separated when her mother is in a facility, and this incident will only make things worse.
“I couldn’t even go to work today because I was up all night feeling sick,” she said. “I’m just sick.”
Ballinger’s mother suffers from dementia and couldn’t remember how long the rats had been there. Ballinger decided to ask another patient who reportedly confirmed that the mouse had been in the nursing home for some time.
“And the patient, who didn’t have dementia, said, ‘Yeah, they’re crawling all over the place,'” she said.
However, facility officials told KTLA there are no infections at the nursing home. They claim only one rat, which may have gotten in through the sliding glass door, was found and removed. They are currently working with exterminators and health department officials to address the issue.
Sahagun confirmed that rat traps have been placed around the facility.
Her two worried daughters said they were grateful for the professional care their mother was receiving, but wanted to make sure she was living in a safe and healthy environment.
“Honestly, I’m very happy with the staff here. I come two or three times a week and I’ve never had any problems, but this worries me,” Sahagun said. “I felt there was a limit to this.”
KTLA has requested a statement from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and is awaiting a response.
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