Resident safety remains a concern at Golden Pond Assisted Living a month after the death of an 86-year-old woman at the West Main Street facility, according to local officials and Hopkinton’s state representative.

High temperatures at the facility and code violations became an increasing issue after Sheila Szczypinski was found dead in her Golden Pond apartment by staff on Sept. 30. The thermostat in her apartment registered 99 degrees, according to safety officials who visited the room.

According to documents obtained by the Independent, Szczypinski moved into the Golden Pond facility on Aug. 17. She lived in an independent care unit, where she managed her own medication and decided whether to attend meals or events. Staff visited periodically to assist with bathing.

The Independent previously reported that public safety officials received calls on Oct. 1 because Golden Pond was “excessively warm.” Representatives from the Health Department and the Land Use Department responded to inspect the building.

Health Director Shaun McAuliffe noted that multiple rooms well above the 78-degree threshold required by state law. He said that more than once, the inspection team encountered rooms where the air return was pumping out air in excess of 100 degrees.

Golden Pond’s temperature logs obtained by the Independent confirm that temperatures in numerous rooms exceeded 78 degrees between Oct. 2-3.

The logs were submitted to McAuliffe as part of a 71-page document by Doug Noble, Golden Pond’s director of operations. Noble responded to accusations by McAuliffe  that the HVAC system was not functioning properly, staff did not know how to respond in this type of emergency, and that there were increased emergency calls to first responders on Oct. 2.

Noble noted that the facility was transitioning from its cooling to its heating system. This was completed on Sept. 29, the day before Szczypinski died.

Temperature logs on Oct. 2 showed that only a handful of rooms that were under 78 degrees at 9 p.m. In rooms in the Pond View section, temperatures were consistently documented between 78.1 and 86.2 degrees.

The highest temperature seen among all rooms was 87.7 degrees. At 4 p.m., one room in the “special care” unit of Pond View also registered 87.7 degrees.

On Oct. 3, temperatures mostly hovered around or slightly over the 78-degree threshold. The highest temperature recorded that day was 90.7, records show.

“At no time was the heating system at Golden Pond malfunctioning,” Noble insisted in the letter. “The cause of the temperatures exceeding 78 degrees in any room was a result of outdoor temperatures.”

He noted that fans and portable air conditioning units were “dispersed throughout the building.”

But, according to McAuliffe, Golden Pond planned to restore its HVAC system to working order on Oct. 15, noting that there were ongoing complaints about the warm temperatures there.

McAuliffe told the Independent in a separate interview that between Oct. 1-16, the number of medical transports from the facility was “more than usual.”

Noble refuted this claim, writing that there was one transport (instead of three) on Oct. 2, and one (not seven) on Oct. 3.

Resident complaints received

At the Oct. 19 Board of Health meeting. McAuliffe and public health nurse Simone Carter told the board that some residents reported not feeling safe there.

McAuliffe said a “growing number of residents” have submitted complaints to the Health Department and police in recent weeks.

“Residents have voiced concerns about intimidation and fear,” added Carter.

Complaints about Golden Pond have put a strain on the Health Department, they noted.

Golden Pond was ordered on Oct. 23  to cease the admission of new residents to the facility following an inspection by state officials.

In an Oct. 23 email to the Independent, McAuliffe confirmed that he conducted a food safety inspection, which he said “went well.”

“[V]iolations were addressed,” he stated. “GP is working on the training and has ordered repair to a basement kitchen hand sink. They are working on the cleaning and pest control issues.”

State rep seeks response

State Rep. James Arena-DeRosa told the Independent in a recent interview that he hopes to gain more details about how Golden Pond’s leadership plans to address its conditions.

“The more I learn about this, the more concerned I am about it,” he said.

He praised the town’s health, police and fire departments for their professionalism during this crisis.

“It’s not just what happened, it’s how did the various people react to what happened,” stressed Arena-DeRosa. “When the police and fire departments called [McAuliffe], [Golden Pond] did some mitigation. So the question is, why did it require that?”

The state representative said no one from Golden Pond’s administration had contacted him. There have been a few brief statements released by Noble to the media.

“How entities respond to the community is really important,” he stressed. “Nothing’s perfect in our world, but that to me is paramount.

“You want to have some empathy for what they’re dealing with,” said Arena-DeRosa. “But are they dealing with the situation or just letting things slide?”

Arena-De Rosa said he would like to learn about staff training around heat regulations, potential language barriers between staff and residents, and safety preparedness measures that Szczypinski’s death brought to light.

He noted that he has been checking in with McAuliffe “regularly” since the Sept. 30 incident.

“I don’t want to overstep, because a lot of it is within local purview,” Arena-DeRosa explained. “ Where I’m trying to be helpful is, are there places where the state could be more supportive of public health and public safety?”

He noted that Golden Pond is part of a growing trend he has observed where independent and assisted living facilities have “evolved” into offering medical care.

The Legislature in 2024 passed “An Act to Improve Quality and Oversight of Long-Term Care.” This law sought to improve oversight and standards at long-term care and assisted living facilities. Among other provisions, it permanently allowed assisted living residences to offer basic health services.

State rep seeks clarity

Arena-DeRosa said he hopes to resolve an issue he perceives as split jurisdiction at facilities like Golden Pond between the Executive Office of Aging and Independence (AGE) and the Department of Public Health.

“The way the rules are set up now, [Golden Pond] is still under the oversight of AGE, not the Department of Public Health,” he explained. “The state needs to think about how we are dealing with these facilities that offer a variety of services. I’m just trying to make sure that the Department of Public Health has a little more voice in it.”

Where health issues are impacted, he said DPH and local health departments should have some authority.

Arena-DeRosa questions AGE

“I got in touch with AGE after what happened,” said Arena-DeRosa. “The first response I got from them was, ‘Just so you know, we have not received any complaints from residents.’ The second part was, ‘There are some code violations that we’re looking at.’ ”

“My response was, ‘Time out!’ ” he exclaimed. “I know that Hopkinton Public Health has been calling AGE. Shaun’s gotten several complaints from residents.’ ”

These complaints were never registered with AGE because they did not come to AGE directly from residents, he learned. Since then, he and McAuliffe have been urging residents to reach out to AGE, as well as to them, if they need assistance. Arena-DeRosa submitted a letter to the editor to the Independent that included contact information.

Arena De-Rosa noted that people are far more likely to call their local departments than a state agency to report issues. Also, residents may fear retaliation from facility staff if they learn of a report.

“They’re distanced from it,” he said of agency officials. “And they’re setting up systems that aren’t conducive to easily letting people know what’s going on.”

Legislative meetings on horizon

Also on the state level, Arena-DeRosa was scheduled to meet with two House committees about the tragedy in early November. He said he is seeking his colleagues’ input about the way the state’s executive departments oversee facilities like Golden Pond.

“The chairs of our Elder Affairs Committee and Public Health Committee were really receptive to talking about this,” he said.

After these meetings, Arena-DeRosa said he will decide if he will draft legislation.

“No matter how this ends up shaking out,” he stressed, “if we don’t change who has overall purview, I’m going to look at is some kind of mechanism where, if a person living in one of these kinds of homes complains to the local public health department and they turn around and share it, AGE should register that as a formal complaint.”