HOPKINTON, Mass. — An assisted living facility in Hopkinton has been ordered by the Executive Office of Aging & Independence (AGE) to stop accepting new residents amid an ongoing unattended death investigation.
On Sept. 30, police responded to Golden Pond Assisted Living Facility after staff found 86-year-old resident Sheila Szczypinski dead in her apartment.
“The safety and wellbeing of residents in Assisted Living Residences across Massachusetts is our top priority,” an AGE spokesperson said in a statement. “AGE has been closely monitoring conditions at Golden Pond and, based on continued identified deficiencies, has ordered the facility to stop new admissions until all corrective action is taken. We will continue to monitor their progress to ensure the safety of all current and new residents.”
According to a police report, Szczypinski had moved into the facility just weeks before her death and was last seen alive the previous day in the facility’s function room and during a supervised trip to Walmart.
Staff told police there was no indication that she had been sick.
While speaking with the facility’s manager, police learned the building’s air conditioning system had been switched to heat the previous day.
The manager told police none of the other rooms in the building were experiencing heat issues, but Szczypinski could have “attempted to use the cool setting on her thermostat, which would have continued to blow warm air into the room.” Her son also told police it was possible his mother became confused and turned the heat too high.
Police noted that all the windows in her apartment were open. The report also stated that the facility’s HVAC system had not been working.
AGE said it conducted an on-site compliance review of Golden Pond on Tuesday and found the facility out of compliance with multiple state regulations.
The deficiencies included issues involving staff training for emergency preparedness, oxygen use and storage policies, and bed rail assessments.
AGE said the deficiencies identified Tuesday were different from issues found during a previous site visit earlier in October and “do not reflect an immediate risk to the health or safety of residents.”
The Hopkinton Board of Health also issued Golden Pond a Housing Order to Correct on Oct. 14, requiring the facility to meet state requirements.
AGE said Golden Pond must take immediate action to address the deficiencies and provide documentation demonstrating compliance within 10 days of its report. The facility will also be required to submit supporting documentation following the investigation into Szczypinski’s death.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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