Castro Valley: Janitor saw elderly become weak

Source: Carolyn Jones of the San Francisco Chronicle

Miguel Alvarez had never worked in a senior care home. He had never administered medications. The only reason he took the janitor job at Valley Springs Manor in early October was to save money for Christmas gifts for his kids.

Yet last week, as the Castro Valley care home plunged into chaos amid a state-ordered closure, Alvarez found himself changing diapers, bathing, spoon-feeding and otherwise comforting more than a dozen seniors who had been abandoned there.

"I'm a janitor - I didn't know what I was doing. I just tried the best I could," Alvarez, 33, said Thursday at his home in San Leandro.

Alvarez was one of two employees of the care home who stayed when everyone else - including management - left as the state yanked the operating license. On Thursday, he told his story to media members for the first time.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Castro-Valley-Janitor-saw-elderly-become-weak-4944795.php