Loved ones disturbed after mice spotted inside Southern California nursing home

Family members are disturbed after they say mice have been repeatedly spotted inside a San Fernando Valley nursing home.

Cell phone video captured a mouse running inside a bedroom and darting behind furniture at the Sherman Village Healthcare Center in Valley Village.

On Sunday night, family members claimed they spotted at least four mice inside the facility.

Leticia Sahagun said she’s horrified that her mother and other elderly patients are living under such conditions. She said she managed to trap at least four mice inside a bathroom that night. She also found mouse droppings behind furniture.

“It was dinner time and I think the smell of the food just ignited mice coming out of the cupboards and behind furniture, in and out of the bathroom,” Sahagun said. “I’m just concerned about my mother and her roommate. They are fall risks so their beds are down on the floor. Just the thought of having mice run on them throughout the night when I’m not there, it just makes me so sad and it breaks my heart.”

Elaine Barringer, the daughter of another patient, was also there Sunday night when she witnessed the mice scurrying across the room.

“The nurses screamed, I screamed, the other patient’s loved ones screamed,” Barringer recalled.

Barringer said it’s difficult enough to be away from her mother when she’s at the facility and this incident is only making matters worse.

“I was so sick and up all night that I couldn’t even even go to work today,” she said. “I’m just sick.”

Barringer’s mother has dementia so she was unable to recall how long the mice may have been present. Barringer decided to ask another patient who reportedly confirmed the mice had been inside the nursing home for some time.

“And that patient does not have dementia and he said, ‘Yeah, they’ve been crawling all over the place,’” she said.

Facility officials, however, told KTLA there is no infestation at the nursing home. They claim only one mouse that may have entered through a sliding glass door was spotted and removed. They are now working with an exterminator and health department officials to address the issue.

Sahagun confirmed mouse traps have been placed around the facility.

The two concerned daughters said they’re grateful for the professional care their mothers receive, but said they also want to ensure they’re living in a safe and healthy environment.

“Honestly, I’m pretty happy with the staff here and I come two to three times a week and never has there been an issue, but this is concerning,” Sahagun said. “This put me over the edge.”

KTLA has reached out to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health for a statement and is awaiting a response.

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