JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There's concern for the safety of dozens of elderly residents at a Riverside assisted living facility as both elevators in the 12-story building weren't working on Thursday, leaving the residents stranded on their floor.
At last check, the elevators at the Riverside Presbyterian House were still not working.
Many of the elderly residents at the Riverside Presbyterian House are disabled and can't climb the stairs, so when the elevators don't work, they are essentially trapped on their floor.
Residents told the I-TEAM that one of their elevators has been broken for the past four weeks, and the other elevator was malfunctioning Thursday morning.
"It's a constant problem here," said Caren Whittler, whose mother is a resident.
Whittler said she found her mother, who has dementia, waiting for the elevator after she climbed to the fourth floor. When she got there, she said, she realized her mother hadn't eaten because the kitchen is on the bottom floor.
"There are several patients and residents who haven't got food," Whittler said. "They said the kitchen was closed and there was no food."
Making matters worse, Whittler said, the water was temporarily turned off because pipes were being repaired. She said she's worried that not having an elevator in an emergency could put residents' lives at risk.
"What if someone needs an ambulance? How would you get them up and down?" Whittler said. "They don't know how long the elevator will be down."
Shortly after speaking with Whittler, management asked the I-TEAM to leave the property.
Residents said elevator maintenance is an ongoing issue that needs a permanent fix.
Management said there's medical personnel on standby and they can climb stairs in a medical emergency if the elevators are still malfunctioning.