Family demands answers after 82-year-old grandmother dies from COVID-19 at NC nursing home

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WJZY) – A family is fighting for answers after they say their 82-year-old grandmother was caught up in a COVID-19 outbreak in her nursing home. 

Pearl Sanders’ family had questions about what’s going on at White Oak Manor after learning of an increase in cases.

‘We placed my grandmother in the nursing home… it would’ve been a year New Year’s Day,” said Shaleiah Sanders.

Sanders tells FOX 46 she made the decision to put her grandmother in a nursing home because she had dementia. 

“What happened? What happened? I know there are other families that feel like this too. That was supposed to be a safe haven. She was supposed to be safe,” said Sanders.

Sanders says White Oak Manor dropped the ball after closing the facility to visitors back in March. She says since then, COVID numbers have continued to increase. 

Sunday, Mecklenburg County Health Department reported 103 residents with COVID, 48 staff members and six deaths linked to the facility.

“If you’re a nursing home… if you’re an adult facility… if you’re following proper protocol and testing staff members twice a week then how did you end up with 50 staff members able to come in the doors and infect 50 residents who can’t fend for themselves?” asked Sanders.

The facility has had no recent health violations reported to the county, but the Sanders family believes more could be done to protect the elderly. 

“If you have a big cluster like this, then at some point it’s OK to say we need to shut down and the patients that aren’t positive we need to get them somewhere safe,” said Sanders.

FOX 46 did reach out to White Oak for comment and the senior administrator responded saying she would provide a statement Monday.