Loomis Caregiver Who Served Wild Mushrooms Barred For Life By State
LOOMIS (CBS13) - The caregiver who served poisonous mushrooms to residents at a senior care facility in Loomis, resulting in four deaths, has been barred for life by the Department of Social Services from working in any state-licensed community care facility.
According to the department's investigation into Gold Age Villa located at 8100 Horseshoe Bar Road, caregiver Lilia Tirdea picked wild mushrooms from the facility grounds Nov. 8 and prepared them with a gravy that she ate and then "spontaneously" served to five residents. Four of those residents subsequently died. A fifth was hospitalized but has since returned to the facility.
Tirdea also became sick after eating the mushrooms and has not returned to work. She has 15 days to appeal the state's decision.
Tirdea did not want to speak with CBS13, so her son spoke for her.
"We thought she was going to die because she was really feeling bad. But, she's recovering and she's feeling better now," son Vadim Tirdea said.
The care facility is licensed to Raisa Oselsky. The state investigation determined Oselsky had no knowledge the mushrooms were served to the residents until they began to fall ill the next day and she called Lilia to discuss what was served for dinner, suspecting food poisoning.
"She knows how to cook. It's not like first time cooking, she just picked them up and cooked them," said Vadim. "We never thought that something like that could happen."
The investigation also determined that Oselsky trained Tirdea in food safety regulations and that she was required to only serve food purchased from a store to the residents.
The four residents who have died from eating the mushrooms have been identified as Dorothy Mary Hart, 92, Frank Warren Blodgett, 90, Barbara Lopes 86, and Teresa Olesniewicz, 73.
"I know she feels sorry. I know she can't forget what happened. I know she never thought something like this could happen," said Vadim.
The Placer County Sheriff's Office has said no criminal charges are expected in the deaths.
