PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Residents of Century Village in Pembroke Pines have been experiencing a major traffic jam when trying to get into their own community.
Rae East and her father both live in the retirement community.
“While you’re trying to make a secure environment for people, you’re also doing them a disservice,” said East. “Elderly people like my father have medical needs.”
The line to enter the Century Village can stretch nearly to Pines Boulevard.
Sky 10 flew overhead Friday morning as dozens of cars waited in line.
“Not getting any answers, nobody’s taking responsibility,” East said.
According to East, it wasn’t always this way.
“All of a sudden, Tuesday morning there’s a line of traffic going out onto Pines Boulevard,” she said.
Local 10 News’ Liane Morejon spoke with several people waiting in line on Friday afternoon, all of whom said they had been there for between 35 and 40 minutes.
“Why they take so long to let us in? asked certified nursing assistant Aldith Ward.
Anywhere else, this may just be a nuisance, but East and others are concerned for the elderly population inside Century Village, many of whom rely on nurses, physical therapists or home healthcare aides and are now unable to make it to appointments on time.
“Monday I was here at quarter to nine and didn’t get in until 12,” said Ward. “The patient is bedridden and can’t do nothing for herself. By the time I go there she was soaking wet and her mouth was open like she was desperate to get something to eat.”
For those residents, it’s not just a matter of time, but possibly, life and death.
“If God forbid something happens to a resident because a medical aide didn’t get to them, then who’s responsible?” said East.