'If we left, they wouldn't have nobody': Heroic janitor and cook recall how they cared for at least 16 elderly patients after residential home was abandoned by staff

• Valley Springs Manor was shut down in October 2013 following violations
• At least 16 elderly residents were abandoned when staff and owners left
• But janitor Miguel Alvarez and cook Maurice Rowland remained at facility
• For several days, they changed patients' diapers and bathed and fed them
• Now, pair have spoken of reasons for their 'heroic' choice to stay behind
• Incident led to new legislation in California relating to care of the elderly

By Sophie Jane Evans for MailOnline

Published: 00:56 EST, 24 November 2014 | Updated: 01:00 EST, 24 November 2014

When a California care home shut down last year, at least 16 elderly residents were left behind, some of whom were sick and bedridden.

But while most staff at the now-infamous Valley Springs Manor abandoned the facility when they stopped getting paid, two stayed on.

Now, janitor Miguel Alvarez and cook Maurice Rowland have explained their reasons for remaining at the assisted living home in Castro Valley.

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'Hero': Janitor Miguel Alvarez (pictured) and cook Maurice Rowland stayed behind at Valley Springs Manor in Castor Valley in Alameda County, California, after it was shut down and abandoned by its owners and staff

Care home: At least 16 elderly residents were left behind at the facility (pictured), some of whom were sick

Speaking to National Public Radio's 'Morning Edition', Mr Rowland, 35, said: 'There was about 16 residents left behind, and we had a conversation in the kitchen, "What are we going to do?"'

'If we left, they wouldn't have nobody,' 34-year-old Mr Alvarez concluded.

Valley Springs Manor, which homed senior citizens with dementia and other ailments, was shut down on October 24, 2013, after its operator's license was suspended.

The suspension was reportedly the result of a long list of violations, including failing to properly train employees or run criminal background checks and making false claims to regulators.

Interior: Speaking to NPR, Mr Rowland, 35, said: 'There was about 16 residents left behind, and we had a conversation in the kitchen, "What are we going to do?"' Above, one of the rooms at the care home

Stepping up: Following the 'mass evacuation' of staff, Mr Rowland and Mr Alvarez (pictured in a Facebook photo with an unknown woman) were forced to work together to provide round-the-clock care for residents

Owners abandoned the Alameda County facility after placing a sign reading 'closed for business' on its front door, ABC 7 reported at the time.

Although some residents were removed by their loved ones, at least 16 - as many as 19, according to a number of reports - were left behind with nowhere to go.

Following the subsequent 'mass evacuation' of staff, Mr Rowland and Mr Alvarez were forced to work together to provide round-the-clock care for residents.

This included frantically changing patients' diapers, as well as bathing and trying to feed them.

'I would only go home for one hour, take a shower, get dressed, then be there for 24-hour days,' said Mr Alvarez, a stay-at-home father of a son and a stepson.

Closed: Valley Springs Manor was shut down on October 24, 2013, after its operator's license was suspended. Owners abandoned the facility after placing a sign reading 'closed for business' (pictured) on its front door

Mr Rowland added that many of the pensioners - who quickly became his 'family' - could not take care of themselves and may have been seriously injured if left alone.

'I just couldn't see myself going home - next thing you know, they're in the kitchen trying to cook their own food and burn the place down,' he said.

The pair - who each earned around $8-an-hour at the care home, but were paid nothing after the facility's suspension - spent several days caring for residents.

However, they decided to call 911 on October 26 out of concern for the pensioners' health and welfare, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Sheriff's deputies and firefighters shortly arrived at the scene, before rescuing residents from the home. Most of the patients were later taken to hospitals in the area.

As the incident hit the headlines, police said officers and county social services officials had been assured that patients would be cared for over the weekend after the suspension was issued.

They said they believed new places were being found for the residents, but this was not the case.

Over the past year, Mr Alvarez and Mr Rowland have received a number of awards and commendations for their actions, which many have deemed 'heroic'.

The shocking incident also prompted California authorities to create new legislation, known as the Residential Care for the Elderly Reform Act of 2014.

The Act aims to ensure care home residents are not abandoned by owners and staff in the future.

Response: Sheriff's deputies and firefighters arrived at the scene (pictured) after Mr Rowland and Mr Alvarez called 911 on October 26. Most of the home's elderly residents were later taken to hospitals in the area