Autumn Lake Healthcare at Norwalk is an independently owned and operated healthcare center that is licensed to use the Autumn Lake Healthcare name and receive non-healthcare related services. All healthcare-related services are provided solely by Autumn Lake Healthcare at Norwalk.
The Nathaniel Witherell, a 208-bed nursing home with memory care services, occupies 70 Parsonage Road in Greenwich, Fairfield County, and has operated continuously since 2009 under governance by the Town of Greenwich.
The current census stands at 176 residents in 208 licensed beds (85% occupancy), aligned with state averages. The community draws patients across three payment models: Medicare beneficiaries represent 58% of new admissions (averaging one month), private-pay residents 36% (two to three months), and Medicaid beneficiaries 6% (averaging four years).
Staff fluently communicate in Spanish, Tagalog, Filipino, Vietnamese, Haitian, French, and Jamaican Creole.
Inspection history from 2018 through July 2025 documents persistent compliance challenges. Across 16 state inspections, inspectors cited 98 deficiencies; a rate of 12.3 annually versus Connecticut’s 2.4-per-year baseline, representing a 413% excess.
The predominant deficiency categories center on abuse prevention (substantiated incidents of verbal abuse, inappropriate sexual gestures, and physical assault documented in 2023 and 2024), resident rights protections, and quality of life standards. Inspectors substantiated failure to report abuse allegations timely to state authorities, failure to remove named staff from care assignments during investigations, and grossly inadequate supervision during mechanical lift transfers, one instance resulting in resident fall. Additional findings included an unwitnessed fall never reported by nursing staff (resident sustained subarachnoid hemorrhage), delayed physician notification of critical condition changes linked to resident death, and systemic incomplete care planning.
A single federal civil money penalty of $5,000 (January 2024) was assessed; the facility has incurred zero payment denials from Medicare or Medicaid.
Registered nurse hours total 4 hours 20 minutes per resident daily, running 7% above Connecticut’s average. Weekend RN coverage specifically reaches 39% above state levels, reflecting elevated clinical oversight during weekend shifts.
Services encompass Alzheimer’s care, cardiac and stroke rehabilitation, IV infusion therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, hospice, wound care management, and outpatient physical therapy.
Private rooms cost $699 daily; semi-private rooms $656 daily.
Annual operating results show a deficit of $6 million against $30.1 million in revenue; a pattern of financial loss sustained over multiple consecutive years.
The Nathaniel Witherell remains available to Medicare, Medicaid, and private-pay residents in the Greenwich area, with inspection records documenting significant ongoing compliance needs and financial strain despite above-average nursing staffing commitments.
