WARNING! NO STARS!!! Under NO circumstances place your loved one in Memory Care at Silverado Beverly Place. My father is dead because of their neglect. After 4 months there and with Silverado Hospice Care, "nurses" and specialized "care plans," my father died a very painful death from kidney failure, brought on by severe dehydration, and pneumonia. It all began when for four days I kept telling the care managers, the LVNs, the Silverado Hospice nurses, the Memory Care director, Janet Strickland, that my father was dehydrated. The staff was unaware of the skin test for dehydration, which is a simple, yet crucial part of eldercare. I had no idea how sick my father was. I was depending on their expertise, but they would rather see your loved one die before they will call an ambulance or send your loved one to the hospital. In my particular case my father was having problems with pressure sores. First small ones on his backside. The last week of his life I received a call from the Silverado Hospice nurse that "his wounds are healing nicely" on a Tuesday. On Thursday, I asked the staff to change my father's diaper and I, along with the care managers, was utterly horrified at what I saw. His entire backside was covered with horrible sores, which I later found out at the hospital was "excoriations" due to being left in urine for long periods of time. When I saw the condition of my father's skin and his debilitated state due to dehydration I told the staff I was going to call an ambulance and to prepare my father to be moved. I immediately received a call from the Silverado Hospice director, Timothy Heyman, attempting to discourage me from taking my father to the hospital. He asked me not to “overreact” and not to be “hasty” in my decision. He stated, "Wait until tomorrow so they could schedule a care plan." I told him no, that my father was going to the emergency room. At that time I didn't know my father was hours from dying of kidney failure due to dehydration. And the willful neglect did not end there, the Memory Care director Janet Strickland, called me and said I should use a private ambulance because it was "less expensive." I told her to call whatever ambulance she wanted and then I received a call from the private ambulance company stating that they would need $400 up front. In hindsight, I realize they did not want a 911 ambulance call registered to their facility. They were more concerned with their "record" than the well being of my father. My father, who had been neglected, after my repeated calls of concern about dehydration. We I did get my father to the hospital was diagnosed with acute kidney failure due to dehydration. I was told he could have died if I had not gotten him there when I did. He was revived by fluids and antibiotics only to be diagnosed with pneumonia days later, which didn't present in his initial chest x-ray due to his severe dehydration. My father died a week after being admitted to the hospital due to the neglect of Silverado Beverly Place and their unwillingness to administer proper care, recognize warning signs and call an ambulance!
I was vigilant about my father's care. I visited Silverado Beverly Place almost daily. When I couldn't be there to help my father with his meals I recruited a friend. I was that worried on a daily basis. Showing up in the mornings, at odd hours, calling... I realized quickly Silverado Beverly Place refuses to properly train or inform their staff about residents' individual needs. I personally had to go to the pharmacy to find out what medication my father needed to relive excoriations on his testicles. I argued with Silverado Hospice that day, fighting to have the prescription filled for my father's painful skin condition. They finally agreed after they insisted I wait three days for the "doctor" to have a look at him. However, even when the prescription was filled, not the Hospice nurse, the director, the LVN or anybody informed the care managers that the prescribed ointment was to be applied with each diaper change. The care managers would look at me baffled when I asked where the ointment was. In another incident, I came to my father's room at 7am and he was on the floor (he fell out of bed a total of 4 times while in their care) and there was defecation on the floor in my father's room and things had been moved around. I asked to see the surveillance video of the hallway to determine which resident could have possibly harmed my father and I was told by the Administrator, Monica Westphaln, that the cameras were "out of order," how convenient. Their solution to keeping my father safe was to keep the door locked to his room, but 7 out of 10 visits to my father's room the door was unlocked, the staff hadn't been informed, again. One time when my father fell out of bed he received deep lacerations to his forehead. The Silverado Hospice nurse called and said he fell and had a minor cut on his head. I rushed right over to find my father with a 2" x 2" band-aid on his forehead that was falling off. There we two deep gashes in my father's forehead! I immediately called Silverado Hospice and asked for stitches. They said the doctor would look at it in two days. I went to the drug store and got butterfly bandages and dressed the wound myself. The next day the hospice nurse looked at what I had done and I told her band-aid fell off. She became angry and said she could put steri-strips on the gashes. She properly dressed the wound and I wondered why she didn't do this proper dressing in the first place. Another incident took place when my father arrived at Silverado Beverly Place and he had pressure sores on his heals, I asked for a wound care specialist, they refused. Even though Medicare pays for it. My father subsequently got more pressure sores and I was told in the hospital that the sores on his heels had been being treated improperly and the sores on his testicles and backside were due to being left in urine for long periods of time. However, Silverado Hospice refused to bring in a wound care specialist each time I asked. Additionally, it became very apparent that the care managers were not trained on how to assist or feed residents who could not feed themselves. They would become angry and impatient and did not care if the resident ate or was losing weight. My father lost 20 pounds in 4 months. I had other family members of residents warn me and let me know the reason they came everyday was because their loved one was starving under Silverado Beverly Place care. It's a terrible facility even when family members have to be vigilant and even then your loved on is in danger there.
Here's some of what I observed during my daily visits: placing a resident on a couch and turning the couch against the wall, effectively creating a "prison" because the resident kept trying to stand; grabbing a resident by the forearms and pushing them down in a chair, forcefully; understaffed at night, 2 care managers for 65 residents that are supposed to have their diapers changed every 2 hours, simply not possible while watching other residents who are wandering; an LVN who was fired because "she wanted to send residents to the hospital"; cramming 12 wheelchair-bound residents into a 15' x 15' dining room, creating a fire hazard because they we so wedged into the room; residents on the floor calling out for help and being ignored; residents with bruises on their arms and faces who had obviously fallen being allowed to wonder down unattended hallways, only to fall again; care managers using curse words, speaking in harsh tones; resident dogs urinating on the carpet; and LVNs allowing family members to administer medications.
I write this review in the hope that someone else's life can be saved by not placing them in the care of Silverado Beverly Place. I wish I had this information before I placed my father and caused his ultimate demise in this terrible facility. I have photos and videos to back up my experiences that I have shared in this review.
caring nurse
los angeles,#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, March 16, 2017
The resident that is referred to in this report was brought to Silverado in a dehydrated state. Lab results provided upon admission is documented proof of that. Also the resident was admitted with very serious wounds which were healing well with the help of the hospice team. The heel wounds were completely healed within weeks due to the excellent care this resident received. The Director of Health Services did an excellent job of coordinating care of the interdisciplinary team.
Before going to Silverado, this resident had been abruptly removed from other nursing homes by a family member. There appeared to be legal action pending against them. The photos shown are of wounds that were previously open. They are healing wounds. Admission documents clearly state the amount, location and description of each wound this resident was admitted with. The family member that accompanied the resident was given very factual information in regards to the resident's condition and potential for improvement. She acknowledged all information.
Although I no longer work at Silverado, I was part of the team that cared for this resident. I infact with my team and hospice coordinated the care. Silverado is an outstanding community and their nurses are exceptional.
Carefortheelderly
Orange,#3Consumer Comment
Wed, July 22, 2015
Once again, I would like to reitterate that I can assist in bringing justice to you and your family. Please let me know if you are willing to talk on the phone and we can help to bring justice to the both of us. I have had the same situation happen and it is heart wrenching.
Carefortheelderly
Orange,#4Consumer Comment
Mon, July 20, 2015
I am so sorry about your experience, I am aware of other families that have had similar experiences. Would you be willing to talk further about this over the telephone?
Stacey
Texas,#5Consumer Comment
Thu, May 07, 2015
Did you file a complaint with JCAHO and the Department of Health and Human Services in your State??????