Avocado Post Acute

Intrinsic And Beyond Concerned

The communication between the Assistant Director, the Director of Social Workers, staff, and the resident, and myself (the resident's friend and neighbor) was very poor. My neighbor/friend was a resident for approximately 2 months. She is 75 and has no family. Her illness is a complex mix of life-long mental health issues, issues related to aging, dementia, and high blood pressure and seizures. She is a determined and plucky soul. Concerned citizens repeatedly called authorities when they became concerned about her welfare. She was in and out of the hospital and Eldorado over a period of about one and a half years. This last visit to Eldorado was full of upsetting events that caused me to call the ombudsman twice. She would constantly ask them if she would be able to go home. They would not answer her. She was left in a limbo state, not knowing what the doctor's plan was for her. The Social Worker Director finally told me that a psychiatrist evaluated her as lacking capacity and told me she would not be able to go home. With her permission I began the lengthy process of moving her things out of her apartment and finding a home for her pet cat. I was almost to the point of donating her furniture. The day I took her cat to the animal shelter after caring for him for two months and not having success finding him a home, I found out that the psychiatrist re-evaluated her and gave her capacity (with help) and made plans for her to return to her apartment. The only way I found out was because I called the social worker director with a question. She said, "I'm glad you called", your neighbor is going home. I told her that I could not be part of her Care Plan. Then she hung up on me.I explained to the Assistant Director that I had been moving her things out of the apartment and finding a new home for her cat and was afraid that her going home would be too much of a shock. She showed no concern. Another acquaintance of my neighbor showed up and became the only person to be a part of her Care Plan. The facility told her doctor that she had 3 people who were part of her Care Plan and that she had In Home Health Support Services. She did not . The new acquaintance was not aware of all that had happened before she came on the scene and they did not tell her anything. She became convinced that I was abusing my neighbor because I took her cat to the animal shelter. When they deemed my neighbor as lacking capacity they would not tell me anything that I could use to help her, like the name of her doctor. When they gave her capacity, they still would not tell me anything. The Adult Protective Service worker said that when a low income resident with no assets or family to speak in her behalf, after 30 days are "dumped". This had happened before and she only lasted 3 days at home in a highly agitated state with no one to help her. They had not applied for In Home Health Services or Meals on Wheels in a timely fashion, leaving her without the help she needed. Soon, she was back in the hospital and then back to Eldorado. While in their facility they gave her two different rooms and in both cases she had screamers for room mates keeping her from being able to sleep. A fight broke out bewteen her and one of the room mates and the other resident hit her. While she had been given capacity and was scheduled to go home in a few days, they put an electronic bracelet on her wrist that would trigger an alarm if she went out the door. ( even if she was with someone). When I complained they treated me badly, acting in a rude and intimidating manner, making me feel like I was in trouble. There are many more issues that I don't have room to put down. If I had any choice at all, I would never put my own mother or loved one in this place. The only saving grace is the low paid foreigners who work in positions low on the ladder. These people from other countries (many of them) were kind and patient with residents which helped to bring some light into an otherwise dark and confusing atmosphere.

BCL

I am a relative of a patient at El Dorado care center. My husband was transfered from scripps mercy trauma center with a broken back to Eldorado care facility. The nurses had no idea what his treatment plan consisted of but we knew that he was not supposed to move at all without his back brace on. Well he tried to get up to use the potty, made it w/ a walker to the toilet, sat down and instantaniously cried out in pain as his smashed vertibrae began to pinch his spinal nerve. He called to me and we got him back onto his bed immediately! We agreed that he would hurt himself if he tried that again w/ out the back brace. ALso, they put him into a double room w/ a poor soul suffering a slow death! This old man had a traiciotomy and would cough up these loud animal dying a horrible death sounds so loud that when he coughed it literally startled the two of us out of our nap. ALong with these sounds you could smell his innards fuming out of the hole in his throat which was absolutely nausiating and barely tolerable for me. Just remembering the smell to tell you this story leaves me with a feeling to puke. Now, I know that old man deserves his dignity in place, right? SO put him in a single gosh darn room so other patients dont have to lay in a room permeated with the smell of decay and the sounds that death makes as its last final throws of agony squeeze

mslove

My brother was in this nursing home for a bit & it's totally understaffed. My brother would ring for a nurse or his room mate would ring for a nurse & they would never come unless I would go find one. There were a few nurses that my brother didn't like. I was my brothers power of attorney. They are suppose to contact me of everything they did not. They sent my brother to the hospital with out his paperwork. They told the hospital they couldn't get a hold of me. They lied. I was constantly in their offices to make sure they had my number. My brother got sent to the hospital because of a fever they told me. Come to find out my brother was in the hospital 4 days was awake on arrival but by the time I got there he was on life support & 3 days later he passed away because he was septic. Now it takes a while before a body becomes septic & they should of known. I visited him & he seemed out of it. He was calling my uncle Daddy & they look nothing a like. I knew something then & questioned them about what was wrong they just said he was probably tired. Negative he was showing early signs of being ill. So all I can say is watch your family close if they have to be in there, Stay on top of things. My brother had several room mates & they all passed away. So please people just know our nursing homes are not right to our family. If at all possible keep them out of a nursing home!!

March392

The place is bright and the staff seemed to be very friendly. Eldorado is very close to where I live. I would say that they got plenty of activities. The staff has always been cordial to me and to my sister-in-law. Whenever anything comes up like the change in her care or her medications, they would call right away and let me know. Her room is pretty much a standard shared room and I'm saying standard as far as skilled nursing facilities go. Currently, she is in a two bedroom. She is always clean. They have helped her to gained weight which she needed to do. She likes the food and everything seems to be going well. I have no concerns or complaints about them.