Merrill Gardens at Oceanside

My Dad was a resident of Merrill Gardens Pacific Place facility for 9 months. During
this time, there were 11 incident reports after he was found on the floor with black
eyes, cuts requiring stitches, body covered front and back with bruises and
contusions on arms, legs, back, stomach and even around the front of his neck.
One employee described this as if someone tried to strangle him. He was
hospitalized twice, taken to ER six times, 911 called even more times...all related to
these "unwitnessed falls" The ER physician wrote in the death report that "elder
abuse could not be disproven"
He did not take blood thinners and did not have any bleeding disorder. He did not
have medical conditions that would cause these injuries. The pattern of extensive
bruises and bleeding cuts did not indicate accidental type injuries or even falls. A
fall does not result in inner thigh contusions, bilateral shoulder injuries, injury on
both the front of the body and the back ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
Here is one example of a note in the hospital records:
?PATIENT ADMITTED FOR UNWITNESSED FALL. RESULTING IN LEFT EYE/FACE
CONTUSION. BRUISING ON LEFT SIDE OF BACK. KNEE SKIN TEAR. FACE AND LEFT
AND RIGHT ARM BRUISES. CUT BLOODY. LEFT FOOT TO LOWER CALF REDDENED.
SEVERELY DEHYDRATED. ANEMIC"
Another hospital note from a doctor:
I AM CONCERNED ABOUT HIS FREQUENT FALLS AND HIS LEVEL OF SAFETY AT HIS
CURRENT ASSISTED LIVING ENVIRONMENT. FOR THAT REASON I HAVE ASKED OUR
CASE MANAGER TO EVALUATE AND ASSESS OPTIONS OF HIGHER LEVEL OF CARE.?
PHYSICIAN AT TRI CITY HOSPITAL JUDD GLASSER
?MASSIVE BRUISING THROUGHOUT LUMBAR AREA? X-RAY TO CHECK FOR
FRACTURE. ARM SWOLLEN AND PAINFUL."
Social Services Note by Victoria Mensalvas
"STAFF CONCERNED ABOUT PATIENT?S BRUISES. PATIENT ALSO HAS
MULTIPLE FALLS AT THE ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY. SPOKE TO ADULT
PROTECTIVE SUPERVISOR AND CONSULTED AND ADVISED TO MAKE AN OMBUDSMAN
AND ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES REPORT DUE TO FREQUENT FALLS THAT MIGHT
BE NEGLECT ON THE PART OF THE FACILITY. PATIENT MIGHT BE PHYSICALLY
ABUSED."

We were never told about any of this. My Dad wore long sleeve shirt and pants
and had short term memory problems so he could not tell us.
My Dad became anemic, protein deficient, and severely dehydrated to the point of
requiring hospitalization. Merrill Gardens did nothing to care plan or prevent
reoccurrence. In their own records they mention having a talk with him that he
needs to wear dentures in the public dining room?for appearances. He was not
wearing them because they were not fitting properly due to the weight fluctuations
and newness and they hurt. Forced to wear them, he stopped eating meats and
anything difficult to chew. He was disciplined for going to the dining room twice for
breakfast in one day.
He developed severe rashes on his legs, groin area. Caregivers wrote:
?I HELPED HIM SHOWER TODAY I SAW HIS PRIVATE HAD RASH SO RED AROUND HIS
PRIVATE AREA. HE COMPLAINED HURT WHEN I DRY HIS BOTH LEGS.?
?RESIDENT HAD A RED RASH TO HIS GROIN AND BRUISES ALL OVER HIS BODY.
AFTER HIS SHOWER, I DRY HIM HE COMPLAINING PAIN FROM HIS PRIVATE TO
KNEES TO BOTH LEGS.?
He was charged $1,200.00 per month for showers and assistance 2-3 times per
week, but never received them. Some months he received 5 showers.
He finally developed cellulitis, a deadly skin infection. He developed urinary tract
infections and sores on his buttocks.
He wanted to move out of the facility and we wanted to take him out. The
administrator said that we could not take him out because he needed their
assistance. She stated that if we try to move him out, she will call the police and
report us as kidnappers.
He was not receiving his mail. His telephone was being unplugged at the socket.
Shortly after he moved in, the Administrator left and her job was covered by the
book keeper and a supervisor who did not have proper certification or experience.
They were short staffed.
After one hospitalization, the doctors were not going to release him back to Merrill
Gardens saying they were not caring for him properly. They had their marketing
director convince them that he would be moved to a room with better care. Five
months later they moved him to a room that was very small, had no bathroom or
sink, paint peeling off the walls in big chips, stained carpet, drapes hanging torn off
the rod, etc. he was charged $6,000.00 per month for this.
He was taken to the hospital for a head injury, black eyes, massive bruising all over
his body once again. The hospital discharge instructions stated that he should
return immediately if he develops any of a list of symptoms?one of which was
shortness of breath. They sent him back alone in a cab. He developed shortness of
breath for two days and staff did nothing. Finally they found him on the floor and
sent him to ER. They had a Do Not Resuscitate order on file but told the hospital
he did not have one. He went into respiratory arrest?they had to revive him?he
was in a coma for over a week on machines and then died.
While he was in the hospital dying, Merrill Gardens staff was looting the place and
running up his phone bill. When we went to pick up his property, so much was
missing. One employee saw us carrying out his flat screen tv and yelled, ?Hey I
was supposed to get that.?
They ran out of his medicines and even gave him the meds for the lady next door
for one entire month.
Merrill Gardens would not give us records and when they did finally, records were
missing or altered. There are progress notes and treatment notes for the entire
time there except not a single note for the final 16 days during which there were
four injuries, three 911 calls, two trips to ER and one admission to hospital.
According to the Department of Social Services Licensing Agency investigation
reports, after my Dad died, other residents suffered similar poor care and injuries.
One resident had developed multiple decubitus ulcers on the heel, coccyx, hip,
testicles and nothing was done or even reported. The family was never notified
and only found out when the resident was taken to the hospital and they were
informed by physicians.
Another resident in their locked Alzheimer building escaped through a broken door
that they knew was not locking and never got it fixed. The man fell on the ramp as
he left and ended up with broken facial bones and jaw. Reports of them retaining
out of control residents who were punching and biting other residents and staff.
More residents found with unexplained bruises and cuts??unwitnessed falls? as they
call them.
Merrill Gardens management and corporate people never spoke to us. No apologies.
No commitment to correct problems to prevent future residents from the same
experience. No offer to compensate for what they did?not even a refund of the
$75,000.00 he paid to live there and be poorly cared for.
We take the time to write reviews so others are informed. Everything we say is
factual and backed up by records, photographs, etc. Merrill Gardens has hired
reputation management companies to bury and remove any negative reviews and
over do their marketing ads. Everything I write they get removed or buried. They
have money and power. Merrill Gardens does not care about residents?just the
bottom line profit. They just keep opening up new facilities and are now even in
China expanding into that market.
When looking for an RCFE, look at the facilities state inspection reports and
complaints.

— c m landis, Jun 2013