Laguna Hills Home for Elderly Closed; Faulty Care Alleged

State officials Monday ordered the closure of a board-and-care home in Laguna Hills and accused operators of improperly caring for some of its elderly residents.

Department of Social Services officials accused the Leisure Home for the Elderly of having one elderly resident who required hospitalization in June for bedsores and bruises stemming from allegedly improper care.

State officials said the home is operated by Elizabeth Jimenez, who, when contacted Monday for comment on the state’s accusations, hung up the telephone.

Third to Be Shut in Month

The Laguna Hills facility is the third board-and-care home in the county to be shut down this month because of allegations of poor care of elderly residents. On Dec. 2, Department of Social Service workers ordered the closure of two Cypress homes.

As in Cypress, the shutdown in Laguna Hills came without incident, according to John Grant, licensing program supervisor with the state Department of Social Services. “The reports I’ve received said that everything went smoothly,” he added.

The Leisure Home for the Elderly had five residents, some of whom were receiving inadequate care, state officials said. Grant said all five were moved Monday to other licensed board-and-care homes in the county. Board-and-care facilities are licensed to provide homes for residents who do not require the on-site services of doctors and nurses.

Grant said the investigation and Monday’s subsequent closing was prompted by complaints about patient care. He said that state inspectors making non-scheduled visits found several alleged violations.

According to state law, when an elderly resident becomes so ill as to require services of skilled medical personnel, they cannot continue to be kept in a board-and-care home. One of the state’s allegations against the Leisure Home for the Elderly is that it kept an unidentified resident “who required a higher level of care.”

Bruises and Bedsores

The state’s accusation said the elderly person’s “deteriorating health” was such that the person had to be hospitalized June 10 “with (bedsores), lacerations and bruisings on arms and legs, red bruises to forehead, bruising to left eye, and many black and blue bruises to the feet and toes.”

The Department of Social Services also accused the Laguna Hills home of failing to keep centrally stored medications in a safe and locked place; of exceeding its licensed capacity of five elderly residents in June, when it had six, and of failing to give state-required health screening to some of employees.

The state said it is seeking revocation of Jimenez’s license to operate a residential care facility.

The state said it is seeking revocation of Jimenez’s license to operate a residential care facility for the elderly. Under state law, Jimenez has the right to request a hearing on the allegations. Such a hearing, which would take place before an administrative law judge, must be held within 30 days of her request.