Not So Golden : Reports of Filthy Conditions Prompt Suit Against Home for Aged; Facility Denies Allegations

State inspectors have painted a troubling picture of a retirement hotel in the heart of trendy Melrose Avenue in documents reporting violations such as one resident tied to a bed, staff members teasing a fragile elderly tenant, medical negligence, a cockroach infestation, spoiled food and filthy kitchen conditions.

A volunteer ombudsman in a senior citizen advocacy program quit in frustration last year when he found that he could not improve conditions at the Golden Age Retirement Hotel after three years of trying.

A doctor who treats about 20 residents at the hotel is on probation for gross negligence and incompetence in connection with the treatment in 1987 of elderly patients who lived at other facilities.

State Department of Social Services officials are considering administrative action that could include revocation of the facility’s license.

On Thursday, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a public interest law firm, filed suit in Superior Court in an attempt to force improvements at Golden Age.

Operators of the facility, which is in the bustling 7500 block of Melrose Avenue, were charged in the lawsuit with dangerous and “persistent neglect” of residents who allegedly “suffer physical and emotional injuries that can never be healed.”

Leonard Einhorn, administrator of the facility, termed the allegations in the suit and inspection reports “absurd” and maintains that he provides high quality services to the 65 residents who pay $700 per month for semiprivate rooms.

“Licensing [inspectors] have been out here,” he said. “We’ve corrected [deficiencies]. We’re in good shape and that’s it.”

But Bet Tzedek attorney Eric Carlson said he filed the lawsuit because the state Department of Social Services has not forced board and care facilities such as Golden Age to provide acceptable services.

“There don’t seem to be any effective sanctions,” said Carlson. “Until a facility spins helplessly out of control or someone dies, the status quo continues.”

Dave Dodds, spokesman for the Department of Social Services, said the state’s system of demanding improvements and levying fines is effective in improving board and care facilities. State records indicate that Einhorn has paid a total of $1,850 in fines since he took over the facility in early 1992 and that he is appealing another $1,800 citation.

A top state Social Service official guardedly added that further action against Golden Age is being contemplated.

“We are considering potential administrative action which could include the revocation of license or probation,” said Martha Lopez, deputy director of community care licensing.

Large board and care facilities such as Golden Age generally serve elderly residents who are somewhat more independent and able to take care of themselves than patients in nursing homes. But such residents are nevertheless often fragile and frequently need help with basics such as hygiene, taking medicine or remembering meals.

The suit on behalf of two elderly women and their families accuses the facility operators of unfair business practices and lists a host of alleged misdeeds including inadequate staff, residents lying in their own waste, improper medical care, inadequate dietary supervision, failure to provide a full-time activities director and misappropriation of patients’ funds.

Einhorn denies all the allegations in the lawsuit. “We are very proud of the care we have here,” he said.

At first glance, Golden Age seems benign enough as residents sit on the front patio and watch the parade of mostly young shoppers and fun-seekers on Melrose. Across the street, a sidewalk peddler has set up a cart of incense and body oil in front of the Johnny Rockets burger joint with its gleaming white, ersatz ‘50s motif. On the vendor’s cart is a sticker that advises: “Seek deep wisdom. Live on the edge of chance.”

Behind the benign exterior of Golden Age, the elderly residents do seem to be living on the edge of chance, according to state reports, relatives of tenants and the former ombudsman.

State inspectors have cited the facility at least four times over the last three years for violating safety laws by housing “non-ambulatory clients” on the second floor, where they would have difficulty escaping from a fire.

Food has also been a problem.

In February, inspectors reported finding “spoiled, contaminated chicken, rotten fruits, rotten vegetables . . . Blood on floor of refrigerator, large cockroach . . . in food storage area. . . . Additionally, facility has insufficient amounts of perishable and non-perishable food.”

“The dietary is superb,” replied Einhorn. “We have very good kosher cuisine.”

Inspectors sometimes found residents and their rooms in filthy condition.

“Room carpet is covered with grease, dirt and grime,” states a report from December. “Client refrigerator is littered with food and . . . emitted a foul odor. Bathroom had dirt and grime buildup on floors, walls, countertops.”

In November, inspectors described a resident’s condition: “Client was . . . in an extreme state of neglect regarding personal hygiene.”

In December, 1993, inspectors found a “confused” resident had been illegally tied up: “Resident . . . had soft ties to restrict movement in bed.”

In March, 1992, shortly after Einhorn became a director of the facility, inspectors found staff members teasing a vulnerable woman resident: “Another female resident who is a fragile elder is teased by the day staff. This is considered humiliation. Staff needs to stop this behavior.”

Inspectors have cited the facility several times for medical neglect and in March reported “rampant and widespread negligence regarding clients’ medical and dental needs.”

Milton G. Thomas, former volunteer with the Ombudsman Program of Los Angeles, also found numerous problems at Golden Age. His task was to speak with residents about their concerns and report problems to his superiors in the ombudsman program, who in turn, reported them to the state.

A retired vice president of an electrical engineering firm, Thomas gave up his work as a patient advocate last fall when he saw no improvements at the facility.

“I became discouraged,” he said, “because although I was helping some of the people there, I felt like I was batting my head against the wall.”

Officials of the Ombudsman Program of Los Angeles said that under state regulations they could not discuss specific facilities.

Relatives of residents who are suing Golden Age tell of increasing frustration in trying to get routine repairs, such as fixing the air conditioning system during a heat wave.

Dorothy Sterling complains that her 95-year-old mother, Sarah, was hospitalized with dehydration last year because the air conditioning system broke down and Einhorn would not fix it.

“We were always fighting about the air conditioning,” said Sterling.

Einhorn maintains that the air conditioning works, but state inspectors found in July that the system had a “range from good to nil, depending on the room.”

Sterling also complains that she was told by Einhorn that Dr. Faroukh Kerendi--who treats about 20 residents at Golden Age--is the only doctor willing to come to the facility.

Sterling said she was dissatisfied with the treatment given her mother by Kerendi, who was put on five years probation last year by the Medical Board of California for gross negligence, repeated negligent acts and incompetence. The disciplinary action was taken in connection with treatment of four elderly patients in 1987.

Einhorn says there are other doctors besides Kerendi available to Golden Age residents. And Kerendi--whose practice consists of board and care and nursing home residents--maintains that he was put on probation for “minor laboratory errors.” But state documents indicate that Kerendi had committed such acts as authorizing surgeries without consulting patients’ regular physicians and had failed to examine patients after surgeries.

Times staff writer Virginia Ellis contributed to this story.