Files Offer Litany of Problems at 2 Homes

The files on two board and care homes in Santa Monica offer a glimpse into the regulatory world in which inspectors record substandard care over and over for years before they take effective disciplinary steps. Instead of seeking penalties against the two homes found operating without licenses in February 1990, state inspectors encouraged the owner to bring her homes up to standard and obtain legal permission to operate. Five years later, the DeLorme and Ocean Gardens homes were again without licenses, the permits yanked after repeated citations, according to Department of Social Service records:

Jan. 22, 1991. Homes licensed.

May 3, 1991. DeLorme. Dead roaches and debris on food storage shelves. Staff is unable to communicate with residents in English.

July 26, 1991. DeLorme. Staff member is improperly charging residents extra fees for basic services such as bathing and dressing, which are included in base price.

Feb. 5, 1992. DeLorme. Rusted sinks, dirty carpets, a broken toilet seat, urine odor. A staff member is found to be physically incapable of providing care to residents.

Feb. 11, 1992. Ocean Gardens. There is no evidence that staff has first aid certification. Dirty carpet, strong urine odor, broken faucet. Medication labels are improperly altered. A resident reports paying $50 to staff for help bathing.

May 5, 1993. DeLorme. Strong urine odor in one room, inadequate staffing, loose pills on the floor of a room and a dirty refrigerator.

Aug. 11, 1993. Ocean Gardens. Resident who wandered away previous day is still missing.

Dec. 10, 1993. DeLorme. The staff is found incapable of meeting residents’ needs. A frail resident is not getting help bathing and toileting. Roaches, strong urine odor.

Feb. 14, 1994. DeLorme. No resident care staff at home when inspector arrives--only a maintenance worker cleaning windows.

Feb. 25, 1994. DeLorme. Roaches, strong urine odor. A wheelchair-bound resident reports paying staff $40 a day extra for routine aid and falling from her wheelchair four times while trying to get to the bathroom.

April 14, 1994. DeLorme. Urine on floor, feces on front of toilet, strong urine odor, insufficient staff.

Both homes referred to the legal department for possible action because of ongoing deficiencies.

Aug. 20, 1994. Ocean Gardens. Staff allowed a resident to lie in bed semiconscious for 24 to 48 hours before calling paramedics.

Oct. 7, 1994. DeLorme. A client who fell from bed overnight was not discovered by staff until morning. Insufficient, incompetent staff.

Oct. 18, 1994. Ocean Gardens. A resident’s leg wound is covered by toilet paper held in place by a stocking.

Dec. 7, 1994. Ocean Gardens. Roaches, dirty refrigerator and freezer, improperly stored food.

Jan. 11, 1995. DeLorme. Leaking roof, strong mildew odor, grimy and odorous carpets. Insufficient staff; an occupant out of medication. No qualified person in charge of home during inspection.

Sept. 6, 1995. DeLorme. License revoked.

Oct. 6, 1995. Ocean Gardens. License revoked.

Rosemary B. Downey, former operator of the two homes, denies virtually all of the state’s allegations and maintains that she was victimized by an “overzealous” state inspector. She says she agreed to the revocation of her licenses only because she was divesting herself of the businesses anyway. DeLorme is now under renovation by a new operator who plans to open it as an Alzheimer’s care center. The same operator has been licensed to run Ocean Gardens under a new name.

“I have never done anything not right and I am proud of what I did,” Downey said.