![]() In 2016, Keiro sold its four properties, i.e., Keiro Nursing Home, South Bay Keiro Nursing Home, Keiro Intermediate Care Facility, and Keiro Retirement Home, to Pacifica for $41 million. Kanamori, president and CEO of Keiro, announced in an Appress release that “Keiro is awarding a total of nearly $248,000 in funds to support 32 nonprofit organizations in reducing social isolation with a focus on outreach to Japanese American and Japanese older adults and caregivers in Southern California.” Nice gesture, but THAT’S NOT ENOUGH!!! They have the resources to really make a difference to strengthen and unify the Japanese American community. Many families lost their loved ones to COVID-19 this past year and never had an opportunity to say their goodbyes. Now, 97 seniors died at Kei-Ai during the pandemic, most of whom died alone since families were not allowed to visit. Five years ago, people were showing up to public hearings on the Keiro sale wearing armbands – reminiscent of the war days. Never before, in my lifetime, have I seen the community so incensed. To put it mildly, the Japanese American community is pretty upset with Keiro for abandoning it’s seniors. ![]() But she is worried about a stay to the “bitter end” as she hears about staff layoffs at the facility. She said she’s reluctant to take her mother from her long-time home and community of friends and staff. “When you’re young, you can advocate for yourself, but these are all people that are 90, 100 years old and depend on the kindness of others,” said Hultman. “Having the elderly move out and not knowing if it’s safe or not is just inhumane,” Hultman said. Loretta Hultman and her siblings are now searching for a new home for their 95-year-old mother, who has lived at the facility for 14 years. will have to transfer elsewhere by July 20, according to an email sent to their families on Wednesday. This means that residents of the intermediate care facility tagged for closure by Pacifica Cos. Despite efforts by Save Our Seniors and other groups, the announcement followed the approval that day of an amended closure plan submitted to the California Department of Public Health, according to (May 20, 2021). To make matters worse, on May 18, Pacifica Senior Living announced that Sakura Gardens Intermediate Care Facility will close on July 20. “Why would you volunteer to be a COVID-designated facility knowing that you’re going to be endangering the current residents there?” Matsumoto continued. Most of them have contracted COVID-19, and five have died. Matsumoto began 2020 with 15 patients at Kei-Ai Los Angeles. I feel responsible too,” Matsumoto said.ĭr. ![]() “They should have informed the families so they could take precautions and give them an option to move out. Other doctors and patients’ families that I spoke to also said they were unaware. Takeshi Matsumoto, who has seen thousands of patients at Kei-Ai Los Angeles over the years, said none of his 15 patients or their families were aware. Times, “The board would have recommended against that.”ĭr. Tracy Imamura, who sits on a Community Advisory Board that was supposed to be watching Pacifica’s operations for five years, said that the facility never notified the CAB that it was seeking this status. Patients and doctors say they were never informed or consulted about Kei-Ai’s participation in the program. Kei-Ai volunteered their residents for the increased viral risk!!! Kei-Ai Los Angeles was one of 27 nursing homes participating in a little-publicized county program that allows nursing facilities to volunteer to receive COVID patients from hospitals and other nursing facilities. In April, officials decided to prepare a group of skilled nursing facilities to back-up hospitals to relieve overtaxed hospitals and their exhausted staff. But hospitals needed to free up space for anticipated surges in infections and asked county officials for help. At first, the county restricted hospital transfers of COVID-19 patients to nursing homes to protect elderly patients. “Say Judd, are you saying Pacifica wanted the elderly Kei-Ai residents to die?” Not exactly – but it fits. Why? Because most of them were on Medi-Cal, which pays much lower reimbursement rates than Medicare or private pay. Quite simply, “for-profit.” Pacifica wanted many of Kei-Ai’s long-term residents out. How could that happen? Where was the Community Advisory Board? The following may be a pretty cynical point of view, but it’s as valid an explanation as any. At least 97 COVID deaths overall have been recorded, making it the most deadly nursing home in the state, according to data compiled by The Times. I was shocked, SHOCKED!!! The most deadly nursing home in the state was Kei-Ai Los Angeles, according to an L.A.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |