Lamoni Nursing & Rehab Center

Lamoni Nursing Care and Rehabilitation owned by Iowas largest nursing home corporation Care Initiatives, apparently has been in crisis for several years, and as of this writing the corporation has refused to take the cries of family members seriously. There has been a revolving door of Administrators and staff who have come and gone, complaining of under staffing, long work hours, fatigue and in many cases employees have refused to be a part of the poor quality of care being given its residents.
At least 4 cases of injuries from falls over a weeks period over Christmas, unsanitary conditions, alleged molestation of a resident by a male nurses aide, residents lying for hours in soaked undergarments, call lights and alarms ignored, or no staff around to attend. Residents with obvious emotional and behavioral problems allowed to roam around freely, on occasion aggressive and violent towards other residents. The list goes on.
The governing agency’s have been ill effective in stepping in to prevent the immediate danger of this facility. Reports made by The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals take sometimes 2 months to conclude, and previous reports have proved useless in holding anyone accountable. It comes down to who do they believe, since the facility’s are always on their best behavior during these inspections. There is even a disclaimer at the end of the report from that says, «The fact that a complaint was not substantiated does not mean problems did not exist prior to the investigation.»
The astounding thing is that it is no secret to family members and many others in this small community, who either have not wanted to get involved, or in most cases have just been worn out in their attempts to do so. Many have decided it is the lesser of two evils having their loved ones there. The reasoning being that at least they can keep an eye on them here, and to move them to another facility involves many miles of separation for the family’s and less control then ever in seeing to the on going care of their loved ones.
My mother was there less then 3 months when I was forced to remove her several days before Christmas for her safety. Three days later she ended up in acute care at a hospital being treated for a urinary track infection and acute dehydration. The mother that lies in yet another nursing home, is not the same woman who went in to Lamoni Nursing Care and Rehabilitation. My intention of writing this letter is to prevent any other precious seniors from this particular facility, and to continue to keep the spotlight on this Corporation until it gives us the care it promises and stops profiting from its victims.
Addendum: My mother passed away on February 4^th 2007