I worked at Lakeside Manor on and off for close to 10 years. I can understand the frustration it…read morecauses the neighbors as parts of Silver Lake are very upscale. However, in defense of the home; allow me to make some clarifications so many observers can understand the legal limitations afforded by the staff.
Being that Lakeside Manor is an adult and ambulatory home, the residents are free to come and go as they please (as long as it does not interfere with their medication schedule). The home is an assisted environment that will provide meals, a room and private/shared restroom. The residents are not permitted to cook or have certain appliances in the home or it can pose a fire hazard.
As far as lack of response to a complaint, the staff are much more limited as to what they actually can do. Even though the facility provides shelter for the residents, the residents still have individual freedoms that prevent the staff from taking certain actions without violating the person's rights. When a resident needs hospitalization, if he or she does not go willingly, the staff must call 911 for police assistance; that is why the staff respond to certain inquiries with calling the police. I have personally walked (because driving the resident would have infringed on legal rights) with another supervisor down Victory Blvd. several times to retrieve an elderly, intoxicated resident from in front of someone's home (about 2 miles away), however, he was a very mild, mannered person. If it was a more aggressive person, we would have called 911. The staff never condone drug use nor alcohol consumption and will confiscate anything found.
It is similar to being a parent to a hostile teenager, there is only so much one can do... and being that they are somewhat independent adults; the staff cannot punish them.
The staff has no control over what the residents do outside of the home, and if they do catch one doing something inappropriate, actions are taken to stop it and try to prevent it from happening again. For example, a resident is caught doing something inappropriate away from the home, their allowance might be taken away and then there is that legal zone where the staff cannot withhold the resident's money for an extended period. There have on occasion been residents that have been a terrible match for the home and the process to have them transferred elsewhere is quite lengthy. Remember, these people are sick and their own families have been unable to care for them properly, so imagine that times 200?
Lakeside Manor is by no means perfect, but it is a much better environment than the alternative of someone who is not quite capable of taking care of himself or herself. Are the staff perfect? No, but the majority of them truly care and that is what makes them work in that type of environment. Remember that for all of the complaints of what the residents do outside of the home; they do inside of the home as well and there is a person who has to grab a mop and clean up after them. Before giving the home such a negative review, find out more about the 24/7 operations. It is a very difficult job to take care of mentally ill people and a very fine line between upholding their dignity and protecting oneself when a mentally ill resident becomes violent; because let's face it, it does happen and the staff need to be prepared for it. This is not a job for the faint at heart. Although it may seem like the staff don't care about the neighbor's concerns, well, they're not hired to worry about the neighborhood, they're hired to help the residents live a comfortable life and hopefully even rehabilitate them.
And I'm certain the Administrator of the home as well as the staff are more than willing to work with the neighborhood to make improvements and to address some issues, but to expect this to be done with the facilitator's bank account only would be unfair as the home is breaking no laws no matter how hard the opposition tries to accuse.
If you have an ambulatory mentally ill or geriatric family member who needs some assistance, Lakeside Manor is a decent place to bring your loved one. I would bring my loved one there if I needed to, and I worked there so I know ALL of what goes on in there. The staff truly take good care of the residents.
