By themselves, some of the numbers on a government Web site don’t bode well for Lawrence-area nursing homes.

At Brandon Woods, for example, 30 percent of the residents are said to be in pain. The statewide average is 15 percent.

At Lawrence Presbyterian Manor, 15 percent of the residents are said to have pressure sores. That’s almost twice the statewide average.

And, according to the Web site, the last time state inspectors showed up at Colonial Manor – now called Lake View Manor – they cited the home with 20 deficiencies.

But administrators warned the numbers should not be taken out of context.

“Twenty deficiencies? Oh my, that was a year and a half ago,” said Dick Boswell, administrator at Lake View Manor, 3015 W. 31st St. “A lot has changed since then.”

State inspectors, Boswell said, completed Lake View Manor’s latest annual survey in late May.

“We were cited for three deficiencies, and one of the three was a front-office thing that didn’t have anything to do with resident care,” Boswell said. “I’m not saying three is OK, but it’s sure a lot better than 20.”

At Lawrence Presbyterian Manor, 1429 Kasold Drive, executive director Rhonda Parks didn’t dispute the Web site’s numbers. But, she said, the complex’s 60-bed nursing home unit is not dealing with an inordinate number of pressure sores.

She attributed the above-average percentage to residents who had pressure sores when they were admitted and to having more than the usual number of residents in hospice care.

Donna Bell, executive director at Brandon Woods Retirement Community, 1501 Inverness Drive, said the home’s residents-in-pain numbers exceeded the state average because “we have a lot of people coming here straight from the hospital, and we’re doing a lot with people who’ve broken a hip or an arm.”

The numbers, culled from thousands of reports collected by all 50 states, are part of a recent federal initiative aimed at helping families decide which nursing homes are best for their loved ones.

Available at www.medicare.-

gov, the numbers compare conditions in each of Kansas’ 377 nursing homes with state and national averages.

Though wary of how the initial numbers will be interpreted, Lawrence-area nursing home administrators welcomed their availability on the Internet.

“The Internet piece is a work in progress; it’s a good starting point,” said Lee Eaton, executive director at Pioneer Ridge Retirement Community, 4851 Harvard Road.

Eventually, the Nursing Home Quality Initiative is expected to help Kansas nursing homes find ways to improve their care.

Pioneer Ridge’s percentages are slightly above or below the state and national averages, though six of the 10 categories are listed as not yet available.