LJWorld.com

Lake View Manor is on its last legs.

Two weeks ago, the long-troubled nursing home at 3015 W. 31st St. had 32 residents. On Tuesday, it had two.

"Right now, they are being counseled by volunteers and the regional ombudsman," said Gilbert Cruz, state long-term care ombudsman. "We're right on schedule for moving people out."

So far, Cruz said, all of Lake View's former residents have moved to nursing homes in or near Lawrence.

State and federal officials terminated Lake View's Medicaid agreement after the home failed inspections in mid-February and early April. The termination takes effect today.

Without Medicaid, Lake View cannot afford to remain open. Most of the residents' stays had been funded by Medicaid.

Cruz declined to provide a list of nursing homes that had taken Lake View residents, but the Journal-World confirmed:

¢ Five went to Presbyterian Manor, 1429 Kasold Drive.

"Our mission has been to take care of seniors," said Rhonda Parks, executive director at Presbyterian Manor.

¢ Eight went to Tonganoxie Nursing Center, 1010 East St.

¢ One is expected at Pioneer Ridge Retirement Community, 4851 Harvard Road.

"We've been talking to the family. I think there'll be a decision today," said Pioneer Ridge administrator Helen Frye. "I'd like to have done more, but we're full."

¢ Nine went to Brandon Woods Retirement Community, 1501 Inverness Drive.

"We started getting calls as soon as the story broke," said Donna Bell, a Brandon Woods spokeswoman. "We felt it was part of our civic duty to do what we could."

Justine Burton, an advocate for two former Lake View residents, couldn't be happier.

"Brandon Woods has gone above and beyond the call of duty," she said. "It's so much better than Lake View. It's clean, the meals are nice and they vary. You don't have to eat what everybody else eats. And the people here communicate; they keep you informed."

Other residents have moved to nursing homes in De Soto, Oskaloosa and Ottawa.

Sherry Tamerius moved her 64-year-old mother to Ottawa Retirement Village.

"I tried to get her in one of the homes in Lawrence, but they all said no," Tamerius said.

So far, she likes what she's seen at Ottawa Retirement Village.

"The lady who showed me around has been working there 24 years," Tamerius said. "Some other (employees) had been there 10 and 15 years - that kind of stability is so unusual."

Tamerius said her mother suffered a debilitating stroke shortly after surgery to remove a brain tumor.

She moved her mother from Olathe to Lake View two years ago. "I live close by. I could be there in a heartbeat," she said. "I went there every day, which is the key - you have to stay on top of things. And I did."

While at Lake View, Tamerius said her mother received adequate care.

"The problem wasn't the one-on-one care; a lot of good, caring people worked there," she said. "The problem was turnover."

Lake View is owned by Charles K. Pomeroy and his parents, Charles P. and Lurene Pomeroy of Topeka.

Last month, Charles K. Pomeroy vowed to appeal the findings that prompted the decision to terminate the facility's Medicaid agreement.

On Tuesday, federal officials said they had not heard from Pomeroy.

Pomeroy declined to return several calls seeking comment.