Ladera Center Nursing Home

Ladera Center is a skilled nursing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, offering post-hospital, short-term rehabilitation, and long-term respite care. It prioritizes the care of elderly individuals with significant healthcare needs. 

With a history of safety violations on record, Ladera Center residents and their families may experience abuse or neglect. When staff members fail you, filing a claim for abuse or neglect may be an option to recover legal damages. Contact our New Mexico nursing home abuse lawyers today to learn more about this legal process. 

Quick Overview

• Facility Name: Ladera Center
• Address: 5901 Ouray Rd NW Albuquerque, NM 87120
• CMS Overall Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
• CMS Health Inspection Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
• CMS Staffing Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
• CMS Quality Measures Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
• Federal Fines in Last Three Years: 3 fines totaling $317,860
• Payment Denials by Medicare in the Last 3 Years: 3
• Consumer Alert: Yes, for abuse
• Total Bed Capacity: 120
• Ownership Type: For-profit corporation [1]

Nursing Home Overview

Ladera Center is a nursing home for elderly residents, catering to short-term and long-term patients. The facility offers 24-hour nursing care, ensuring residents receive continuous medical attention and support. Specialized rehabilitation programs are available for individuals recovering from illness or injury. In addition to medical care, this facility provides daily living assistance, which includes help with activities such as bathing, dressing, and meal preparation, ensuring that residents’ basic needs are consistently met.

Ladera Center is also a VA-contracted facility, serving veterans requiring specialized care and support. This institution is part of Genesis HealthCare, a large service that oversees numerous care centers nationwide. As a nursing home, Ladera Center has a checkered past that raises numerous red flags for potential residents and their family members. 

Ladera Center CMS Rating

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has created a five-star system for rating nursing homes across the country. These ratings reflect the honest appraisals of each nursing home’s quality, making it easier for consumers and potential residents to assess different facilities. 

A five-star rating is well above average, while a one-star rating is well below average. Three stars are right in the middle for quality of services. The overall CMS rating for a nursing home depends on scores in three different areas of quality care: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. 

Ladera Center has received an overall CMS rating of one star. This is considered “much below average.” The overall rating reflects the three primary categories. For health inspections, this nursing home received one star. For staffing and quality measures, it has a two-star rating. This means that Ladera Center performed very poorly in health inspections and was below average in staffing and quality measures. Three federal fines have been levied against this facility in the last three years, totaling $317,860. There have also been three payment denials in the past three years. A consumer alert is present due to reports of abuse by nursing staff. 

This facility has faced significant issues, including a high rate of infections requiring hospitalization, with 12.3% of short-term rehabilitation stays leading to severe infections [2]. During inspections, Ladera Center has also been cited for various concerns, such as poor food handling practices and failure to help residents perform daily activities. 

Ladera Center Offers Numerous Services

Here are some services this nursing home offers to elderly residents or other short-term patients.

• 24-Hour Nursing Care: This facility provides around-the-clock nursing care to ensure residents receive continuous medical attention and support.
• Rehabilitation Programs: The nursing home provides integrated rehabilitation services, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy, to help residents regain mobility, improve daily living skills, and address communication or swallowing difficulties.
• Daily Living Assistance: Residents receive help with essential activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating, ensuring their basic needs are consistently met. However, there have been some complaints about the timeliness and attentiveness of this care.
• Specialized Programs: Ladera Center provides specialized care for conditions like dementia and cognitive impairments and VA-contracted services for veterans. These programs are tailored to meet the unique needs of these populations, although there have been concerns about the consistency of staff training in handling complex cases.

Nursing Home Abuse: Violations and Citations

The Ladera Center Nursing Home has seen its fair share of abuse or neglect violations. According to federal findings, here are some reported cases of these violations.

• Several instances of violating a resident’s right to self-determination for care have been reported.
• They refuse to honor the resident’s right to organize and participate in resident/family groups within the facility.
• The administration failed to allow residents to view survey results and communicate with advocacy agencies.
• They fail to complete care plans within seven days of a comprehensive assessment, including verification by medical professionals.
• They fail to perform COVID-19 testing on staff and residents.
• They are unable to implement a plan to prevent and control infections. 
• They fail to procure food from reliable sources and serve it according to professional standards.

Specific Cases of Poor Care at Ladera Center

Ladera Center has faced issues with resident care, particularly in the areas of mobility and weight management. A notable 37.64% of long-stay residents saw a decline in their ability to move independently, and 7.83% experienced significant weight loss, both exceeding national averages.

These figures suggest that residents may not be receiving the consistent care needed to maintain their physical health.

Regulatory Reports and Findings

The facility was fined $317,860 for deficiencies found during inspections, leading to an overall rating of 1 out of 5 stars. Key issues identified in the most recent inspection included care planning, nursing services, and nutrition.

Additionally, the facility had two substantiated complaints and one payment denial, further emphasizing the ongoing concerns about the quality of care.

Although the nursing home has addressed many of these violations and citations since they were issued, they still reflect a startling lack of attention to detail, resulting in poor care for aging adults and other patients. 

Impact on Residents

The failure of nursing staff and administrators to meet the professional standards of a nursing home has damaged Ladera Center’s ability to provide care for adults properly. With the resources of a massive medical firm like Genesis HealthCare, these issues should be minimized to prioritize high-quality care.

Health and Safety

This nursing home in Albuquerque, NM, has struggled with numerous violations that put the health and safety of residents at risk. When a resident’s right to self-determination for care is violated, their physical and emotional needs are not addressed. 

Not allowing residents to view survey results and communicate with advocacy agencies makes patients unaware of the quality of services they are experiencing. As a result, there is little accountability from within the nursing home. 

Other health and safety violations have put residents’ lives at risk, such as failing to test for COVID-19 and not developing an infection prevention and control plan. Procuring food from less reputable sources also increases the risk of food-borne pathogens or allergens hurting a vulnerable patient. 

The staffing issues, which are reflected in the two-star rating received by Ladera Center, also highlight the dangers to residents. There are not enough nurses to provide ample care, or the staff is not up to standard. 

Psychological Impact

Residents in a nursing home should be safe and healthy, but they also have the right to a certain quality of life. These violations have broken patients’ trust in the staff and administrators at Ladera Center, making it harder for residents to enjoy their time there. 

These individuals have the right to organize and participate in groups, so taking that away can lead to social isolation and poor mental health. Incomplete or delayed care plans leave patients with more questions than answers about their medical needs, causing unnecessary stress. 

With numerous violations and citations in its history, this nursing home in Albuquerque, NM, should be a concern for potential residents and families who care about the well-being of their loved ones. Even though Ladera Center reviews are somewhat positive on its website, they do not reflect the total experience of each resident or the facility’s CMS rating. 

Case Examples

In one reported case, a resident suffered a decline in mobility due to inadequate assistance with daily activities. The facility’s failure to provide necessary physical therapy and proper care planning contributed to this deterioration. Another case involved a resident losing a substantial amount of weight, which was attributed to the staff’s failure to monitor and address the resident’s nutritional needs.

Legal Rights and Actions

Residents of Ladera Center are legally protected by federal and state laws that ensure their right to adequate care, freedom from abuse, participation in care decisions, and privacy. If these rights are violated, the resident can file complaints with state regulatory agencies, seek legal action, or contact advocacy groups focused on elder care rights. 

If you or a loved one have suffered from nursing home abuse or neglect in Albuquerque, New Mexico, then you have the right to file a lawsuit against Ladera Center and its nursing staff. The purpose of a civil claim is to recover economic or non-economic damages that resulted from negligent behavior. These losses can include lost wages, medical bills, emotional distress, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and even wrongful death damages. The greater the harm suffered by the victim, the more significant the potential settlement amount. 

However, filing a nursing home abuse claim is not a simple process. You need sound legal guidance to build a strong case and increase your chances of winning. Our team at the Nursing Home Law Center is committed to helping survivors of abuse and neglect and their family members pursue compensation. If we can work together to hold nursing homes accountable for their actions, we can improve the quality of service for every resident in New Mexico. 

Get in touch with our team today to discuss your case and begin the claims process. Call us at (800) 926-7565 for a free consultation or fill out the contact form. 

Resources: [1] Medicare – Ladera Center, [2] US News – Ladera Center,