Kennedy Care Center — Local services in Los Angeles

CANHR provides a guide called "Your Right to Leave" which explains the paternalism inherent in long term care facilities and how SNFs commit false imprisonment. (False imprisonment is a crime).

Awful facility. The staff is extremely rude and obnoxious, and they discriminate against me as well. My grandpa got a cut on his head that was treated with stitches at Cedars Sinai. After hospitalization my grandpa wanted to go home but they put him in this nursing home because he supposedly couldn't walk and needed to recover from his hospital stay. However, this was patently untrue. He could walk just fine (I saw him). Furthermore, my grandpa's injury was treated in one day and he could've returned home the next day. However, they kept him here for no reason (they were simply using him to make money) for 7 weeks. Furthermore, his treatment did him no good--he couldn't walk when he returned home either (and on the day of his release he was so weak that they couldn't even lift him out of bed). In other words, staying here didn't help him. Furthermore, they wouldn't let me take him home AMA even though I have General POA, and they wouldn't disclose any medical information to me. This is discrimination because my father and I have equal rights and powers, but Irina said that my father is the primary decision maker because he is a closer relative (he may be closer biologically, but I lived with him much longer). Not only did they not let me make any decisions, but they also refused to give me any information... In sum, this place is a prison where they lock people up and use them to make money. (They kept my grandpa here against his will for three months before and refused to let him go when his doctor discharged him (Irina initially denied that he was discharged, and later they said that the Adult Protective Services intervened and refused to release him). Be careful, this is an unscrupulous business: the caregivers here do nothing useful (if anything, his condition worsened after rehab) and they will lie, cheat and deceive to keep the patient as long as possible Note: the patient returned home in the same condition that he arrived P.S. Medical advice notwithstanding, it was obvious that he didn't need to be here. Nevertheless, Monica was very pushy about keeping him and refused to let him go without my dad's consent... Also, medical advice is just that--advice. In other words, it's a recommendation that shouldn't be overestimated or taken as gospel.

1. I was able to take him home from Cedars Sinai using my POA but here they ignored my requests and wouldn't let him leave.
2. Prior to arriving in the hospital, he could walk around without any assistance. After post-acute care he was in a wheelchair.
3. I showed Irina my POA and she even photocopied it. But they still treated me like I didn't have it.
4. He was here twice. The first time he was here, he fell in the street and couldn't walk so he went here to recover... But they still kept him an extra month after he was discharged and ambulatory.
5. When he came here, my dad was listed as the 'responsible party' who makes all of the decisions for him because they said that he lacks the capacity to make good decisions (which is ridiculous). Also, at the time, I visited his doctor and watched him discharge the patient from his office. As soon as I came in here however, they denied that he was discharged.
6. They have to keep their beds filled for payment but keeping people for profit is false imprisonment. (7) In sum, they illegally prevented him from leaving so that they could bill Medicare for his treatment.

Overall, Kennedy center has been nothing but hostile, threatening and aggressive (with me). Indeed, their attitude towards me is basically threefold: we don't have to talk to you, we don't have to listen to you and you can't take your grandfather home or we'll call the police... Twice he was here and both times I couldn't take him home. Not with my POA and not when he was discharged by his doctor and I was told that I could come pick him up. This is not...

CANHR provides a guide that explains the paternalism inherent in long term care facilities and how SNFs commit false imprisonment. (False imprisonment is a crime).

Awful facility. The staff is extremely rude and obnoxious, and they discriminate against me as well. My grandpa got a cut on his head that was treated with stitches at Cedars Sinai. After hospitalization my grandpa wanted to go home but they put him in this nursing home because he supposedly couldn't walk and needed to recover from his hospital stay. However, this was patently untrue. He could walk just fine (I saw him). Furthermore, my grandpa's injury was treated in one day and he could've returned home the next day. However, they kept him here for no reason (they were simply using him to make money) for 7 weeks. Furthermore, his treatment did him no good--he couldn't walk when he returned home either (and on the day of his release he was so weak that they couldn't even lift him out of bed). In other words, staying here didn't help him. Furthermore, they wouldn't let me take him home AMA even though I have General POA, and they wouldn't disclose any medical information to me. This is discrimination because my father and I have equal rights and powers, but Irina said that my father is the primary decision maker because he is supposedly a closer relative (he may be closer biologically, but I lived with him much longer). Not only did they not let me make any decisions, but they also refused to give me any information... In sum, this place is a prison where they lock people up and use them to make money. (They kept my grandpa here against his will for three months before and refused to let him go when his doctor discharged him (Irina initially denied that he was discharged, and later they said that the Adult Protective Services intervened and refused to release him). Be careful, this is an unscrupulous business: the caregivers here do nothing useful (if anything, his condition worsened after rehab) and they will lie, cheat and deceive to keep the patient as long as possible Note: the patient returned home in the same condition that he arrived P.S. Medical advice notwithstanding, it was obvious that he didn't need to be here. Nevertheless, Monica was very pushy about keeping him and refused to let him go without my dad's consent... Also, medical advice is just that--advice. In other words, it's a recommendation that shouldn't be overestimated or taken as gospel.

1. I was able to take him home from Cedars Sinai using my POA but here they ignored my requests and wouldn't let him leave.
2. Prior to arriving in the hospital, he could walk around without any assistance. After post-acute care he was in a wheelchair.
3. I showed Irina my POA and she even photocopied it. But they still treated me like I didn't have it.
4. He was here twice. The first time he was here, he fell in the street and couldn't walk so he went here to recover... But they still kept him an extra month after he was discharged and ambulatory.
5. When he came here, my dad was listed as the 'responsible party' who makes all of the decisions for him because they said that he lacks the capacity to make good decisions (which is ridiculous). Also, at the time, I visited his doctor and watched him discharge the patient from his office. As soon as I came in here however, they denied that he was discharged.
6. They have to keep their beds filled for payment but keeping people for profit is false imprisonment. (7) In sum, they illegally prevented him from leaving so that they could bill Medicare for his treatment.

Overall, Kennedy center has been nothing but hostile, threatening and aggressive (with me). Indeed, their attitude towards me is basically threefold: we don't have to talk to you, we don't have to listen to you and you can't take your grandfather home or we'll call the police... Twice he was here and both times I couldn't take him home. Not with my POA and not when he was discharged by his doctor and I was told that I could come pick him up. This is not...

How My Grandfather Was Unlawfully Detained in a California Nursing Home

California’s Your Right to Leave guide from CANHR (California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform) explains how paternalism in long-term care can sometimes cross the line into false imprisonment—a criminal act. Tragically, my family experienced this firsthand at Kennedy Care Center in Los Angeles.

When my grandfather was admitted after a brief hospital stay at Cedars-Sinai for a minor head laceration, he was medically stable and able to walk. Nevertheless, he was transferred to this nursing home for “rehabilitation” and detained there for nearly seven weeks, despite his clear wish—and my repeated efforts—to bring him home.

Throughout his stay, the staff were consistently rude, dismissive, and discriminatory toward me. Under their so-called care, my grandfather’s condition deteriorated drastically. By the time he finally returned home, he was confined to a wheelchair and too weak to stand. His “rehabilitation” caused more harm than healing.

I hold a valid General Power of Attorney (POA) for my grandfather—recognized and honored without issue at Cedars-Sinai. Yet at Kennedy Care Center, staff photocopied my POA but refused to honor it. The facility’s social worker, Irina, falsely claimed that my father—simply because he is a closer relative—was the “primary decision-maker.” Our legal authority is equal under California law. This refusal to acknowledge my POA was discriminatory, unlawful, and prevented me from participating in my grandfather’s care.

Several incidents highlight the facility’s disregard for patient rights:

When I attempted to take my grandfather home against medical advice (AMA), staff refused and threatened to call the police.

Even after his physician had approved discharge, Kennedy staff denied release, claiming he “lacked capacity” without any credible evaluation.

On a prior stay, the facility kept him nearly a month past his discharge date.

Staff falsely asserted that Adult Protective Services (APS) had blocked discharge—something we later confirmed was neither true nor legal.

The motive appeared to be financial: keeping a Medicare-covered bed filled meant continued billing. These actions effectively held my grandfather against his will on two occasions. Both times, staff obstructed a lawful discharge, ignored a valid POA, and used intimidation to silence our objections. Their conduct wasn’t just unethical—it may have constituted false imprisonment and violations of state and federal patient rights laws.

This experience was frightening, dehumanizing, and left our family feeling powerless. No one should ever feel trapped in a place that’s supposed to provide care and dignity.

If you or a loved one is confined in a skilled nursing facility, you have rights—and help...