Rotary's motto is "Service Above Self" and it's time more ages and stages of life understood this is not just a saying or a practice it needs to be a way of life.
If ever we were aware we are a part of a world while still being American,European, Missourians, New Yorkers, British, Irish, African etc etc it is NOW.
WHO is aware of others needs and giving not when it's convenient but when it's a challenge -- to the self?
ATTITUDE BEYOND SELF. Giving of what you have is easy. Giving when it's a stretch, a challenge, it's taking away from what you have and may not get returned -- that is true giving, it is sacrifice.
HOARDERS. Fear of the unknown, the uncertain, the "I (and often "mine") must survive above all are practices that are harming people unintentionally or not.
STOP BELIEVING THIS IS "NEW" -- it's everyday life for many in the United States and around the world.
While you've stocked your pantries and bought your wine there are those among us in the United States and in many places of the world who are worried about the water they drink and how they'll find food let alone afford it.
NO, IT'S NOT JUST THE OLDER POPULATION. When you think you can "single out" a group, it can make some/many feel better and it's been done around the globe and brought us to many historical, demeaning and damaging situations -- just like a Pandemic can do.
TRUE, WE'RE NOT IN CONTROL --- OR FALSE, OR WE?
Why does it always require someone to get first hand experience before they can think about "real" possibilities and consequences?
Out for a walk? Say hello don't just look away.
COMMUNICATION IS TOP OF THE LIST, EVERYONE.
REALIZE THIS LESSON THROUGH BEING MORE "CONFINED" AND "CONSTRICTED" WHILE THERE'S STILL TIME TO MAKE POSITIVE DECISIONS AND NOT JUST REACTIONS.
We are being told because we do not think about others.
We are being made to do which could rise to even higher levels if we don't "hold imaginary hands" and lead those who are still incapable of thinking beyond themselves to cause even more challenges for those who listen, have learned and understand -- IT'S NOT ME ---- IT'S WE.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Not In "My" Lifetime -- Pandemic Does Not Compute For Many
My mother was four years old when the last pandemic hit.
She was in a small rural town that wasn't as affected as the major metropolitan areas.
Cities today are experiencing the same crisis as during her lifetime; she passed in her 100th year.
How can we convince the teens and twenty somethings of the seriousness of this situation?
Do they think it's smoke and mirrors or "made up"?
This is not within our control.
This is not hype.
This is not reality TV where someone decides how and what and where and when.
You think your're not included because the virus is currently attacking the most vulnerable?
You may be a carrier and not even know it.
We're too focused on telling the general public it's "not advisable" for an "older" citizen to travel or do many things.
Why? Because our older population confined to spaces like Long Term Care where people like myself have witnessed the poor medical care and cleanliness have taken lives before the Pandemic and now are going to move even faster and more destructive because we do not look, we do not listen and we do not ensure our older population is truly protected
That's how it starts -- getting a foothold into a weakened area and then progressing into the general population.
Viruses are like other life forms, they change (mutate) and gain strength as they grow in number and strength.
Our "enemy" is just getting started.
So you think you're so special you won't get it or by the time it "selects" your age group there will be a cure so no worries?
It's dependent on your turning your back and believing, as many of your age have done before, you're "invincible".
You Are Not.
Turn your back and you will find with so many other crisis, the attacks will come, they will reach you and you will be oblivous to its attacks because you didn't believe it would ever come.....to you.
She was in a small rural town that wasn't as affected as the major metropolitan areas.
Cities today are experiencing the same crisis as during her lifetime; she passed in her 100th year.
How can we convince the teens and twenty somethings of the seriousness of this situation?
Do they think it's smoke and mirrors or "made up"?
This is not within our control.
This is not hype.
This is not reality TV where someone decides how and what and where and when.
You think your're not included because the virus is currently attacking the most vulnerable?
You may be a carrier and not even know it.
We're too focused on telling the general public it's "not advisable" for an "older" citizen to travel or do many things.
Why? Because our older population confined to spaces like Long Term Care where people like myself have witnessed the poor medical care and cleanliness have taken lives before the Pandemic and now are going to move even faster and more destructive because we do not look, we do not listen and we do not ensure our older population is truly protected
That's how it starts -- getting a foothold into a weakened area and then progressing into the general population.
Viruses are like other life forms, they change (mutate) and gain strength as they grow in number and strength.
Our "enemy" is just getting started.
So you think you're so special you won't get it or by the time it "selects" your age group there will be a cure so no worries?
It's dependent on your turning your back and believing, as many of your age have done before, you're "invincible".
You Are Not.
Turn your back and you will find with so many other crisis, the attacks will come, they will reach you and you will be oblivous to its attacks because you didn't believe it would ever come.....to you.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
CBS -- Dive Deeper Into Senior LTC & COVID-19 -- You See The Most Beneath The Surface
CBS STOP singling out the Washington State facility as if it was "unique". It's not!
Other facilities have deaths every day and report them as "dying of old age".
Other facilities are possibly not willing or do not have the ability to see the deaths they are experiencing -- which they believe is due to the "time of year' or "weather" or :"age of resident" IS NOT.
Now we have "locked down" facilities but have staff that still moves from one facility to another and who go out into the community moving about with people who may be incubating the virus adding to the pandemic.
ON A DAILY BASIS:
Seniors are required to share rooms even when their roommate is critically ill or sick with a contagious disease.
Seniors who are atttended by CNA's move from room to room often passing by a "hand sanitizer" that doesn't do the job.
Seniors who are "handled" on a daily basis without the use of gloves moving germs, infections and other problems from bed to bed, room to room.
Many Long Term Care Facilities are in "business" to make a profit.
Check out the auxiliary services that are owned or operated or where arrangements have been made for significant billing adjustments -- not reported to Medicaid or Insurance coverage.
Let's be real. If you control supply and demand you can sell/provide a product or service at a lower price point and if you get reimbursed, chances are the business still makes a profit beyond the cost and enabling them to build more, larger and more extensive facilities where they can be higher consumers and subject to more and deeper discounts they pass on into their pocke.
Long Term Care Facilities, even Not For Profit, providing their Board Members with payment of their Country Club Dues. This can be seen on their 990's required to be filed. What about the For Profit -- they should also have to file as they provide for the most vulnerable in our society.
Long Term Care Facilities who specifically look for "new" residents on MEDICAID that have few or little ongoing medical care that cannot be managed with drugs and needs more "personalized" hands on assistance.
TIP OF THE ICEBERG....
This is your chance to really discover why the average amount of time a resident lives in a facility is two to three years and why so many Seniors don't want to go, even when they have no other financial choice or relatives who cannot or do not have the time to CareGive.
It's time to do an INVESTGATIVE REPORT on these sequestered incubators of disease and treatment we wouldn't give an animal.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS ARE REAL STORIES OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT.
CBS AND OTHERS, STEP UP TO THE PLATE....
I've been writing about these challenges and sharing the problems on this Blog since 2012.
How many of our valued contributors are now considered expendable?
They created so many opportunities by lighting the way and giving generations benefits they fought so hard to establish.
DO MORE THAN READ.
TAKE POSITIVE ACTION TO PROTECT AND DEFEND OUR MOST VULNERABLE AMERICANS.
Other facilities have deaths every day and report them as "dying of old age".
Other facilities are possibly not willing or do not have the ability to see the deaths they are experiencing -- which they believe is due to the "time of year' or "weather" or :"age of resident" IS NOT.
Now we have "locked down" facilities but have staff that still moves from one facility to another and who go out into the community moving about with people who may be incubating the virus adding to the pandemic.
ON A DAILY BASIS:
Seniors are required to share rooms even when their roommate is critically ill or sick with a contagious disease.
Seniors who are atttended by CNA's move from room to room often passing by a "hand sanitizer" that doesn't do the job.
Seniors who are "handled" on a daily basis without the use of gloves moving germs, infections and other problems from bed to bed, room to room.
Many Long Term Care Facilities are in "business" to make a profit.
Check out the auxiliary services that are owned or operated or where arrangements have been made for significant billing adjustments -- not reported to Medicaid or Insurance coverage.
Let's be real. If you control supply and demand you can sell/provide a product or service at a lower price point and if you get reimbursed, chances are the business still makes a profit beyond the cost and enabling them to build more, larger and more extensive facilities where they can be higher consumers and subject to more and deeper discounts they pass on into their pocke.
Long Term Care Facilities, even Not For Profit, providing their Board Members with payment of their Country Club Dues. This can be seen on their 990's required to be filed. What about the For Profit -- they should also have to file as they provide for the most vulnerable in our society.
Long Term Care Facilities who specifically look for "new" residents on MEDICAID that have few or little ongoing medical care that cannot be managed with drugs and needs more "personalized" hands on assistance.
TIP OF THE ICEBERG....
This is your chance to really discover why the average amount of time a resident lives in a facility is two to three years and why so many Seniors don't want to go, even when they have no other financial choice or relatives who cannot or do not have the time to CareGive.
It's time to do an INVESTGATIVE REPORT on these sequestered incubators of disease and treatment we wouldn't give an animal.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS ARE REAL STORIES OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT.
CBS AND OTHERS, STEP UP TO THE PLATE....
I've been writing about these challenges and sharing the problems on this Blog since 2012.
How many of our valued contributors are now considered expendable?
They created so many opportunities by lighting the way and giving generations benefits they fought so hard to establish.
DO MORE THAN READ.
TAKE POSITIVE ACTION TO PROTECT AND DEFEND OUR MOST VULNERABLE AMERICANS.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Heroes Among Us Aiding The Senior Population
Listening to the latest information being presented by the Governor of New York, my concerns are growing about the increasing amount of cases and possible need to move people from a hospital bed to another location to make room for others.
Where will they go? Not all can go home. Many will not have the medical insurance or family members to come in and help them through and to being "healthy" again or may need "secondary care" which in the case of anyone over 60 will most probably be a decision to do "rehab" in a Long Term Care Facility.
Also, as we move through a time of uncertainty when there are closings of businesses, shortages of personal and home supplies:
How can we be certain these facilities are able to provide what this dependent society, residents living in a Long Term Care facility where food, medicine and personal care are necessary really need . .
When will we ensure Long Term Care Facilities ARE fully transparent with reports posted on line for all States, at least the total amount generated for the past three years, in plain language without the "jargon" used to hide violations while maintaining the privacy of the individual...
As I've discussed so many times, many of these Long Term Care or Rehab facilities are hotbeds of undisclosed medical challenges and escalating medical problems.
If we do not take this opportunity to speak up, to speak out and to work for reorganization and full accountability to the people who pay into the system, the Taxpayers, and those who are being supported by the system, through vast sums of money going to highly complex enterprises who currently have little responsibility to informing the general public --
We will not have learned one of the valuable lessons this challenging event called COVID-19 , Coronovirus, is giving us in bringing to light and to the surface of our society so many challenges in our medical system.
On the positive side, I've heard from some "middle aged" people how they've called Long Term Care Facilities and told them they wanted to remove their loved one, meaning a mother/father/grandparent/friend from the facility and take them into their homes.
Yes, it's a challenge but generations before us and societies in many countries that have been hardest hit by this emergency situation, have practiced this "caregiving" for generations.
Kudos to those who step beyond their personal comfort zone to provide caring for others; we should be talking about these on the National and International News because they, too, are the Heroes Among Us.
Yes, it's a challenge adjusting.
Yes, it can mean more work for family members.
It can also mean we're returning to being a caring and considerate population where instead of being self-centered, giving when it's "convenient" or brings some form of "reward", we realize it's in the giving we receive.
Where will they go? Not all can go home. Many will not have the medical insurance or family members to come in and help them through and to being "healthy" again or may need "secondary care" which in the case of anyone over 60 will most probably be a decision to do "rehab" in a Long Term Care Facility.
Also, as we move through a time of uncertainty when there are closings of businesses, shortages of personal and home supplies:
How can we be certain these facilities are able to provide what this dependent society, residents living in a Long Term Care facility where food, medicine and personal care are necessary really need . .
When will we ensure Long Term Care Facilities ARE fully transparent with reports posted on line for all States, at least the total amount generated for the past three years, in plain language without the "jargon" used to hide violations while maintaining the privacy of the individual...
As I've discussed so many times, many of these Long Term Care or Rehab facilities are hotbeds of undisclosed medical challenges and escalating medical problems.
If we do not take this opportunity to speak up, to speak out and to work for reorganization and full accountability to the people who pay into the system, the Taxpayers, and those who are being supported by the system, through vast sums of money going to highly complex enterprises who currently have little responsibility to informing the general public --
We will not have learned one of the valuable lessons this challenging event called COVID-19 , Coronovirus, is giving us in bringing to light and to the surface of our society so many challenges in our medical system.
On the positive side, I've heard from some "middle aged" people how they've called Long Term Care Facilities and told them they wanted to remove their loved one, meaning a mother/father/grandparent/friend from the facility and take them into their homes.
Yes, it's a challenge but generations before us and societies in many countries that have been hardest hit by this emergency situation, have practiced this "caregiving" for generations.
Kudos to those who step beyond their personal comfort zone to provide caring for others; we should be talking about these on the National and International News because they, too, are the Heroes Among Us.
Yes, it's a challenge adjusting.
Yes, it can mean more work for family members.
It can also mean we're returning to being a caring and considerate population where instead of being self-centered, giving when it's "convenient" or brings some form of "reward", we realize it's in the giving we receive.
Sunday, March 15, 2020
ADDENDUM: St Louis Ombudsman Sends Info Residents Cannot Return If Leave Facility
CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSPERSON IMMEDIATELY. I understand the concept behind some of these policies but also know some of them have been in place (limiting leaving a facility and potential return consideration) for decades and believe we need to lift the curtain that has been placed over the realities of Long Term Care and all Residential Care in facilities.
I just received an email from VOYCE, the name for the St Louis Missouri Region of the Ombudsman program.
Ironic it should come after my earlier today Post: Heroes Among Us Aiding The Senior Population and I aplauded those who choose to take their loved ones out of what has been proven to be a potentially dangerous environment.
There's a"threat" that if you remove a loved one from a "hotbed" of potential exposure to a killing virus YOU MAY NOT HAVE THE ABILITY FOR THEM TO RETURN to that facility. It's not new, by the way -- it's part of the LTC's way of doing business.
IT'S TIME THIS ABILITY TO "HOLD" OVER YOUR HEAD (and they do contractually) this "threat" of not being able to "go back" is looked at as dangerous to the health and well being of residents and even possibly overlooking actions on the part of staff that could be hazardous to the health of your loved one.
BTW, read carefully the contract you signed; they run a business and many of them are multimillion dollar if not billion dollar multi locations, various names, facilities.
WHEN WE ARE BEING TOLD TO LEAVE OUR OFFICES, NOT GO TO RESTAURANTS, SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED AND WE'RE NOT SURE HOW LONG THESE POLICIES ARE TO BE IN EFFECT....there is an email from AN AUTHORITY in our region, THE OMBUDSMAN organization required by Federal Law stating you can do "other things" to "keep in touch".
Why do they turn this into a "contact" reference instead of a life or death reference -- could it be because they follow the same belief -- "they're old, they're sick, they're going to die anyway....
and instead of providing hope to those who would like to ensure their loved ones have care in a very trying and unprecedented time and are removed from what has already proved in the State of Washington to be a death trap for many residents--a deadly environment -- WE AND THEY DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE
CHECK TO SEE WHAT YOUR STATE'S POLICY IS RE LONG TERM CARE AND RETURNING AFTER LEAVING....just received notification a resident cannot return if you take them out of a facility.... here's the excerpt from the email just received from Voyce St Louis:
"Can a resident leave the facility? Technically, yes, a resident is permitted to leave. However, the resident will be permitted to return ONLY if the absence was for an urgent medical necessity. Any resident who leaves without urgent medical needs will be considered Against Medical Advice (AMA) and will NOT be permitted back into the res Please check with your Administrator for your facility's specific policies.
This is a National Emergency and it appears VOYCE, the name for the St Louis Missouri Area Ombudsman organization, which it also announced in a just received email, is CLOSED AND NOT VISITING LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES which will probably result in more deaths in Long Term Care facilities.
I understand the need to "quarantine" the facilities however they do not have adequate medical personnel on site and this may mean no doctors are going to be personally visiting the facility AND YOU CANNOT TAKE YOUR LOVED ONE TO BE CHECKED FOR THE VIRUS and are relying upon a system that has proven to be failing our elderly population.
WHAT DOCTORS ARE VISITING? WHAT ACTUAL MEDICAL CARE IS BEING PROVIDED EXCEPT FOR THAT OF AN LPN (Nothing against this level of medical assistance but there's usually only one on a floor of more than twenty double room occupancy or more.
THIS IS A NATIONAL EMERGENCY AND IT APPEARS VOYCE, ST LOUIS LONG TERM CARE, IS CLOSING DOWN LOCALLY -- written in the same email:
I just received an email from VOYCE, the name for the St Louis Missouri Region of the Ombudsman program.
Ironic it should come after my earlier today Post: Heroes Among Us Aiding The Senior Population and I aplauded those who choose to take their loved ones out of what has been proven to be a potentially dangerous environment.
There's a"threat" that if you remove a loved one from a "hotbed" of potential exposure to a killing virus YOU MAY NOT HAVE THE ABILITY FOR THEM TO RETURN to that facility. It's not new, by the way -- it's part of the LTC's way of doing business.
IT'S TIME THIS ABILITY TO "HOLD" OVER YOUR HEAD (and they do contractually) this "threat" of not being able to "go back" is looked at as dangerous to the health and well being of residents and even possibly overlooking actions on the part of staff that could be hazardous to the health of your loved one.
BTW, read carefully the contract you signed; they run a business and many of them are multimillion dollar if not billion dollar multi locations, various names, facilities.
WHEN WE ARE BEING TOLD TO LEAVE OUR OFFICES, NOT GO TO RESTAURANTS, SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED AND WE'RE NOT SURE HOW LONG THESE POLICIES ARE TO BE IN EFFECT....there is an email from AN AUTHORITY in our region, THE OMBUDSMAN organization required by Federal Law stating you can do "other things" to "keep in touch".
Why do they turn this into a "contact" reference instead of a life or death reference -- could it be because they follow the same belief -- "they're old, they're sick, they're going to die anyway....
and instead of providing hope to those who would like to ensure their loved ones have care in a very trying and unprecedented time and are removed from what has already proved in the State of Washington to be a death trap for many residents--a deadly environment -- WE AND THEY DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE
CHECK TO SEE WHAT YOUR STATE'S POLICY IS RE LONG TERM CARE AND RETURNING AFTER LEAVING....just received notification a resident cannot return if you take them out of a facility.... here's the excerpt from the email just received from Voyce St Louis:
|
"Can a resident leave the facility? Technically, yes, a resident is permitted to leave. However, the resident will be permitted to return ONLY if the absence was for an urgent medical necessity. Any resident who leaves without urgent medical needs will be considered Against Medical Advice (AMA) and will NOT be permitted back into the res Please check with your Administrator for your facility's specific policies.
This is a National Emergency and it appears VOYCE, the name for the St Louis Missouri Area Ombudsman organization, which it also announced in a just received email, is CLOSED AND NOT VISITING LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES which will probably result in more deaths in Long Term Care facilities.
I understand the need to "quarantine" the facilities however they do not have adequate medical personnel on site and this may mean no doctors are going to be personally visiting the facility AND YOU CANNOT TAKE YOUR LOVED ONE TO BE CHECKED FOR THE VIRUS and are relying upon a system that has proven to be failing our elderly population.
WHAT DOCTORS ARE VISITING? WHAT ACTUAL MEDICAL CARE IS BEING PROVIDED EXCEPT FOR THAT OF AN LPN (Nothing against this level of medical assistance but there's usually only one on a floor of more than twenty double room occupancy or more.
THIS IS A NATIONAL EMERGENCY AND IT APPEARS VOYCE, ST LOUIS LONG TERM CARE, IS CLOSING DOWN LOCALLY -- written in the same email:
- Can the Ombudsman Program still advocate for the needs of my loved one in LTC? Yes! Please note that the VOYCE office is closed and Ombudsmen will not be making regular visits. However, Regional Ombudsmen can be reached via email or phone to discuss your care needs during this uncertain time.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
COVID-19 Concerns For Long Term Care Residents
Warnings? Announcements? Trial Runs?
Are we listening? Have we learned?
Or do we only see with blinders on?
Maybe we're like the proverbial three "monkeys" --
Hearing Nothing, Seeing Nothing, Saying Nothing?
The Emergency Broadcast System has evolved over the years from a Test Pattern to a scrolling announcement with a signature audio sound. Many ignore it as "just another" announcement that will "soon be over".
Have the years since the last medical incident been so long ago and far away that we do not place a priority on being prepared, planning for these challenges and even anticipating their arrival?
In 2019 the Medical Community planned for the wrong strain of the "regular flu" -- and now they're not prepared to handle this NEW "flu" invasion?
Let's take one incident that was reported but never really examined on the National News.
Who's questioning why so many came down with and died (and possibly are still dying) in the Long Term Care Facility in Washington State and allowed to report the deaths as "Old Age"?
Why no investigation into Long Term Care Facilities -- esp now that so many are going to Continuum of Care meaning providing living facilities across the spectrum of aging --
Independent, Assisted, Long Term and Dementia.
The Stats for this medical condition need to be accurate and that includes inside Long Term Care Facilities
How many are dying in other Long Term Care Facilities and their deaths, as with the LTC in Washington State has admitted, been reported as "death due to old age"?
And -- stating publicly that this "cause of death" has
been and is their policy for all deaths in the
facility.
Not heart attacks? Not Cancer?
Not other serious medical conditions?
Death is To Be Expected and usual...they'll tell you...in Long Term Care....
In reality --
People who reside in LTC are there for a reason --
it's usually because they cannot manage by themselves, the cost of "individualized care" is beyond their or their family's abilities or they have no place else to go or "someone" has convinced them that's "where they belong".
CHALLENGE: We have systems, like "The Ombudsman" -- called by other names in many areas -- that relies on "volunteers" and does not have enough people to "assign" any one person to any facility on a regular basis -- not even once a month.
CHALLENGE: There is no full disclosure or transparency and many of these are privately owned businesses.
It's a Call To Action we need to hear from those in positions where changes can be made.
LOOK, LISTEN,TAKE ACTION...It's an Election Year...Ask those running for election what they're going to do to ensure our elderly population is protected and supported
And a word to the Gen X'ers -- some of you are of an age where "they" (the medical community) could send you for rehab to a "facility" where elderly people also reside.
Maybe if you see, hear and feel when you're less than what you usually are you may begin to see "the light" of the real crisis in Long Term Care and work to change "the system" and "the laws".
The Bell of Awareness is ringing; are our headphones and earbuds on so well that we cannot hear the cries and calls of those we love, have loved and should love and care about?
Are we listening? Have we learned?
Or do we only see with blinders on?
Maybe we're like the proverbial three "monkeys" --
Hearing Nothing, Seeing Nothing, Saying Nothing?
The Emergency Broadcast System has evolved over the years from a Test Pattern to a scrolling announcement with a signature audio sound. Many ignore it as "just another" announcement that will "soon be over".
Have the years since the last medical incident been so long ago and far away that we do not place a priority on being prepared, planning for these challenges and even anticipating their arrival?
In 2019 the Medical Community planned for the wrong strain of the "regular flu" -- and now they're not prepared to handle this NEW "flu" invasion?
Let's take one incident that was reported but never really examined on the National News.
Who's questioning why so many came down with and died (and possibly are still dying) in the Long Term Care Facility in Washington State and allowed to report the deaths as "Old Age"?
Why no investigation into Long Term Care Facilities -- esp now that so many are going to Continuum of Care meaning providing living facilities across the spectrum of aging --
Independent, Assisted, Long Term and Dementia.
The Stats for this medical condition need to be accurate and that includes inside Long Term Care Facilities
How many are dying in other Long Term Care Facilities and their deaths, as with the LTC in Washington State has admitted, been reported as "death due to old age"?
And -- stating publicly that this "cause of death" has
been and is their policy for all deaths in the
facility.
Not heart attacks? Not Cancer?
Not other serious medical conditions?
Death is To Be Expected and usual...they'll tell you...in Long Term Care....
In reality --
People who reside in LTC are there for a reason --
it's usually because they cannot manage by themselves, the cost of "individualized care" is beyond their or their family's abilities or they have no place else to go or "someone" has convinced them that's "where they belong".
CHALLENGE: We have systems, like "The Ombudsman" -- called by other names in many areas -- that relies on "volunteers" and does not have enough people to "assign" any one person to any facility on a regular basis -- not even once a month.
CHALLENGE: There is no full disclosure or transparency and many of these are privately owned businesses.
It's a Call To Action we need to hear from those in positions where changes can be made.
LOOK, LISTEN,TAKE ACTION...It's an Election Year...Ask those running for election what they're going to do to ensure our elderly population is protected and supported
And a word to the Gen X'ers -- some of you are of an age where "they" (the medical community) could send you for rehab to a "facility" where elderly people also reside.
Maybe if you see, hear and feel when you're less than what you usually are you may begin to see "the light" of the real crisis in Long Term Care and work to change "the system" and "the laws".
The Bell of Awareness is ringing; are our headphones and earbuds on so well that we cannot hear the cries and calls of those we love, have loved and should love and care about?
Friday, February 14, 2020
Ombudsman: The Few, The Underqualified, No Real Authority
The organization that's supposed to oversee the safety and well being of individuals living in Long Term Care facilities is the organization known as the Ombudsman.
In Missouri, a few years ago, there was a "change of name" to VOYCE.
Created by Federal Law, like Medicare, it's administered by the States and varies from State to State how it operates, functions and what it does.
As with all these Federally mandated "answers" to the problems we've been experiencing in our "modern" society, the breadth and depth are also dependent on State as well as Federal funding, Grants and other resources.
And, as usual, this segment of "social well being" (many call it social welfare) is usually the last to be considered and the first to be cut dramatically when adjustments for other "needs" of society are made more necessary.
However, setting aside the funding, let's focus on the management and the choices made by the States in effectively applying and using the funds they have.
As with any "business" endeavor, its top down and bottom up with clear, concise and timely transparency that facilitate and increase the high level of effectiveness of a program.
Check out your own State's website; here's an example of the Missouri website outlining the "responsibilities" of the Ombudsmen. CLICK HERE for the complete page.
Here's a small selection of the content of the page and my comments for you to think about are placed in italics:
"The focus of the Ombudsman efforts is resident-initiated complaints.
"While complaints may be made on behalf of residents by other individuals, care is taken that such complaints accurately reflect the concerns of the resident. Complaints are received in the strictest of confidence."
Writer's Note: Complaints are received and also never made public, at least in Missouri.
THE CHALLENGES PRESENTED BY A NON TRANSPARENT SYSTEM THAT BELIEVES PEOPLE WILL REPORT "ANYTHING" AND "EVERYTHING"....
This means you and I have no way of knowing what "challenges" any facility is experiencing and since the focus of this group is to "mediate" and there's no real power or ability to ensure compliance to resolving a problem, they're often repeated and if yet another resident doesn't see, hear and/or report the neglect or abuse, it simply continues to happen and negatively impact Senior's quality of life.
MANY CONCERNS, PROBLEMS AND ABUSES NEVER REACH THE LIGHT OF DAY BECAUSE THE "OMBUDSMAN" PROGRAM IS SET UP TO "HANDLE THEM" and that includes not ensuring any report is generated that is available to the general public.
SUGGESTION:
"accurately reflect the concerns of the resident". Well, with Lewy Body Dementia or other forms of Dementia, how can you rely on the resident to even be able to remember what they called about when calls made on a weekend do not go to a Hotline but wait until Monday or even Tuesday.
How many residents of a facility even know their telephone number so they can receive a return call. If they do not have a cell phone, they have to understand the "phone system in the LTC that includes the main number and how to ensure the resident is given any messages."
Incidents happen during all hours and the office of the Ombudsman operates on standard business hours, Monday through Friday, closed on holidays and for many meetings -- at least in Missouri.
In our case, when we called on a Friday to report neglect and abuse for my dying mother, a recording announced the office was closed because everyone was attending a meeting and would reopen the following Monday.
As the message I left said, by that time my Mom would have died.
In Missouri, a few years ago, there was a "change of name" to VOYCE.
Created by Federal Law, like Medicare, it's administered by the States and varies from State to State how it operates, functions and what it does.
As with all these Federally mandated "answers" to the problems we've been experiencing in our "modern" society, the breadth and depth are also dependent on State as well as Federal funding, Grants and other resources.
And, as usual, this segment of "social well being" (many call it social welfare) is usually the last to be considered and the first to be cut dramatically when adjustments for other "needs" of society are made more necessary.
However, setting aside the funding, let's focus on the management and the choices made by the States in effectively applying and using the funds they have.
As with any "business" endeavor, its top down and bottom up with clear, concise and timely transparency that facilitate and increase the high level of effectiveness of a program.
Check out your own State's website; here's an example of the Missouri website outlining the "responsibilities" of the Ombudsmen. CLICK HERE for the complete page.
Here's a small selection of the content of the page and my comments for you to think about are placed in italics:
"The focus of the Ombudsman efforts is resident-initiated complaints.
"While complaints may be made on behalf of residents by other individuals, care is taken that such complaints accurately reflect the concerns of the resident. Complaints are received in the strictest of confidence."
Writer's Note: Complaints are received and also never made public, at least in Missouri.
THE CHALLENGES PRESENTED BY A NON TRANSPARENT SYSTEM THAT BELIEVES PEOPLE WILL REPORT "ANYTHING" AND "EVERYTHING"....
This means you and I have no way of knowing what "challenges" any facility is experiencing and since the focus of this group is to "mediate" and there's no real power or ability to ensure compliance to resolving a problem, they're often repeated and if yet another resident doesn't see, hear and/or report the neglect or abuse, it simply continues to happen and negatively impact Senior's quality of life.
MANY CONCERNS, PROBLEMS AND ABUSES NEVER REACH THE LIGHT OF DAY BECAUSE THE "OMBUDSMAN" PROGRAM IS SET UP TO "HANDLE THEM" and that includes not ensuring any report is generated that is available to the general public.
SUGGESTION:
"accurately reflect the concerns of the resident". Well, with Lewy Body Dementia or other forms of Dementia, how can you rely on the resident to even be able to remember what they called about when calls made on a weekend do not go to a Hotline but wait until Monday or even Tuesday.
How many residents of a facility even know their telephone number so they can receive a return call. If they do not have a cell phone, they have to understand the "phone system in the LTC that includes the main number and how to ensure the resident is given any messages."
Incidents happen during all hours and the office of the Ombudsman operates on standard business hours, Monday through Friday, closed on holidays and for many meetings -- at least in Missouri.
In our case, when we called on a Friday to report neglect and abuse for my dying mother, a recording announced the office was closed because everyone was attending a meeting and would reopen the following Monday.
As the message I left said, by that time my Mom would have died.
And she had.
Call the DHSS?
That's a call to our State Capital area and results in creating red tape that takes from a few days to a week to form a response.
Been there, done that.
Been there, done that.
Slaps on the wrist were what our facility received.
Even a recent fine of $8,000 wasn't enough to stop the neglect we still see happening and have decided a public outcry via this blog is the only real way to raise awareness.
Continuing from the written State of Missouri website above:
My experience is the contact with the Ombudsmen comes when problems ARE SERIOUS.
Continuing from the written State of Missouri website above:
"Investigation/resolution is not attempted without the resident's permission unless the problem affects a number of residents and can be approached in a generic sense without breaching confidentiality.
No problems is too big or too small for an ombudsman to deal with. Ombudsmen can often solve problems before they become serious."
My experience is the contact with the Ombudsmen comes when problems ARE SERIOUS.
When residents and those who support them have tried, often many times, to resolve issues and hit constant brick walls all up and down the lines or "chains" of command.
Where on this site or any Ombudsman site do they define "serious"?
Where on this site or any Ombudsman site do they define "serious"?
When someone dies or is seriously injured?
Let's think about this.
The clock is ticking, remember that.
A call is made.
Who is this person? Which facility are they living at?
What's their name and room number? Etc Etc.
I'VE WITNESSED THREE TIMES IN THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS where a local Police Officer has appeared at the front desk of the facility where Mom lived.
It's the same story each time: They've received a 911 call and someone needs help. They have no name, no room number, just a call for help.
Someone knows to call 911 when they need help so they dial.
On a facility provided phone, chances are they have to dial a 9 to get an outside line and then the 911 --
since these are people mostly on medications, with sight and hearing problems and who have cognitive (memory) function challenges,
they do not have the cognitive ability to make the call!
Please tell me why the Ombudsman is segregating its services in Missouri to be directed and meant "for the resident of Long Term Care." Many do not have the ability to make a call "outside"
ARE YOU SURE? What if they had no way to contact the Ombudsman Office and were being neglected or abused? Or they'd tried that number and got a recording which they could barely hear or follow -- just like the creative website that's great for many but definitely not designed for the people it's meant to serve -- many with few computer skills, little or no access to a computer
THE FACILITY ALWAYS HANDLED THE "CHALLENGE" the same way. They had no idea who made the call and no way of finding out who did.
AND SO THE STORY CONTINUES. Those making the rules and regulations, those who respond from the outside world, have no real authority or ability to give real and timely assistance or ensure the person who reaches out gets the right help, at the right time, in the right way.
MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, If we realized living in a Long Term Care Facility is not a secure and caring environment no matter if they're For Profit or Not For Profit.
Vigilence and constant contact frequently and in many ways.
Ombudsmen work within the system to make the system work for residents. By assuming the role of an independent, neutral mediator in seeking mutually satisfying solutions to grievances, Ombudsmen make a significant contribution to living conditions for residents.
"A key in this program is the word "empower." To empower is to enable or permit some action. Ombudsmen should always look for ways to empower residents to help themselves. It would be ironic if this very system, set up to ensure that residents know their rights and maintain their dignity, became part of the problem. Mediating a situation is just as important a function as is being an advocate.
Let's analyze the content of this section:
How many residents of Long Term Care Facilities,the only level in the State of Missouri the Ombudsman Office has any authority to "oversee" have both the physical and mental ability to make this connectivity happen directly?
How many have the means to connect during the limited times the Ombudsman's office is actually open?
There is no Ombudsman "Hotline" serving the Long Term Care residents whom they're supposed to protect.
In other entries, we've outlined how limited the abilities are of many of the most vulnerable of our society yet we allow this "shell" of an organization, this "mediator" between the resident and the facility, to spend millions of tax payer dollars continuing to be ineffective.
On the Missouri site, mention is made of how an Ombudsman was able to get new teeth for a resident when she was being ignored by the facility.
MEDICAID PROVIDES ONE SET OF TEETH -- no matter how old the individual is and when they "received" their pair or how bad it is.
How many have the means to connect during the limited times the Ombudsman's office is actually open?
There is no Ombudsman "Hotline" serving the Long Term Care residents whom they're supposed to protect.
In other entries, we've outlined how limited the abilities are of many of the most vulnerable of our society yet we allow this "shell" of an organization, this "mediator" between the resident and the facility, to spend millions of tax payer dollars continuing to be ineffective.
On the Missouri site, mention is made of how an Ombudsman was able to get new teeth for a resident when she was being ignored by the facility.
MEDICAID PROVIDES ONE SET OF TEETH -- no matter how old the individual is and when they "received" their pair or how bad it is.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE EMOTIONALLY OR PSYCHOLOGICALLY NEGLECTED OR ABUSED IN A FACILITY HAVE THE ABILITY TO CONTACT THIS OFFICE?
In Mom's facility, unless you have your own phone (and if you do, you sometimes find your charger has "disappeared", especially if your someone who has "problems" with the facility, you rely on a telephone in your room and you must remember to dial a "9" before getting an outside line.
Monday, January 20, 2020
Legal Duty To Support Our Parents -- Many States Have Laws
Since beginning this Blog in 2012 my journey through aging, medical challenges, dementia, family challenges and personal survival, I've found my entries often move in directions I wasn't directly exploring at the time.
Chance, luck, fate, meant to be....take your choice. Whatever it is, I feel the need to share and enlighten because these life's journeys will most likely be one almost everyone at varying ages and life circumstances will take -- in one form or another.
I focus on a subject and start detailing or remembering what's happened or currently occurring and then use this amazing social tool called "the internet " or conversations in my community.
This leads to my discovering often startling information that causes me even greater concern for myself and others travelling this ever changing personal life road involving ourselves, our family and the community in general.
A "legal duty to support our parents"? Had no idea this existed.
Morally, I agree with this concept; however, in reality, I question a society that has to make this law and doesn't recognize the importance of medical care as a "right" for all ages and stages.
And, one step further, do you go to a store to purchase something without seeing a price?
We walk through the doors of medical services every day without a clear idea of what it will cost and without knowing what "the competition" charges.
Variable, you say. Depends on "what happens".
I can accept that for some medical services but not for those that are "standard" and that includes shots, regular check ups (and what that includes), specific laboratory tests and others.
We're at the "mercy" of the medical system. Yes, they provide "free" and "reduced" care but they also could be more "transparent" in the care they charge.
Medicare has deductibles and for many Seniors, that is a challenge along with costs for "above" their coverage levels.
...OR at the very least a full disclosure of the medical costs and the ability to compare services as one can when shopping for other goods and services.
This topic really grabbed me because during my Mom's journey through Long Term Care facilities she had post hospital stays in more than one facility.
I mentioned being given a contract to sign -- ME -- not her -- and in the many pages was a short statement that I would be responsible for her bill. I refused to sign. I was not in a financial position after my husband's medical challenges to take on costs I had no idea what they would include and how many thousands of dollars could accumulate.
They were a "multi state" operation and apparently their "standard contract" contained inclusions that may or may not have been "legal" in my state.
If I'd signed the contract....an attorney friend told me I would have been responsible and could have been sued.
Even for a "short term" stay of 30 days, since they determined the services "necessary" and create the "paperwork" (and who among us wants to deprive someone we love of "medical care" )-- this could have been money we needed for daily living (and it would have been) or caused us to possibly even sell our home to "meet our obligations".
Frightening isn't it? Our parents are growing much older and so are we. We are their children and at a time in life when our "resources" are limited or affected by our own medical and other life challenges it's possible we may be legally obliged to pay even when it could be a hardship.
Yes, the law states if you are "capable" but we all know that's an interpretation and depends on who's making the determination. At the very least, it can involve hiring your own attorney, time spent in this "legal matter" you don't have and money put out for your "defense".
Please note: I see no reference to a date when the information below was entered on the internet. Suggest reviewing to ensure you understand any and all updates, changes and additions of other States by going to your own State's information in this area.
Also, don't know if there's "cross responsibility" -- not sure how an adult child living in one state and a parent living in another will be affected and by which or both state's laws.
"States with filial responsibility laws are: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia."
Not every State has a law; here's the reference:
Filial Responsibility: Can the Legal Duty to Support Our Parents Be Effectively Enforced? by Shannon Frank Edelstone, appearing in the Fall 2002 issue of the American Bar Association's Family Law Quarterly, 36 Fam. L.Q. 501 (2002). Lexic.com
https://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/health/NOA/30states.pdf
Your obligation to pay a parent's nursing home bill is another resource to read:
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/your-obligation-pay-parents-nursing-home-bill.html
We took responsibility for my Mom's day to day living through being a multigenerational family where Mom retained all her Social Security and spent it when and where she chose and we paid all the "ordinary"expenses of living and some of her "extras" -- often providing additional money for her to travel or purchase larger items -- bed, furniture, room decor, etc.
This was how we lived from the time Mom came to live with us when our first child was three months old until she went into a facility through the actions of Julia I've written about in several earlier entries. That was almost four decades.
Mom had no property and no resources aside from Social Security and that was at a very low level as Mom was a very low wage earner.
We finally applied for Medicaid as it provided Day Care.
I was coping with 24/7 caregiving for two and Mom deserved to have a more stimulating and social lifestyle than we could provide when my husband was basically "home bound".
Most of his time after spending 100 days in the hospital, almost all in Critical Intensive Care, was in a medical bed with as many as four bags taped across his abdomen as his skin constantly broke open and the contents of his "processing" of what he could tolerate to eat dumped into the bags which constantly needed to be changed.
What if my state would have decided I "had" the ability since we had a home when Mom started needing medical care (before my husband had his medical challenges) and we were "held responsible" for her bills .....?
And then there's the consideration of the responsibility to care for "parents" and that would have meant, if they were living, two people for each of us, my husband and myself, bringing to our lives the "responsibility" of paying for care IF each of them could not pay or did not have assets or other means OR if we were seen as "having the ability"......
Where are we headed as a society?
What can we do?
This is not just a discussion among Seniors and their children.
GenX, Millenials and the GenZ's and those who come after are facing these challenges and they have no idea they exist, have no idea what "responsbilities" are being "thrust" upon them.
Each generation deserves to know more about decisions and practices that not only limit their daily activities and actions but also those in place that are silently and behind closed doors affecting the future they work so hard and often struggle to create.
Life happens. Medical expenses and other life challenges can take away what you've worked for decades to provide.
In a heartbeat life can change.
In a heartbeat you find out about laws and practices taking you from independence to interdependence.
It's a system that's only going to change when we realize how critical it is to watch, to speak out and to move forward along with positive change in other life practices.
You hold the keys not just at the Polls when you vote but everyday when those you elect or appoint, those who make decisions governing your daily life create these and other laws.
If you do nothing else, at least shine the light as I'm trying to do through raising awareness of what's "out there" and find a way to make a difference.
Raise your voice towards those who are heard and especially those who "control" your present and your future.
You are the key to the many locks in life you encounter.
Chance, luck, fate, meant to be....take your choice. Whatever it is, I feel the need to share and enlighten because these life's journeys will most likely be one almost everyone at varying ages and life circumstances will take -- in one form or another.
I focus on a subject and start detailing or remembering what's happened or currently occurring and then use this amazing social tool called "the internet " or conversations in my community.
This leads to my discovering often startling information that causes me even greater concern for myself and others travelling this ever changing personal life road involving ourselves, our family and the community in general.
A "legal duty to support our parents"? Had no idea this existed.
Morally, I agree with this concept; however, in reality, I question a society that has to make this law and doesn't recognize the importance of medical care as a "right" for all ages and stages.
And, one step further, do you go to a store to purchase something without seeing a price?
We walk through the doors of medical services every day without a clear idea of what it will cost and without knowing what "the competition" charges.
Variable, you say. Depends on "what happens".
I can accept that for some medical services but not for those that are "standard" and that includes shots, regular check ups (and what that includes), specific laboratory tests and others.
We're at the "mercy" of the medical system. Yes, they provide "free" and "reduced" care but they also could be more "transparent" in the care they charge.
Medicare has deductibles and for many Seniors, that is a challenge along with costs for "above" their coverage levels.
...OR at the very least a full disclosure of the medical costs and the ability to compare services as one can when shopping for other goods and services.
This topic really grabbed me because during my Mom's journey through Long Term Care facilities she had post hospital stays in more than one facility.
I mentioned being given a contract to sign -- ME -- not her -- and in the many pages was a short statement that I would be responsible for her bill. I refused to sign. I was not in a financial position after my husband's medical challenges to take on costs I had no idea what they would include and how many thousands of dollars could accumulate.
They were a "multi state" operation and apparently their "standard contract" contained inclusions that may or may not have been "legal" in my state.
If I'd signed the contract....an attorney friend told me I would have been responsible and could have been sued.
Even for a "short term" stay of 30 days, since they determined the services "necessary" and create the "paperwork" (and who among us wants to deprive someone we love of "medical care" )-- this could have been money we needed for daily living (and it would have been) or caused us to possibly even sell our home to "meet our obligations".
Frightening isn't it? Our parents are growing much older and so are we. We are their children and at a time in life when our "resources" are limited or affected by our own medical and other life challenges it's possible we may be legally obliged to pay even when it could be a hardship.
Yes, the law states if you are "capable" but we all know that's an interpretation and depends on who's making the determination. At the very least, it can involve hiring your own attorney, time spent in this "legal matter" you don't have and money put out for your "defense".
Please note: I see no reference to a date when the information below was entered on the internet. Suggest reviewing to ensure you understand any and all updates, changes and additions of other States by going to your own State's information in this area.
Also, don't know if there's "cross responsibility" -- not sure how an adult child living in one state and a parent living in another will be affected and by which or both state's laws.
"States with filial responsibility laws are: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia."
Not every State has a law; here's the reference:
Filial Responsibility: Can the Legal Duty to Support Our Parents Be Effectively Enforced? by Shannon Frank Edelstone, appearing in the Fall 2002 issue of the American Bar Association's Family Law Quarterly, 36 Fam. L.Q. 501 (2002). Lexic.com
https://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/health/NOA/30states.pdf
Your obligation to pay a parent's nursing home bill is another resource to read:
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/your-obligation-pay-parents-nursing-home-bill.html
We took responsibility for my Mom's day to day living through being a multigenerational family where Mom retained all her Social Security and spent it when and where she chose and we paid all the "ordinary"expenses of living and some of her "extras" -- often providing additional money for her to travel or purchase larger items -- bed, furniture, room decor, etc.
This was how we lived from the time Mom came to live with us when our first child was three months old until she went into a facility through the actions of Julia I've written about in several earlier entries. That was almost four decades.
Mom had no property and no resources aside from Social Security and that was at a very low level as Mom was a very low wage earner.
We finally applied for Medicaid as it provided Day Care.
I was coping with 24/7 caregiving for two and Mom deserved to have a more stimulating and social lifestyle than we could provide when my husband was basically "home bound".
Most of his time after spending 100 days in the hospital, almost all in Critical Intensive Care, was in a medical bed with as many as four bags taped across his abdomen as his skin constantly broke open and the contents of his "processing" of what he could tolerate to eat dumped into the bags which constantly needed to be changed.
What if my state would have decided I "had" the ability since we had a home when Mom started needing medical care (before my husband had his medical challenges) and we were "held responsible" for her bills .....?
And then there's the consideration of the responsibility to care for "parents" and that would have meant, if they were living, two people for each of us, my husband and myself, bringing to our lives the "responsibility" of paying for care IF each of them could not pay or did not have assets or other means OR if we were seen as "having the ability"......
Where are we headed as a society?
What can we do?
This is not just a discussion among Seniors and their children.
GenX, Millenials and the GenZ's and those who come after are facing these challenges and they have no idea they exist, have no idea what "responsbilities" are being "thrust" upon them.
Each generation deserves to know more about decisions and practices that not only limit their daily activities and actions but also those in place that are silently and behind closed doors affecting the future they work so hard and often struggle to create.
Life happens. Medical expenses and other life challenges can take away what you've worked for decades to provide.
In a heartbeat life can change.
In a heartbeat you find out about laws and practices taking you from independence to interdependence.
It's a system that's only going to change when we realize how critical it is to watch, to speak out and to move forward along with positive change in other life practices.
You hold the keys not just at the Polls when you vote but everyday when those you elect or appoint, those who make decisions governing your daily life create these and other laws.
If you do nothing else, at least shine the light as I'm trying to do through raising awareness of what's "out there" and find a way to make a difference.
Raise your voice towards those who are heard and especially those who "control" your present and your future.
You are the key to the many locks in life you encounter.