Re: Venting/ June

[Guest guest]

Hi June,

I guess I have somehow not explained it right about

the $2,400.00. MediCal does not give me that money,

they allow me that much, you are right. They broke it

down from my husband's pension that we lived off of. I

am assuming I will really end up with about $1,700.00,

because I was told I will have to pay around $700.00

to MediCal. I did include my assets from my part time

job and an extra $500.00 that is automatically

deposited into my account ea. month and Jim still

qualified for MediCal and this is the figures that

they gave me that I will be receiving and both the

social worker and the attorney said I could keep those

incomes that I recieve as long as I did not take in

anymore. So with my part time job and the extra

$500.00 a month deposited into my account, I should be

ok, unless there is some catch to it that they failed

to tell me and they take that too.

I guess I will live and learn next month what I am

really in for when the MediCal actually begins.

I really had no choice in the matter. It was divorce,

which was really not what I wanted to do, Keep Jim

here, which was not safe for either of us and of

greater expense paying for all his medications and

keeping him going and this house. Even though we had

more money then what I will be receiving running the

furnace in the winter to keep Jim warm cost us about

$300.00 ea. month. The expenses of just keeping him

here was a challenge. I guess no matter what road I

decided to turn down would be a challenge to keep it

all going. I hope I chose the better of the other

choices and that I can keep being Jim's advocate and

hope that they listen.

June, I am so sorry to hear about your husband and the

drugs they are giving him.

I know it's all about liability and the convenience of

the staff. I somewhat understand why they strap Jim to

a chair for liability. I am sure that they get sued

for everything. What seems wrong to me is right to

somebody else. What I want for Jim may not be what

someone else would want for their LO.

Like; I guess others don't even care if their LO is in

someone else's clothes, but it really gets my goat

when I see Jim in someone else's clothes. He has an

identity, he is not just some person, another one of

the heap thrown in and I am going to make sure that

they realize that there is someone that cares about

him and knows who he is. It is small potatoes compared

to the wrong medications, but still it rubs me the

wrong way, that they can't even take the time or go

out of their way to put Jim's clothes on him. He has

his own shelf. How can they miss that?!! I am going

to be a bigger thorne than Jim to them. It is the same

with everything else, these people don't have a face

to the staff, they are just one of the bunch and many

are treated with no human dignity. But I have eyes and

the one thing that humiliates them is if I speak out

about them doing wrong to other staff and they know

they have done wrong. I hate to humiliate anyone in

front of their peers, but if it is bad enough, such as

medications and when they give the medications such as

for their own convenience. I will make a big stink.

When they attempt to make things right, I really

praise them and tell them how appreciative I am of

them. I even submit their names for employee of the

month if they go above and beyond. I have even brought

them in a box of donuts to share through the day.

There are some really understanding and patient staff

that really belong working with the people and then

there are those that have no patients and flexibility

and really shouldn't be in the business. I am

beginning to see who they are. Jan

--- June Christensen

wrote:

> Jan, same song, second verse, for my experience with

> the NH. I don't know if you have read my posts

> about

> Darrell being taken to Sr. Diagnostics at the local

> hospital, where they added Depacote and a fentanyl

> patch for pain (even tho they don't know what is

> causing the pain). They also gave him clonapine for

> a

> few days, which is on the list of drugs not to give.

>

> Last night I looked up both fentanyl and Depakote on

> the Internet, and both should be no-no's for LBD,

> which the psychiatrist agreed that he has. Fentanyl

> is in the morphine category, and Depakote can cause

> liver damage. He is a sitting zombie now, cannot

> talk

> except gutteral, unintelligible, is still combative,

> tho too weak to do anything, won't open his eyes,

> and

> on and on. I can't understand why the psychiatrist

> put him on these drugs after we had a long talk and

> I

> warned him of the drugs for LBD, and he agreed that

> he

> had LBD, so why do they do that? I am at my wit's

> end

> with the medical profession, but I don't know what

> to

> do about his case. They just tell me he is entering

> another phase of the disease, but I think he was

> thrown into it by the addition of those drugs. If I

> mention taking him off, they say they won't have any

> way to control him, and he can't be allowed to hurt

> himself or the staff. The staff last night was

> appalled at his condition upon return from the

> hospital. I haven't been there during the day

> staff,

> but I think I will go today and see their attitude.

> Some of the day shift have been very antagonistic

> toward me. I have had meetings with the social

> worker

> and the administrator, and they say they will do

> things, but it doesn't happen. I think they want

> him

> out of there, which they tried to do when he was in

> the hospital, until the social worker at the

> hospital

> told them they couldn't unless they found a place

> for

> him.

>

> I will read your MediCaid letter more when I have

> time, but I am not sure they give you that money,

> they

> allow you that much money as total income, and if

> you

> go over what is allowed, then you pay out of pocket,

> which is what I am doing. The difference between

> the

> $2378 they allow and the $1607 which I am allowed to

> keep is a little over $700, which is what I pay out

> of

> pocket. I cannot live on the $1607, so I will be

> taking out of savings, home equity, etc. to get

> along.

>

> --- Janet Colello wrote:

>

> > Hi Donna,

> > I have had problems with the nursing home wanting

> to

> > sedate Jim too, to keep him calm so he won't try

> to

> > stand up or be combative with anyone and for staff

> > convenience. I am there everyday and like a thorne

> > in

> > their side. I found that Jim was sedated before

> > dinner

> > one time and I got on that nurse like a bee on

> > honey.

> > They stated that Jim did not eat dinner that

> night.

> > Well, he was drugged. I was so mad I told every

> > nurse

> > I saw in the hallway what that nurse did and I

> even

> > talked to residents about it. That nurse was very

> > embarrassed for doing such a dumb thing, but it

> was

> > a

> > convenient time for her to give Jim the drugs. She

> > is

> > no longer at the facility. Worse part is she tried

> > to

> > lie and tell me she didn't give Jim the drugs.

> Then

> > a

> > few minutes later she turned around and said, she

> > tells Jim, " Jan (Me) says for him to take the

> drugs

> > now. " So, I said you did give him the drugs at

> this

> > time and she said well, yeah, but not to make him

> > drowsy and I said, " You didn't give him the

> > Seroquel? "

> > and she said, " Oh yeah, I did give him that. " Now,

> I

> > have gone to the head nurse and complained and the

> > nurse that gave Jim the drugs before dinner is no

> > longer there. They are really careful now on

> giving

> > Jim any drugs that make him drowsy or that he

> should

> > not have. They call me before they order anything.

> I

> > show up at all hours of the day, so they do not

> want

> > me catching them giving Jim anything they

> shouldn't

> > and so far everything has been good for about 3

> > weeks

> > now. Another thing that was getting me very angry

> is

> > that they were strapping Jim to his chair, because

> > he

> > wants to stand up and they criss cross the belt

> and

> > tie it in knots around the back of the chair and

> it

> > is

> > very hard to undo. Staff was not changing him,

> > because

> > they do not want to take the time to undo all the

> > straps and knots and then tie it up again and when

> I

> > would take Jim into the bathroom he was soaking

> wet

> > and I was screaming mad and told them that I am

> > going

> > to administration next if this is not taken care

> of

> > and now they have a belt on him that locks and Jim

> > does not know how to undo it, but it is easy for

> > staff

> > to remove and Jim is getting changed now.

> > Another thing I am bothered with is the fact that

> I

> > mark all of Jim's clothes very clearly. I use iron

> > on

> > patches and write Jim's name in big letters with

> > laundry ink on the iron on patches. I iron them to

> > the

> > inside of Jim's clothes, you can't miss his name

> and

> > yet I find Jim in other people's clothes. I take

> > masking tape with me to the facility and I write.

> > " This is NOT Jim's clothes and tape it to the

> > clothes.

> > But it still happens, so I marked Jim's Shelf and

> > said, " JIM'S SHELF " But still I find him in other

> > people's clothes. Today, I wrote. " Can you read

> > English? I am reporting this to the

> administration.

> > I

> > do Jim's Laundry. I want to keep track of his

> > clothes,

> > so I bring them home and do them. They even put

> > someone else's clothes in Jim's Laundry Bag. I

> took

> > them out and taped the tape on saying, " Not Jim's

> > Clothes, DO NOT put these in Jim's Laundry Bag. I

> > have spoken to the head guy of the people that

> dress

> > Jim and he said he would talk to these people. I

> > have

> > spoken to him twice about this. I am going to the

> > administration tomorrow if I find Jim in someone's

> > clothes. This is a small problem compared to the

> > drugs, but I can not understand how they can put

> > someone else's clothes on Jim when his are clearly

> > marked and he has enough clothes for the week and

> > for

> > both hot and cold temperature. There is no reason

> he

> > should be dressed in someone else's clothes. I

> would

> > not appreciate if I see someone dressed in Jim's

> > clothes. Now I have vented. Thank You! Jan

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > --- Donna Mido wrote:

> >

> > > June,

> > >

> > > Please put into your " search "

> > >

> > > nsclc.org

> > >

> > > then look up " 20 Common Mistakes Made by NH's. "

>

>

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