Roy A. Cooper, the North Carolina Attorney General. He's up for reelection this November.
I had a reason recently to contact his office, regarding something about anti trust laws. The first call was made last Tuesday, I explained what I wanted, and was passed around, until I was able to leave a voicemail. I left a voice message stating that I had a question regarding an anti trust issue. No one ever called me back.
Today I called them again, I told them I was looking for information on anti trust laws. I was passed around on the phone until I was lucky enough to speak to a not real friendly lady. I started trying to explain what I wanted, she cut me off and said" what is it you want to know".
I spoke to her about what I considered to be a violation of some law. She was very short with me, and said She didn't see anything wrong with the situation I described. Then she told me I could research the statutes if I wanted to. Well, thats not the way I want to be treated by someone I may have voted for. Rest assured, that my vote this November will not be for Mr.Cooper. I want someone as Attorney General who knows the statutes well enough that I dont have to look them up.
This November, make a difference! We have to start on a local level, then move up.
School Board, County Commissioners, Mayor, City Council, maybe even Attorney General. Sooner or later we might even get to elect our own president!!
Proud to be an American?
Just Sayin'
Monday, September 24, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
NCDHHS, Who is it that appoints these clowns. If you have ever had to deal with them you know what I'm talking about. They publish all sorts of handy little information booklets, that we as taxpayers pay for. They are supposed to be there to look out for the public, children, elderly, disabled etc. I have dealt with two different divisions of the NCDHHS, and found neither one to be helpful. The initial contact is usually pleasant enough, but when they find out what you want, then it changes. They almost always seem to be adversarial and not so eager to help.
I have been doing lots of research lately, and am beginning to wonder, who they actually work for, or if they actually work at all. I was looking at the nursing home licensure division in particular. For example, in Henderson County, there were thirty one complaints filed against nine nursing homes. Out of thirty one actual complaints they found only four to be valid. These were people who probably went through the usual process.
First, you complain to the facility, then they have committees and there is also the Ombudsmans office. Their job is to act as mediators between you and the facility. The next step is to file a formal complaint, this in itself is not that difficult to do, you can do so by phone or mail or on line. Don't expect to hear anything back from them anytime soon. They will take their time, hoping I'm sure that you will forget that you filed a complaint. Then you will get the same letter that twenty seven out of the thirty one gets. It will tell you how serious they take these complaints and explain a little about the punishments they can enforce. The second page will be a standard form and it will list the facility, date of investigation and then comes the " no deficiencies found "part
Don't let that bother you, just remember that out of thirty one people who went through all this, twenty seven others got the same letter.
LOOK FOR YOURSELF, HERE'S THE LINK TO THE LIST OF COMPLAINTS.
http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/facilities/results.asp
look at Henderson County and you can do the math yourself.
As you are looking at the list, notice that on their yearly re certification, some of them have up to fifty two pages of deficiencies.
I'm sure that there is no corruption or political influence contributing to the lack of findings!
Really!!! Only four out of thirty one?
I have been doing lots of research lately, and am beginning to wonder, who they actually work for, or if they actually work at all. I was looking at the nursing home licensure division in particular. For example, in Henderson County, there were thirty one complaints filed against nine nursing homes. Out of thirty one actual complaints they found only four to be valid. These were people who probably went through the usual process.
First, you complain to the facility, then they have committees and there is also the Ombudsmans office. Their job is to act as mediators between you and the facility. The next step is to file a formal complaint, this in itself is not that difficult to do, you can do so by phone or mail or on line. Don't expect to hear anything back from them anytime soon. They will take their time, hoping I'm sure that you will forget that you filed a complaint. Then you will get the same letter that twenty seven out of the thirty one gets. It will tell you how serious they take these complaints and explain a little about the punishments they can enforce. The second page will be a standard form and it will list the facility, date of investigation and then comes the " no deficiencies found "part
Don't let that bother you, just remember that out of thirty one people who went through all this, twenty seven others got the same letter.
LOOK FOR YOURSELF, HERE'S THE LINK TO THE LIST OF COMPLAINTS.
http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/facilities/results.asp
look at Henderson County and you can do the math yourself.
As you are looking at the list, notice that on their yearly re certification, some of them have up to fifty two pages of deficiencies.
I'm sure that there is no corruption or political influence contributing to the lack of findings!
Really!!! Only four out of thirty one?
Monday, September 17, 2012
This time last year, Mom was in Memorial Mission Hospital, and they were discussing sending her to Care Partners, in Asheville.She was eating, but not enough, so they had to insert a feeding tube. She was starting to recover, and could hold a conversation for short periods. According to someone she had walked down the hall, with assistance.
My brother questioned the decision to move her but one of the doctors at mission, said if they waited too long, she may be to strong for them to accept her at Care Partners. A nurse quietly told my brother that Mom could appeal the decision. She left and came back with tears in her eyes and said she had put a stop to the move, for now. The next day was a Sunday, and they came in and said they were going to move her that day. My brother and oldest sister were there at the time. When they asked Mom if she was ready to move to Care Partners, she commented" If you say I am". My brother argued with them and told them that she would agree to almost anything at this point in her recovery. They sent her any way. She was transported by ambulance to Care Partners in Asheville.
Upon her arrival, she was put in her room, and within a day had a feeding tube back and a catheter. Hardly seems that she was ready to be released from the hospital, does it.
Slowly she recovered enough to begin therapy, and the feeding tube was removed. One of us would be at the facility around dinner time, and usually, her food would be sitting on her tray next to her bed. It was cold most of the time and we would try to get her to eat , but usually one of us would bring her something hot to eat. Care Partners answer was to keep pumping the ensure into her.They were nice enough to show us where the microwave was. It was so bad that they were supposed to be logging anything she ate, and also monitoring her waste output.
At this point, we began to realize that she was going to recover, just a lot slower than they had told us. All of Moms children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, were regular visitors at Care Partners. My brother and oldest sister would spend the night in the chair. She improved slowly but she was improving. There was light at the end of the tunnel.
More to come on her stay there.
My brother questioned the decision to move her but one of the doctors at mission, said if they waited too long, she may be to strong for them to accept her at Care Partners. A nurse quietly told my brother that Mom could appeal the decision. She left and came back with tears in her eyes and said she had put a stop to the move, for now. The next day was a Sunday, and they came in and said they were going to move her that day. My brother and oldest sister were there at the time. When they asked Mom if she was ready to move to Care Partners, she commented" If you say I am". My brother argued with them and told them that she would agree to almost anything at this point in her recovery. They sent her any way. She was transported by ambulance to Care Partners in Asheville.
Upon her arrival, she was put in her room, and within a day had a feeding tube back and a catheter. Hardly seems that she was ready to be released from the hospital, does it.
Slowly she recovered enough to begin therapy, and the feeding tube was removed. One of us would be at the facility around dinner time, and usually, her food would be sitting on her tray next to her bed. It was cold most of the time and we would try to get her to eat , but usually one of us would bring her something hot to eat. Care Partners answer was to keep pumping the ensure into her.They were nice enough to show us where the microwave was. It was so bad that they were supposed to be logging anything she ate, and also monitoring her waste output.
At this point, we began to realize that she was going to recover, just a lot slower than they had told us. All of Moms children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, were regular visitors at Care Partners. My brother and oldest sister would spend the night in the chair. She improved slowly but she was improving. There was light at the end of the tunnel.
More to come on her stay there.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Sanstone, how do they do it?
These people are taking over local nursing homes, and when they do the changes are not good. It is obvious that their sole motivation is getting the most money, out of as many places as they can. They show little or no concern for the rules and regulations, and even less for their patients.
They are going to build a "new Beystone " to replace the aging one by Park Ridge. The new facility is in Mills River, and they are going to be partners with Fletcher Academy. What is a high school doing in the nursing home business? Maybe a high school could do a better job running one than Sanstone does?
The last recertification Beystone had 52 pages of deficiencies, cited by the NCDHHS. They promise to run the new facility by the same standards as the current one. To me this is not comforting.
Has the Henderson County Board of Commissioners lost their minds, or have they just found a source of easy cash.Does the NCDHHS just let someone build a nursing home to replace an old one. Do they not take the quality of care provided at the current facility into consideration?
The proposal they gave to the comissioners, sounds like an advertisement for a hotel in Myrtle Beach. It talks about how the common areas will be just like home. They talk about the lighting in the hallways.
The one thing they don't talk about is resident care.
Look them up on the NCDHHS website, listing complaints and inspections. It seems to me there was a story of a resident that spent almost three whole days in the same food stained clothes. Thats the kind of care they are promising to continue at the new place. They will just be doing it in a building with fancy light fixtures.
Someone needs to stop these people before we all end up in one of their facilities. If you have a loved one in a Sanstone facility, watch them. If something doesn't look right, chances are they aren't. There are non profit homes out there that run with higher staff levels and a higher standard of care.
More to come!
These people are taking over local nursing homes, and when they do the changes are not good. It is obvious that their sole motivation is getting the most money, out of as many places as they can. They show little or no concern for the rules and regulations, and even less for their patients.
They are going to build a "new Beystone " to replace the aging one by Park Ridge. The new facility is in Mills River, and they are going to be partners with Fletcher Academy. What is a high school doing in the nursing home business? Maybe a high school could do a better job running one than Sanstone does?
The last recertification Beystone had 52 pages of deficiencies, cited by the NCDHHS. They promise to run the new facility by the same standards as the current one. To me this is not comforting.
Has the Henderson County Board of Commissioners lost their minds, or have they just found a source of easy cash.Does the NCDHHS just let someone build a nursing home to replace an old one. Do they not take the quality of care provided at the current facility into consideration?
The proposal they gave to the comissioners, sounds like an advertisement for a hotel in Myrtle Beach. It talks about how the common areas will be just like home. They talk about the lighting in the hallways.
The one thing they don't talk about is resident care.
Look them up on the NCDHHS website, listing complaints and inspections. It seems to me there was a story of a resident that spent almost three whole days in the same food stained clothes. Thats the kind of care they are promising to continue at the new place. They will just be doing it in a building with fancy light fixtures.
Someone needs to stop these people before we all end up in one of their facilities. If you have a loved one in a Sanstone facility, watch them. If something doesn't look right, chances are they aren't. There are non profit homes out there that run with higher staff levels and a higher standard of care.
More to come!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Who owns what? Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.
According to the Times News, the Pardee Care Center, which is now Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, was bought by a local group of doctors.Dr. Larry Joe Russell, Dr. Lateef Abumouassa, Dr.Stephen Lackey, Dr. Amal Das, Dr. Gail Clary,
In the same article, it mentions several other groups. Ardent Health, Ohio based Sprenger Retirement Centers, Blue Sky Healthcare, Chris Sprenger, and Mike Deloach.
Yet the pretty new sign out front says, "a Sanstone property".
Kinda looks like a shell game doesn't it. Which shell is the real owner hiding under?
According to the Times News, the Pardee Care Center, which is now Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, was bought by a local group of doctors.Dr. Larry Joe Russell, Dr. Lateef Abumouassa, Dr.Stephen Lackey, Dr. Amal Das, Dr. Gail Clary,
In the same article, it mentions several other groups. Ardent Health, Ohio based Sprenger Retirement Centers, Blue Sky Healthcare, Chris Sprenger, and Mike Deloach.
Yet the pretty new sign out front says, "a Sanstone property".
Kinda looks like a shell game doesn't it. Which shell is the real owner hiding under?
Monday, September 10, 2012
This time last year, my brother, sisters and I, and our wives, husbands and children, were taking turns standing watch over Mom as she struggled to recover from her surgery. Mom had woken up a couple of times, but was still not quite aware of what was going on.
Our families were assured that the doctors expected a full recovery. Dr. Harold Picus, informed us that the surgery was successful, and they got all the tumor. He said Mom would need some time to recover, but was doing well after the surgery.
This was just the beginning of the worst eight weeks of my life so far. Mom continued to recover slowly, the first five or six days in ICU, then to a room at Mission. Mom was awake at times, she was eating some, and showing signs of recovering.
After a short stay in her room at Mission, the Doctor decided Mom was well enough to be moved to Care Partners for rehabilitation. If you have never been to Care Partners in Asheville NC, pray that you never have to. This is an example of what is wrong with the way we treat our elderly. They place a cagelike covering over the bed of anyone they think may wander, or get out of bed if they are not able to walk. They will deliver the meals and just leave them sitting in the room whether you are able to eat them or not. They will occasionally assist a patient to the bathroom, but they seem to find it easier to just let them do their business in bed, and clean it up when they have time.
Next, the people at Care Partners decided Mom was ready to go home. They assisted us with getting the equipment Mom needed. They also worked with my sister to show her how to help Mom. She came home and was able to get up and sit at the table and eat periodically, and need assistance to get to the bathroom and shower. Again all the women in the family were there to help with anything on the "personal" care level. My oldest sister spent most of the nights at the foot of Moms bed sleeping in a chair in case Mom needed something. The rest of the family were there to help whenever they were able.
After a week at home, Mom was taken back to Mission emergency room, with severe hemmeroids and abdominal pain. She was also not eating well. Again we were all taking turns sitting with Mom and trying to help wherever we could. Sometimes, we would just sit and talk with her. It was very encouraging to see her able to have a conversation.
The Doctor at Mission was helpful in explaining what Mom was eligible for under medicare guidlines. That was a stay in a "skilled nursing facility".
The facility that she ended up in was Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, a Sanstone facility. She was transported by ambulance to HHR on October 19, 2011. I remember driving there after work that day. From the outside the place looks beautiful. The lawn is manicured, the bushes trimmed, pretty flowers are all around the building, there are rocking chairs on the front porch.
When I went inside for the first time, the woman at the front desk told me what room Mom was in and the warning bell should have gone off when I got to that room and whoever that poor woman was in that bed was not Mom. I went into the hall, and a gentleman pushing someone in a wheelchair, asked me who I was looking for. He then directed me to a room that was not the same as what I was told at the front desk.
There was my Mother, lying in bed with my sister sitting next to her. A woman in scrubs came in and took an inventory of Moms personal belongings, and left. I was surprised at the condition of the room itself. The paint was scraped off the wall in places, from the moving of beds and chairs. The furniture was the finest any discount store had to offer. There was another bed, but no one was in it at the time. Mom was able to have a conversation, and knew what was going on. She needed help with bathroom trips and bathing. Again someone from the family was with her most of the time, even overnight for the first couple of days. It was creepy, the lady across the hall kept screaming and calling for Jenny. There were many unusual noises at all times.
Mom got a roomate on the second day, she was probably in her thirtys, and was there for IV medication for a serious infection. We all befriended her, she was a light in the darkness for Mom. She would call the nurses when they would not answer the call light outside the room. She was a sweet caring person.
More to come.
Our families were assured that the doctors expected a full recovery. Dr. Harold Picus, informed us that the surgery was successful, and they got all the tumor. He said Mom would need some time to recover, but was doing well after the surgery.
This was just the beginning of the worst eight weeks of my life so far. Mom continued to recover slowly, the first five or six days in ICU, then to a room at Mission. Mom was awake at times, she was eating some, and showing signs of recovering.
After a short stay in her room at Mission, the Doctor decided Mom was well enough to be moved to Care Partners for rehabilitation. If you have never been to Care Partners in Asheville NC, pray that you never have to. This is an example of what is wrong with the way we treat our elderly. They place a cagelike covering over the bed of anyone they think may wander, or get out of bed if they are not able to walk. They will deliver the meals and just leave them sitting in the room whether you are able to eat them or not. They will occasionally assist a patient to the bathroom, but they seem to find it easier to just let them do their business in bed, and clean it up when they have time.
Next, the people at Care Partners decided Mom was ready to go home. They assisted us with getting the equipment Mom needed. They also worked with my sister to show her how to help Mom. She came home and was able to get up and sit at the table and eat periodically, and need assistance to get to the bathroom and shower. Again all the women in the family were there to help with anything on the "personal" care level. My oldest sister spent most of the nights at the foot of Moms bed sleeping in a chair in case Mom needed something. The rest of the family were there to help whenever they were able.
After a week at home, Mom was taken back to Mission emergency room, with severe hemmeroids and abdominal pain. She was also not eating well. Again we were all taking turns sitting with Mom and trying to help wherever we could. Sometimes, we would just sit and talk with her. It was very encouraging to see her able to have a conversation.
The Doctor at Mission was helpful in explaining what Mom was eligible for under medicare guidlines. That was a stay in a "skilled nursing facility".
The facility that she ended up in was Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, a Sanstone facility. She was transported by ambulance to HHR on October 19, 2011. I remember driving there after work that day. From the outside the place looks beautiful. The lawn is manicured, the bushes trimmed, pretty flowers are all around the building, there are rocking chairs on the front porch.
When I went inside for the first time, the woman at the front desk told me what room Mom was in and the warning bell should have gone off when I got to that room and whoever that poor woman was in that bed was not Mom. I went into the hall, and a gentleman pushing someone in a wheelchair, asked me who I was looking for. He then directed me to a room that was not the same as what I was told at the front desk.
There was my Mother, lying in bed with my sister sitting next to her. A woman in scrubs came in and took an inventory of Moms personal belongings, and left. I was surprised at the condition of the room itself. The paint was scraped off the wall in places, from the moving of beds and chairs. The furniture was the finest any discount store had to offer. There was another bed, but no one was in it at the time. Mom was able to have a conversation, and knew what was going on. She needed help with bathroom trips and bathing. Again someone from the family was with her most of the time, even overnight for the first couple of days. It was creepy, the lady across the hall kept screaming and calling for Jenny. There were many unusual noises at all times.
Mom got a roomate on the second day, she was probably in her thirtys, and was there for IV medication for a serious infection. We all befriended her, she was a light in the darkness for Mom. She would call the nurses when they would not answer the call light outside the room. She was a sweet caring person.
More to come.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Dr Harold Picus, Dr Larry Joe Russell, Care Partners and Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. Last year at this time i knew nothing about any of them. How it all began.
It was a year ago today September 7, 2011. At 5:00 in the morning, my wife and I picked my Mother up at her home, to take her to Mission Hospital. She had scheduled surgery to remove a tumor from her pitituary gland. She made the decision to have the surgery for two different reasons. One was her fear that the tumor was pressing on the optic nerves, and they had told her if she didn't have the surgery, she would go blind. The second reason, was her fear that her medicare benefits would be taken away by the politicians.
The surgery is fairly common, and the survival rate is high. The tumor was not cancer. The recovery period varies but it commonly takes up to two months or longer.
The surgery was done by Dr.Harold Picus, at Mission hospital in Asheville NC. My brother met my wife and I at the hospital, and we were each allowed to visit with Mom before they took her in for the surgery. After the surgery, Dr. Picus met with us and told us that everything went well, and they were able to sucessfully remove the entire tumor. He also said that he expected a full recovery. It was later that evening before we were allowed to see Mom. It was shocking to see the staples in the side of her head, but we were all glad to see her.
After her stay at Mission Hospital, she was sent to Care partners in Asheville. At care partners, she was able to walk with minimal help. She was seeing a physical therapist and an occupational therapist. All the doctors, said they expected a full recovery.
After care partners, she went home. All my sisters, and my brother and our spouses, were taking turns helping out with Moms needs. She ended up back in Mission Hospital, due to extreme pain due to hemmeroids. After her stay in Mission, she was sent to Hendersonville Health and rehabilitation, in Hendersonville NC. a Sanstone Property.
Mom was continuing to recover, she started eating more, gained back some of the weight she had lost, and according to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and the therapists there, she had achieved the goals they had set for her. Mom was scheduled to come home on November 3, 2011.
At around 5:00 am on November 3, 2011, I received a call from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. The caller told me that Mom was having trouble breathing, and that I should get there as soon as possible. When I arrived, they met me at the door and told me that she had stopped breathing and her heart had stopped. They had started cpr and transported her to Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville NC.
It was at Pardee Hospital that I was told that Mom had passed away.
I still do not know what happened during her stay at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. I know that I have been lied to by almsot everyone I have spoken to at that facility.
Mom was supposed to come home that day.
It was a year ago today September 7, 2011. At 5:00 in the morning, my wife and I picked my Mother up at her home, to take her to Mission Hospital. She had scheduled surgery to remove a tumor from her pitituary gland. She made the decision to have the surgery for two different reasons. One was her fear that the tumor was pressing on the optic nerves, and they had told her if she didn't have the surgery, she would go blind. The second reason, was her fear that her medicare benefits would be taken away by the politicians.
The surgery is fairly common, and the survival rate is high. The tumor was not cancer. The recovery period varies but it commonly takes up to two months or longer.
The surgery was done by Dr.Harold Picus, at Mission hospital in Asheville NC. My brother met my wife and I at the hospital, and we were each allowed to visit with Mom before they took her in for the surgery. After the surgery, Dr. Picus met with us and told us that everything went well, and they were able to sucessfully remove the entire tumor. He also said that he expected a full recovery. It was later that evening before we were allowed to see Mom. It was shocking to see the staples in the side of her head, but we were all glad to see her.
After her stay at Mission Hospital, she was sent to Care partners in Asheville. At care partners, she was able to walk with minimal help. She was seeing a physical therapist and an occupational therapist. All the doctors, said they expected a full recovery.
After care partners, she went home. All my sisters, and my brother and our spouses, were taking turns helping out with Moms needs. She ended up back in Mission Hospital, due to extreme pain due to hemmeroids. After her stay in Mission, she was sent to Hendersonville Health and rehabilitation, in Hendersonville NC. a Sanstone Property.
Mom was continuing to recover, she started eating more, gained back some of the weight she had lost, and according to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and the therapists there, she had achieved the goals they had set for her. Mom was scheduled to come home on November 3, 2011.
At around 5:00 am on November 3, 2011, I received a call from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. The caller told me that Mom was having trouble breathing, and that I should get there as soon as possible. When I arrived, they met me at the door and told me that she had stopped breathing and her heart had stopped. They had started cpr and transported her to Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville NC.
It was at Pardee Hospital that I was told that Mom had passed away.
I still do not know what happened during her stay at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. I know that I have been lied to by almsot everyone I have spoken to at that facility.
Mom was supposed to come home that day.
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