This morning I woke up with tears in my eyes, I had been dreaming about my Mother. It has been a while since I had felt that aching pain of loss. I think about my Mom and Dad often and the memories are not the painful kind. I am not sure what brought this dream on, but I imagine it is the approaching holiday season.
It is important to explain that I am a Christian, I believe in heaven and know Mom is on that list. I also believe we are supposed to forgive those that hurt us. I have forgiven those who I believe to be responsible for Mom's death.
So why do I continue to write about things that led to Moms death ? As a Christian am I not supposed to forget what happened. After all, people say that whatever happens " it is God's will ". Although this is supposed to be comforting, in some instances it is ridiculous. God gave people free will, that doesn't mean that whatever people do is God's will.
I believe that God needs soldiers who are willing to fight the evil that exists in todays society. I do not think we are supposed to let others treat people as they wish. To accept the mistreatment of elderly helpless patients in nursing homes is apprehensible. The willingness of the governing authorities to turn their heads and let this happen is infuriating. It is also obviously accepted by politicians, because they refuse to get involved in reform or enforcement of the laws.
I kept asking myself what reason would a politician have to ignore a situation that cries for reform. Why wont anyone listen to my concerns and act on the proof I have of wrongdoing, Medicare fraud, antitrust laws, and numerous DHSR regulations being violated regularly with no fear of repercussion. Isn't healthcare reform a major topic of both political parties at election time? Well this election cycle is over and nothing has changed.
I keep reading about how terrible the affordable care act is for our country, and how the Republicans want to repeal it. Yesterday I came across several articles that would make the following statement false. Here is a portion of one of the articles; Bill Frist is the former U.S. Senate Republican Majority Leader from Tennessee. During the heat of the health care reform debate, he sang the praises of President Obama's health care reform. His stance raises the question, "Why"? Then I found another article that answered the question. Here is the beginning of that article; One of the nation's biggest beneficiaries of the Affordable Care Act, Thomas Frist has seen his fortune rise by $1.5 billion, along with shares of his hospital conglomerate, HCA Holding. Is it a coincidence that they share the same last name, no it is father and son. What a gift to give your dad $1.5 billion dollars.
There is the problem, politicians owning the businesses that are benefitting from a lack of reform, and the lack of regulations being enforced. The Frist family doesn't care how many others woke up with tears this morning or any other morning. They care that their family is getting so rich they couldn't possibly spend all the money they are making. Here is a quote that explains it all, I'm not sure of the origin of the quote but I got it from my preachers Facebook post.
"But to demand justice where there is no righteousness, no interest in righteousness, no willingness to be righteous, is to demand to breath air under water. It cannot be." Does the Frist family have a willingness to be righteous? Is there any politician that has the willingness to be righteous, even at the cost of their political office? We can only hope so, but I am not very optimistic!
My mom died at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation a SanStone property. SanStone does not own it, but the owners of SanStone own most of the company that does. They also own Beystone in Fletcher, which is going to close when they finish construction of The Lodge in Mills River. Other SanStone properties include Stonecreek H&R, Madison H&R, Oak Forest H&R, Sanford H&R. According to the NC Secretary of State's office , this year they also registered properties in Anson County NC, Rutherford County NC and Wake County NC. Although this took place in April of 2014, I can only find record of one of them on the Medicare.gov nursing home compare website.
I have read articles about SanStone buying other homes, and actually had workers from these places contact me about their concerns. They were lied to about what was taking place and the next thing they were owned by SanStone.
I have found many reasons to believe that SanStone is politically connected to the same lawmakers as the Frist family. They are directly connected to Gerald P. Cox who is on the NC Medical Care Commission appointed by the Governor to administer the appropriations of government funds for building and improving nursing homes. I am sensing another lack of willingness to be righteous.
I forgive them for letting my Mother die without respect and dignity. However I will do everything I can to stop them from exploiting any other helpless elderly person. I could sure use all the help I can get, I am not wealthy enough to be heard nor do I have the support of the others in similar situations. Is this really going to be written off as " it's God's will " or are there other soldiers willing to fight? Are there people willing to be righteous?
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and Sanstone, do your job, and earn all that Medicare money you're taking!
The third anniversary of Mom's death has come and gone and the memories of her last days are still haunting me. The fact is that Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and SanStone are still being allowed to ignore NCDHSR regulations.
After Mom died I had to visit Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation several times to obtain records and such. After that I had no intention of ever going back there again. Then earlier this year, a member of my church family was admitted to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. He was nearing the end of his life due to cancer. I'm not sure how I got the courage to go through those doors again, but I went to visit him there.
I drove up to the building that was so full of bad memories, parked my car and took a deep breath. Walking up to the door was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. Then when I stopped at the desk I was directed to his room. He was in room 101 A, it must have been a test or something. The same room and bed that Mom spent her last night in. I had not been in that room since November 2, 2011, the day before Mom died.
I walked down the main hallway feeling like the walls were closing in on me. I looked at every nurse and wondered if they had known my Mom. I actually walked by Tammy Mace, the nurse that found Mom the morning she died. I turned the corner and there was the desk where I was told Mom was not responding and had been sent to Pardee hospital. And then I turned the corner and there was the room, I hesitated for a moment then went into the room. There was my friend lying in the bed my Mother had died in.
That's when things changed, all I could think about was the man lying there knowing he was near the end of his life. I visited him regularly, and the other stuff seemed to go away. At first he was pretty much in bed every day when I arrived. I would sit on the edge of the bed and listen to his stories and tell him mine. As the days went on he was able to participate in some physical therapy. I would sit with him as he did as much therapy as he could. One day when I got there he actually took a short walk with a walker. He would ask about my day and I would ask about his.
As the days went on I started seeing the same things that I had seen in Mom's records. The nurse would come in and tell him they didn't have time for his shower that day. His oxygen mask didn't fit right and was cutting into his face .After several days they finally got one that fit him. His clothes were not always clean and he needed help reaching his water.
Then he started losing his strength and would be less able to participate in therapy. I asked if I could take him outside for a while. We sat in the sun and talked till he started getting cold. Then back inside for therapy, which didn't last very long. He was wheeled back to his room, and the nurse asked me to try to keep him in his wheelchair for another twenty minutes. While we were sitting there talking, he stopped talking momentarily. I asked what was wrong and he looked down to the floor where there was a puddle of urine. I asked if he wanted me to get him someone to help, he said he would just wait till they put him to bed. After ten minutes or so he asked me if I could get someone to change him. I went to the nurses desk and asked for help in getting him cleaned, the nurse told me to push the call light and someone would be in. It took at least another fifteen minutes till the nurse showed up. Then they just changed him and put him in bed.
He maintained his positive attitude but felt like he was a bother to his caregivers. More and more I realized that things were actually worse than we thought with Mom. They didn't even seem to care whether anyone saw how they treated their patients. They were always short of staff and the quality of care suffered. I would visit on weekends and there was hardly any staff at all.
My friend made it through his twenty one days that Medicare approves and he had to be moved. It was decided he would be moved to an assisted living facility. I visited him at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation the day before he was to be moved. The next day my family and I went out of town for spring break. He died the day I came back from my trip. The last time I got to visit him was in Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.
I am thankful for our time together, I'm not sure who was actually helping who. Scott helped me get past many things and I hope I helped him in the end of his life. As Christians we talked about religion and our beliefs, but we also talked about food, driving and Family. I miss my friend but I know we will talk again some day.
Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation has no regards for the NCDHSR regulations. They have no fear of being cited or fined for their actions. The point of this story is that they were not providing adequate care in 2011, and they are not providing adequate care in 2014. The NCDHSR has no interest in finding violations or enforcing their own regulations now, and they had no interest in 2011 either. Based on the actions of the NCDHSR, elderly people have no right to be treated with dignity or respect while in a nursing home. Shame on them for what they allowed to happen to my Mother and my Friend.
After Mom died I had to visit Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation several times to obtain records and such. After that I had no intention of ever going back there again. Then earlier this year, a member of my church family was admitted to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. He was nearing the end of his life due to cancer. I'm not sure how I got the courage to go through those doors again, but I went to visit him there.
I drove up to the building that was so full of bad memories, parked my car and took a deep breath. Walking up to the door was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. Then when I stopped at the desk I was directed to his room. He was in room 101 A, it must have been a test or something. The same room and bed that Mom spent her last night in. I had not been in that room since November 2, 2011, the day before Mom died.
I walked down the main hallway feeling like the walls were closing in on me. I looked at every nurse and wondered if they had known my Mom. I actually walked by Tammy Mace, the nurse that found Mom the morning she died. I turned the corner and there was the desk where I was told Mom was not responding and had been sent to Pardee hospital. And then I turned the corner and there was the room, I hesitated for a moment then went into the room. There was my friend lying in the bed my Mother had died in.
That's when things changed, all I could think about was the man lying there knowing he was near the end of his life. I visited him regularly, and the other stuff seemed to go away. At first he was pretty much in bed every day when I arrived. I would sit on the edge of the bed and listen to his stories and tell him mine. As the days went on he was able to participate in some physical therapy. I would sit with him as he did as much therapy as he could. One day when I got there he actually took a short walk with a walker. He would ask about my day and I would ask about his.
As the days went on I started seeing the same things that I had seen in Mom's records. The nurse would come in and tell him they didn't have time for his shower that day. His oxygen mask didn't fit right and was cutting into his face .After several days they finally got one that fit him. His clothes were not always clean and he needed help reaching his water.
Then he started losing his strength and would be less able to participate in therapy. I asked if I could take him outside for a while. We sat in the sun and talked till he started getting cold. Then back inside for therapy, which didn't last very long. He was wheeled back to his room, and the nurse asked me to try to keep him in his wheelchair for another twenty minutes. While we were sitting there talking, he stopped talking momentarily. I asked what was wrong and he looked down to the floor where there was a puddle of urine. I asked if he wanted me to get him someone to help, he said he would just wait till they put him to bed. After ten minutes or so he asked me if I could get someone to change him. I went to the nurses desk and asked for help in getting him cleaned, the nurse told me to push the call light and someone would be in. It took at least another fifteen minutes till the nurse showed up. Then they just changed him and put him in bed.
He maintained his positive attitude but felt like he was a bother to his caregivers. More and more I realized that things were actually worse than we thought with Mom. They didn't even seem to care whether anyone saw how they treated their patients. They were always short of staff and the quality of care suffered. I would visit on weekends and there was hardly any staff at all.
My friend made it through his twenty one days that Medicare approves and he had to be moved. It was decided he would be moved to an assisted living facility. I visited him at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation the day before he was to be moved. The next day my family and I went out of town for spring break. He died the day I came back from my trip. The last time I got to visit him was in Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.
I am thankful for our time together, I'm not sure who was actually helping who. Scott helped me get past many things and I hope I helped him in the end of his life. As Christians we talked about religion and our beliefs, but we also talked about food, driving and Family. I miss my friend but I know we will talk again some day.
Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation has no regards for the NCDHSR regulations. They have no fear of being cited or fined for their actions. The point of this story is that they were not providing adequate care in 2011, and they are not providing adequate care in 2014. The NCDHSR has no interest in finding violations or enforcing their own regulations now, and they had no interest in 2011 either. Based on the actions of the NCDHSR, elderly people have no right to be treated with dignity or respect while in a nursing home. Shame on them for what they allowed to happen to my Mother and my Friend.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Three long years and still no answers.
On this day three years ago, mom was getting ready to go home. The staff at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation had determined that she had "reached her goals". In other words her Medicare would no longer cover her stay. She died early that morning.
It had been decided that she would stay at my sisters house for a while till she was strong enough to return home. The decision was ultimately Mom's to make and most of the family supported her. There were things to do and everyone was making sure Mom would have everything she needed when she was discharged.
During her stay at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, Mom had been participating in physical therapy and gaining strength every day. This would not have been necessary had she not been forced out of Memorial Mission Hospital before she was ready. Care Partners was a waste of valuable Medicare dollars, with no benefit to Mom's health from her stay there.
In the afternoon on November, 2 2011, my wife and son picked Mom up at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. The afternoon was spent going to the bank and then to Wal Mart, for a new pair of jeans to wear home. After shopping, Mom returned to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation for her final night. Everything was going according to schedule.
Thursday November 3, 2011, at 5:07 am my cell phone rang. I was up and getting ready for work. I answered the phone and the voice on the other end told me that my Mother was not breathing and they were trying to resuscitate her, that's all she knew. I told my wife what was going on and drove over to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. When I arrived I had to ring the bell to get in the door, it was like a ghost town, there was one girl that let me in and then I found Tammy Mace RN behind the desk on Mom's hall. She had no more information and told me they had taken Mom to Pardee Hospital by ambulance.
I drove straight to Pardee and pulled up just as they were wheeling a patient in from the ambulance, I'm sure it was Mom. I went into the emergency room and was told to wait out front. After five minutes or so they came and took me to the family room, where I waited for the Dr. to come. Another five minutes and DR. Boleman, and a nurse came in to tell me Mom never recovered consciousness and had died. Everything just stopped and I couldn't say anything. My wife and younger son arrived soon after and we all cried together. That was the beginning of this story, since that day I have been searching for the truth.
After all the documents and records I have been through and all the people I've spoken to, I still cant say for sure what actually happened. I believe that the fall Mom had sustained in the early morning hours of October 30 was the cause of her death. I have many reasons for my suspicions. I have documents that conflict witness statements, a " late entry " in the nurses notes concerning the fall. The same " late entry " on a separate page from all the other nurses notes was faxed somewhere the day before the NC State Medical examiners office refused to authorize an autopsy. Their decision was based on the review of Moms medical records they had obtained from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.
I believe that if Dr. Larry Joe Russell had examined her after the fall, she would still be alive. Lara Mooney Rn is the one who wrote the late entry concerning the fall. It was apparently her that decided Mom did not need to see a doctor. Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation is guilty of lying to protect their reputation. And the NCDHSR has allowed them to do so and refused to even look at the proof that I have. Three years and still no answers.
It had been decided that she would stay at my sisters house for a while till she was strong enough to return home. The decision was ultimately Mom's to make and most of the family supported her. There were things to do and everyone was making sure Mom would have everything she needed when she was discharged.
During her stay at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, Mom had been participating in physical therapy and gaining strength every day. This would not have been necessary had she not been forced out of Memorial Mission Hospital before she was ready. Care Partners was a waste of valuable Medicare dollars, with no benefit to Mom's health from her stay there.
In the afternoon on November, 2 2011, my wife and son picked Mom up at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. The afternoon was spent going to the bank and then to Wal Mart, for a new pair of jeans to wear home. After shopping, Mom returned to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation for her final night. Everything was going according to schedule.
Thursday November 3, 2011, at 5:07 am my cell phone rang. I was up and getting ready for work. I answered the phone and the voice on the other end told me that my Mother was not breathing and they were trying to resuscitate her, that's all she knew. I told my wife what was going on and drove over to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. When I arrived I had to ring the bell to get in the door, it was like a ghost town, there was one girl that let me in and then I found Tammy Mace RN behind the desk on Mom's hall. She had no more information and told me they had taken Mom to Pardee Hospital by ambulance.
I drove straight to Pardee and pulled up just as they were wheeling a patient in from the ambulance, I'm sure it was Mom. I went into the emergency room and was told to wait out front. After five minutes or so they came and took me to the family room, where I waited for the Dr. to come. Another five minutes and DR. Boleman, and a nurse came in to tell me Mom never recovered consciousness and had died. Everything just stopped and I couldn't say anything. My wife and younger son arrived soon after and we all cried together. That was the beginning of this story, since that day I have been searching for the truth.
After all the documents and records I have been through and all the people I've spoken to, I still cant say for sure what actually happened. I believe that the fall Mom had sustained in the early morning hours of October 30 was the cause of her death. I have many reasons for my suspicions. I have documents that conflict witness statements, a " late entry " in the nurses notes concerning the fall. The same " late entry " on a separate page from all the other nurses notes was faxed somewhere the day before the NC State Medical examiners office refused to authorize an autopsy. Their decision was based on the review of Moms medical records they had obtained from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.
I believe that if Dr. Larry Joe Russell had examined her after the fall, she would still be alive. Lara Mooney Rn is the one who wrote the late entry concerning the fall. It was apparently her that decided Mom did not need to see a doctor. Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation is guilty of lying to protect their reputation. And the NCDHSR has allowed them to do so and refused to even look at the proof that I have. Three years and still no answers.
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