4 minute read
Know
You To Know By: China Doll
Connie’s mother had been in and out of nursing homes for the her mother was being treated hoping that would spark a change past 13 years. When her mother had a bad experience with and that her mother would be better taken care of. Well, in Noone nursing home, Connie would move her to another home vember of 2018 Connie went home to Monroe for the Th anksthinking she would get diff erent results. Her mother started hav- giving holiday and took her mother out of the nursing home ing epileptic seizures as a young child, and she was diagnosed for a few days so they could spend Th anksgiving together. A with dementia in 2009. In 2012, Connie moved her mother back week prior to that, Connie received a phone call from one of home to Monroe, Louisiana from Dallas, Texas and tried to take her mother’s nurses informing her that they noticed her mother care of her herself. It is hard enough for one person to live off a had a bruise on her left leg. When Connie looked at her mothfi xed income, but it is even harder to manage with two people. er’s left leg and saw that it was covered with bruises, some of It was not easy to do alone, so in 2013 she did the only thing them new and some of them old. She asked the staff at the nursthat she thought was best for her mother. She decided to put her ing home about the bruises, no one could give her a solid anback into a nursing home, Ouachita Healthcare and Rehab. She swer. She was given many excuses of why her mother’s leg had did not expect that facility to be perfect, but they should be held been covered in bruises. One excuse being that it was her blood thinning medication causing the bruises. Aft er Connie complained about the hygiene of her mother and the bruises on her mother’s leg, a family member advised her to stop complaining so much before something even worse happened. Connie’s last resort was to move back to Monroe, take her mother out of that nursing home, and try to take care of her the best way she knew how. So, on December 17, 2018 she did just that. Shortly aft er on December 23 her mother had a seizure and had to be hospitalized. While in the hospital, the doctors caring for Connie’s mother wanted to know why she was on so much medication. Th ey even questioned some of the medications that her mother was on. Her mother was over-medicated, and this caused her to sleep a lot due to the confl icting medications the nursing home had her taking. Connie’s mother stayed in the hospital for a total of 8 days in order to fl ush all the medications from her system. accountable when their patients and residents are being mis- Connie worked in a nursing home for almost two years in treated. For example, when dirty clothes are not being washed, Mesquite, Texas as a patient driver. She saw fi rst-hand how patient’s dishes are not being cleaned up, and the patient’s bed some of the patients and residents were being treated. She said sheets are not being changed. Th ere were several times where she’s learned a few thing over the years with her mother being Connie’s mother was not being changed in a timely manner. On in and out of nursing homes. She said if you have someone in one occasion, Connie’s mother was wet to the point to where a nursing home, you have the right to request a copy of the it had soaked through her clothes. Connie started complaining medication that they are taking. You should request that list at aft er she noticed that her mother’s clothes were piling up and least once a month. Make sure that the medication list matches not being taken to the laundry to be washed. But no matter how what they are telling you that they are taking. If you do not much she complained the problem never got resolved. She spoke understand what the medto everyone from the administrator, Director of Nursing D.O.N, ications are and what they and even the Assistant Director of Nursing A. D.O.N. When that do please google them, did not work, she reached out to the Ombudsman on duty to try call to speak to a pharto get the problem resolved. Aft er that, meeting things seemed macist, or go in person to get better and Connie decided to move back to Dallas. to your local pharmacy A short time later Connie decided to go visit her mother and to fi nd out. Make sure while there, she found a coff ee cup sitting on the bookshelf with that you go visit as oft en molded coff ee in it. She found dirty diapers mixed in with her as you can, and never go mother’s dirty clothes, and she has even found a dirty diaper on visit at the same time each the top of the bathroom sink. Connie’s mother was in a wheel- visit. Make sure one of the chair and could not walk or get up without assistance, so she days you go visit falls on knew that her mother was not the one leaving the dirty diapers Continued on Page 21 everywhere. Connie had threatened to go public with the way Page 19
