April 17, 2009
Lakeview Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre, Inc.
Mr. Ted O’Brien, Administrator
735 West Diversey Parkway
Chicago, Illinois 60614
Mr. O’Brien:
On April 15, 2009 I met with a team of Lakeview Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre, Inc. (Lakeview) “professionals” who profess to be involved with the services being rendered to my uncle Eddie Nance (Eddie) at Lakeview. I asked for this meeting because I was left out of Eddie’s Quarterly Care Plan process, which I had asked to be in attendance.
I asked these individuals to identify who they are and the service or department they represent at Lakeview. These individuals are: Mavis (Restorative), Carlos (Activities), Ruth (Dietary), Lois (Nursing), David (Social Services), Ann (Social Services), Angel (Minimum Data Set (M.D.S.)) and Sylvia (M.D.S.). I am writing this letter because I left a voice mail for you on April 17, 2009 and did not get a return phone call about my issues and complaint about this “Care Plan” process on April 17, 2009. I am also writing this letter because of the humiliation I suffered due to Carlos’ harassing and intimidating statements to me. Here is a brief account/summary of my experience.
Someone from this group ask me why I requested this meeting. I informed them I wanted to be part of Eddie’s Quarterly Care Plan process. I informed them that I attended Eddie’s Care Plan early in the year (January 2009), and that I should have been invited to the Care Plan meeting in March 2009. I informed them I requested in January 2009 to be part of this process. I informed them that I have been working in social services for nearly 15 years, and that I wanted to be part of this process because I did not want Eddie to suffer any negligence during his stay at Lakeview.
Someone from this group ask me if there were any issues I wanted to discuss. I informed them I wanted to talk about Eddie’s hygiene, diet and clothing. I informed them of Eddie’s most recent visit to his dentist office. I informed them that Eddie was dressed in dirty clothing that was not part of the clothing I bought for him to wear. The clothing Eddie had on did not belong to him. I informed them that the dentist told me that Eddie’s mouth was not healing because he was not taking his dentures out of his mouth when sleeping, and that I should tell the nursing home to assure Eddie takes his dentures out at night, which I did the very first day Eddie received his dentures. I informed them that during my visit today that Eddie’s room was dirty and that saliva was all over the floor, where I had to engage some personnel to clean it up. I began telling them how this type of service was not going to be tolerated, and that Eddie had family who were concerned about him. I informed them that from my social service experience people are not necessarily neglected by employees on purpose. I informed them that many patients/clients are not exposed to neglect when staff know family or friends are actively involved in the patient/client’s human and social experience.
As this staff and I discussed my issues and I would not let this staff blame the dentist for Eddie’s dentistry issues, staff person Carlos told me I did not have to get defensive. I resented this statement and began informing this staff of their responsibility to provide comprehensive and optimal service to Eddie. Staff person Lois wanted to know why Eddie was getting dentistry service outside of Lakeview’s dentist program. I informed her that I pursued dentistry for Eddie from his beginning presence in Lakeview, which was May of 2008 through December 2008. I informed staff person Lois that I asked Lakeview Social Service person David in May of 2008 to schedule an appointment for Eddie with a dentist. The reason I asked David to schedule a dentist appointment for Eddie is because David informed me that Lakeview has a dentist program for its patients. After waiting over 6 months for a dentist appointment for Eddie, I decided to locate and schedule Eddie a dentist appointment. Eddie now has dentures. Staff person Lois looked at staff person David who was responsible for this service. Staff person David gave no response.
Staff person Carlos began asking Eddie if he wanted me present during his Care Plan meetings. Eddie nodded his head yes because Eddie cannot speak English fluently due to his stroke. As I continued arguing my issues of neglect by Lakeview staff, staff person Carlos periodically and intentionally continued asking Eddie if he wanted me present during his Care Plan process. Eddie nodded his head yes. I informed staff person Carlos that I was going to be part of Eddie’s Care Plan process whether Eddie wanted me or not because Eddie had no idea of what was going on with his services at Lakeview and Eddie did not know what kind of service to expect from Lakeview. Staff person Carlos again told me I should not get so defensive.
Eddie’s stroke affected his speech and left arm. Due to my limited medical experience, I do not know or understand other effects the stroke may have on Eddie. Eddie cannot speak words that are understandable. I thought that if Eddie had teeth in his mouth, it might assist in the re-development of speech. Eddie was receiving speech therapy at Lakeview. Eddie’s speech therapy was stopped. I was told by some “professionals” at Lakeview during Eddie’s January quarterly care plan that the speech therapy was to assist Eddie in swallowing his food. I was told that once Eddie was able to swallow his food without choking, his speech therapy would be stopped because his insurance would only pay for a particular period of time for the development of speech for a stroke victim. I was also provided another explanation. I was told that Eddie’s speech therapy would not help him speak again because if he was going to be able to speak after a stroke he would have started speaking by now. Empirical and statistical data does not support this prognosis.
This is what I have done for Eddie since I have been engaged in his services due to his stroke:
I had to engage and obtain Eddie’s Medicaid status with the State of Illinois’ Department of Human Services. As of August 27, 2008 Eddie’s Medical Assistance was approved. This approval was supplemented with medical eligibility back-dating to February of 2008, which covered his Warren Barr Pavilion experience/cost also. This should have been navigated and facilitated by Lakeview nursing home or his initial nursing home (Warren Barr Pavilion on Oak Street, Chicago Illinois) and/or the Veterans Administration (VA) on Taylor Street in Chicago, Illinois when they knew they would not be paying for Eddie’s medical bills due to his stroke. Eddie was in a real war. Eddie was in World War II. Eddie’s brother Otha reports the VA told him that Eddie had to go to a nursing home because his illness was not serious enough to acquire a bed.
I have bought clothing, labeled it and documented it in Eddie’s Lakeview file. I bought enough clothing for Eddie where he did not have to clothe in other people’s clothing. Eddie has had many appointments with the dentist. I have met Eddie at every one his dentist appointments. This is where I have seen Eddie with other people’s clothing on. Not only did Eddie have other people’s clothing on, the clothing was dirty and smelled. When I met Eddie for his dentist appointment on April 9, 2009 I reported to you by phone message and through a return call you initiated to me that Eddie’s right shoe had dried food on it, and that Eddie was wearing other people’s clothing that was dirty and smelled.
I decided to write this letter and post it on my blogs because of how I felt humiliated and embarrassed by the harassing remarks of Carlos, your Activities employee. He gave my service in the field, my credentials and professionalism no respect. Discussing this on April 15, 2009 with your team of “professionals” was too much for Carlos. All he could think to say is I am being “defensive” for addressing these issues. Carlos was not going to let the staff of Lakeview take any responsibility for their acts of negligence. It appears that Carlos was attempting to deny me access to Eddie’s Care Plan process, thus shutting down any possible future analysis of service at Lakeview. At one point, I had to explain to your staff that I have been involved with personal litigation as I ask them to stop asking Eddie leading questions to get answers that would invalidate my issues and their neglect. I ask your “professionals” to ask Eddie questions that would elicit Eddie’s answer, not the answers they desire. I informed them that we were seeking the truth, not protection for Lakeview. I informed them that we are humans and we make mistakes. I informed them that making mistakes is common. I informed them that I requested this meeting to stop the mistakes, not to blame someone for error.
Lois and Sylvia were the most responsible staff you had at the table on April 15, 2009. The others seemed irritated with my discussion of their responsibility to the residents of Lakeview and their families. There was talk by this team of “professionals” and yourself of the re-organization of Lakeview. This supports my report. If it were not broken, you would not be fixing it.
Sir, your staff never talked about what was discussed and agreed upon when they held Eddie’s quarterly care plan where I was excluded. This is why I requested the meeting. What does this tell you about your staff? This meeting was not supposed to be about the issues I present here. It was supposed to be about the ongoing “professional” care of Eddie, and how is that being demonstrated, facilitated and generated in his care plan for this quarter. WE never reached this objective. Your staff resented my presence and request. This was demonstrated by their behaviors.
Respectfully submitted,
Fred Nance Jr., ABD, MA, CADC, NCRS
Counselor/Therapist, Social Policy Analyst
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