Dealing With Nursing Homes

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Dealing with Nursing Homes

Dealing with nursing homes maybe frustrating but you need to have a clear mind. You want the nursing home to home which may back fire on you. Be nice but firm. have one. Letting your Nurse and women in Nursing Home

frustrations out may give a bad tastes to the minds of staff . 

Nursing homes can be tough and you may also have to be. Nursing homes think of the time they may have to spend to get things done right is too much time. The products to get things done and is best for the patient maybe too costly. But they don’t mind charging a lot. So beware. Remember, as with anything, when there is a will there is a way.

Dealing With Nursing Home Pharmacy

The first month they said we have to use our pharmacy. When I received a $5000.00 bill for a month supply of medicine. I said if you don’t use our pharmacy you pay the bill. I called there pharmacy and had then match our pharmacy price. Example my Father had a cold the medicine that cost $4.00 they charge $85.50 I paid $4.00 My Father was in World War II and I paid the VA $20 a month for a monthly supply of medicine he took daily. The other one time medicines I made there pharmacy match our pharmacy.

 

Ombudsman Program

I had my Father do and enjoy as much as he could. I found a plastic sports bottle with a built in straw he was able to hold. They did not want to wash the bottle. They wanted him to use a glass they could wash. But he did not want it. So there is a service call the long term ombudsman program. That is like having an attorney on the nursing home. They made the nursing home use the bottle. They said I had to get more straws for sanitary reason. The bottle was made by Rubbermaid. I contacted Rubbermaid and I bought 400 straws. The home thought I never get the straws. So they reluctantly wash the bottle and I bought another 600 straws and he drank for himself with those bottles for two and a half years .

Sometimes They Need To Know Who Really Is Boss

When my Father was in the nursing home the person who ran the home retired. So there was a new boss and she brought in her administration staff with her. She was hated by everyone who worked there. She was going to show she was the boss. When she would not do as I ask I got a hold of her boss. I had a three hour talk with her. She found out she wasn’t a big of a boss with me. She was banned from giving me orders. Then she tried to have a staff give me orders I called her boss back and prove what harm they were doing and they all were banned and had to do as I ask. They tried to pull a fast one by asking to have a meeting with me but would not tell me what the meeting was about. I said I can’t have a meeting with you without knowing what it is about, you cannot have one with me. If it is bashing me there isn’t going to be a meeting. You go back to you drawing table and the sooner you get along with me the better it will be for you. There never was a meeting
After the ombudsmen service got involve there was one person I was assign to work with. I wrote letters each week and fax them to her at the ombudsman service . She read over them before the nursing home saw them. When the nursing home received the letter and the end of the letter it said “The ombudsman service has a copy of this letter.” That way the nursing home could not try to get around anything.

Staying On Top Of Them

When you visit your love one: Ask to inspect the person whole body. Whenever I was there when the change my Father’s diaper I wanted to see his bottom. They fought me and told me my Father had his rights I could not come in. What they don’t want you to know is you also have your rights. You have rights to see that bottom. If my Father had any marks on his bottom they knew they had to be taken care of immediately If I was not on top of it my Father’s bottom would never had stayed so clear. The nurses even omitted it after he died. Nursing homes will try to get away with anything they can. It is all about time and money.

Caretakers Meetings

 

In every nursing home they will set up a meeting once a month for whoever is responsible person for the person in the nursing home. They try to get you in and out within 15 minutes. If you forgot to ask something sometimes you were out of luck because you would not see the group of people for another month. I had a lot to talk about. What I did I wrote down all my questions down and save them on my computer. I made 10 to 15 copies not knowing how many would attend the meeting. I walked in took the copies out of my briefcase and said take one and pass it around. Whether it takes 15 minutes or 15 hours I am not leaving until every question is address and solve.

Making Sure The Proper Food Is Given

My Father’s food I found was not coming to him at the consistency he was able to tolerate. So I want down to the kitchen and laid into them and got it right. The nursing home tried to say that they had a policy that I could not just walk down to the kitchen. I told them, you have a policy and I have a policy, when your policy fails mind goes into effect. If it were your parent I would hope you would do the same. They lost their battle. I warn both the nursing home and the ombudsman program someone was going to get hurt.

After I said what I said above that the food was not coming up right and someone was going to get hurt this happen. I was feeding my Father. An agency nurse started to feed a resident whom she did not know. The resident was given a regular meal. She should have had a nectar thick meal. What was on the slip of paper what she was to have and what food she was given were two different things. The women choke to death in front of my eyes. The nursing home try to say see died of heart failure. I immediately contacted the ombudsman program and told the women that worked with me. She told me to bring it up at the caretakers meeting as well. They try to tell me she was feed on the third floor and I was on the fourth floor they talk right over me and would not talk much about it. I but the happening all down on a letter and told how the nursing home reacted and the ombudsman program said Brian he have to send this letter to the state. The state walked in and made the nursing home change things around. From that day the head nurse on the floor had to read the slip that told what was on the tray match the meal on the tray and sign it. Having done that I not only benefitted my Father but everyone in the nursing home.

State Laws

Nursing homes have another way of trying to get around things. They tell you it is a state law we can’t do it. Maybe it is but they don’t want to tell you there are ways of getting around the laws. It costs them time and money. My Father needed sides on his bed. Without sides he would fall out of bed. But it was against state law because you are restricting the patient. I sign papers to get around that law so he wouldn’t fall out. I needed pads for the side rails so he would not hurt himself on the rails. That was against state law I sign to override that law. When I took my Father out each Sunday I had him doubled diapered and that was against state law but was best for him. So when they try to tell you there is a state law there is always a way around things. I being persistence I found a way. Remember when there is a will there is a way.

Summing It Up

 

Dealing with Nursing Homes can be challenging and frustrating but if you don’t stay on top of them they will do as they please. They may cut corners to save money but it will not be for the best interest for the patient. Only because I was in every week and had the ombudsman program on top of them my Father was well care for. It cost them more than they wanted to spend. The boss said to me when he died.  Don’t you dare be an aggravate for anyone else here. Many patients who did not have anyone to speak up for did not receive the kind of care my Father did and others wish they had me.

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