Can we let these practices continue in our medical facilities ?
The following is a letter I wrote and sent to several recipients. If you have loved ones or friends or family in this type of facility and they are complaining about something yet the staff claims they "just don't remember" might be you should listen closer to what Gram pa, Uncle joe or aunt Bessie is trying to tell you . Over the past 37 years I have had several short stays in "rehab centers" and have witnessed there short comings but until Monday the 29th of November 2010 during a stay at the La Grande Post Acute Rehab in La Grande Oregon have I ever felt my health was in jeopardy due to inappropriate actions (to be blunt , being lied to about my health care by the nursing staff. I must however make it clear, for the most part the staff was very pleasant and respectful, the CNA's were very respectful and help full I have no complaints there but this does not justify the outright lying to me about my care. Of the several issues I had with my short stay there the nurse lying to me was one I could not over look. When one is put in the care of any hospital, care center, rehab or whatever the one thing you are counting on is the honesty of the people who you have entrusted your physical health and well being with and these are the last people you want to be lying to you. As you read this letter think about if this was happening to you and especially if this nurse were in charge of your recovery from something much more serious than my issue. I truly do not expect this letter to change anything but possibly if it makes one person out there REALY listen to there friend or love one that is in this setting when the claim some wrong doing it might just be they telling the truth. I was astonished and to this day can not imagine why this nurse tried to tell me I was getting care that I wasn't and the only explanation I have come up with is because most of their cliental are elderly folks and usually a little confused at times the establishment is so use to telling the family's " well yes we did give uncle joe a bath, he just doesn't remember" and the family buys into it so they continually get away with it. Unfortunately I am well aware of my surroundings and called her on it. I can and will not this just slide away without making some noise. I as well would hope if you are or know someone who is dealing with a similar problem with "Institutional care" you too will make some noise. As long as they get away with this behavior it will continue.
The letter
This letter is concerning a recent stay at LaGrande Post Acute Rehabilitation 91 Aries st. La Grande, Oregon ( Evergreen Health care) from the dates Nov 24 2010 to Nov 29 2010. I was originally scheduled for approximately 21 days.
Some Background
I am 60 years old and a c-6-7 Quadriplegic (complete). I have been injured for 36 years and have lived by my self and taking care of myself for the bulk of that time. I recently developed a skin issue (not a pressure sore yet) of which I could not stay at home and care for myself. The reason is that here at home I have no choice but to get up in my wheelchair to eat, shower and do daily chores thus never giving to time for the wound to heal before irritating it and breaking it down again.
On Nov 24, 2010 I was admitted to the above facility for this skin issue with the main objectives of
I visited the institute on Monday Nov 22 and these objectives were discussed with the institutes director Todd Pratt and nursing director and agreed on (so I thought).
On Wednesday the 24th I was admitted to room 8. At that time 2 nurses come in and looked at the wounds. They took the measurements and so on.
On Friday the 26th another different nurse looked at it but having not seeing it before could make no assessment as if it had any change.
On Saturday the 27th a wound specialist come from the La Grand Hospital and checked it and said she would write her orders as to what she thought was the course of action.
Up to this time all that was being done was the nurse’s aid (C N A) were cleaning it once a day and putting a cream on it (one day however it was cleaned in the afternoon shift as well).
At one point in the stay I was told that Dr Keith Graham would see me and write orders on Monday (30th)
On Monday I requested to the nurse assistant that I speak to a nurse about getting some kind of care other than a simple once a day cleaning and results of the tests taken as far back as around the 19th (cultures, blood) and a cat scan taken Monday the 22nd. A time later the nurse come in and I ask her of these issues. I was told that I had no appointment with DR Graham and that they would take me up there if and when I did. I then expressed my concerns of the nursing staff not knowing if the wound was getting better, worse or what due to the fact no one nurse has seen it more than once and it had only been looked at by nursing but 3 times (one time had 2 nurses) so they had no Idea if there was a problem or anything. She informed me that a nurse had looked at it every day. I then explained that was a bald face lie, NO nursing staff had been in there every day to look at either wound on perennial area or foot. She then said she had talked to MR Todd Pratt because he had just left my room. I had not seen Mr. Todd Pratt since the day before thanksgiving and he was not “just in my room” At this point I decided I could not be under the care of a staff that was going to lie about my medical care. I told her to go to the office and get my discharge ready because I was leaving. She informed me that I was not leaving and that I could not leave. I used my cell phone and called 911 and ask for the La Grand Police to come to my room. When the La Grande officer arrived I explained the situation. He explained he thought it was a payment issue and I explained that was their problem not mine. He suggested I call my Son and have him come and help me, which I did.
Shortly later a nurse, the social worker, the facility director Mr. Pratt as well as two other non-institute affiliated witnesses (names on request) all were in my room and I again went through the following issues
No one there had any answer or explanation of this action. by the nurse other than the director said they were just going on what the records show and I quickly pointed out that if indeed the records showed there was a nurse checking the wound every day then he had a much bigger problem because he had now more than one nurse lying and recording false information in the records. I then challenged him to get any nurse and inquire if the sore was better or worse or what changes were since day 1. He could not, didn’t even try. Makes me wonder why? A good guess is that he had 2 outside witnesses) and already knew the answer anyway.
It was my decision at that point to leave the facility. If I had stayed there would have been a better than 50 /50 chance of getting a sore on my hip or back due to turning issue. I can no and will not continue to keep myself in a medical care facility where the nurse staff is allowed to lie about my physical and medical treatment. They get away with that for the most part because the average client in there does not have the mental clarity to remember from day to day so when they complain it is explained to there family or whoever that “well he/she just don’t remember but yes we have preformed the service” and the family buy’s into it. This facility has contracts with the VA as well as Medicare. This letter is going to the list shown below in hopes that someone will see how there money is being spent.
In conclusion I truly do not expect any change in policy of either the facility or funding agencies because of this letter. In my opinion I am the only one losing here. I am not getting health care I need, the facility will not change, In a year they will still be obtaining government funds, the nurse staff will still be working there giving false information to either clients and or there family’s. One further observation (no affect on me) the gentleman I shared the room with seemed to have an incontinent problem at times at night and they would come in and change clothes. In my time there not once did I observe him being taken to the shower or materials taken to his bed for a bed bath. And keep in mind they had to pass right off the foot of my bed to do either. In this whole scenario the point I find most frightening is fact that I had put my faith in a staff that lied about my medical care. Not being able to trust the very people you have put your health and welfare issues into is a sad commentary on the health care in facilities such as this Oregon.
Neal Chamberlain
Po box 92
North Powder, Or. 97867
541-898-2189
CC
Dr Keith Graham
506 4th st La Grande, Or 97850
Danial Nalepka (pa LaGrande VA)
202 12th st , La Grande Oregon 97850
Len Zylstra (LCSW)
202 12th st La Grande, Or 97850
Walla Walla va
Lorie Wolfame HBC
Walla Walla VA Medical Center
77 Wainwright Drive
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Seattle VA Spinal Cord Center(electronic)
Evergreen
EHC Management, LLC
4601 NE 77th Ave, Ste 300
Vancover, Wa. 98662
Or. State
Oregon Board of Medical Examiners
Kathleen Haley, J.D., Executive Director
1500 SW First Avenue, 620 Crown Plaza
Portland, OR 97201-5826
Medicare
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,
7500 Security Boulevard,
Baltimore MD 21244-1850
Web site www.notn.org (see Local Medical Issues link)
FIRE AT WILL
neal@eoni.com