AL reports her to Medicare and also to Medicaid. At 5 her IQ was 127, now 72. She tried to send an email on her cell phone, I was told. It didn’t reach me. LA says AT&T read it and called the police. LA manager was outraged. She had to return to work and deal with police; and told me that she has to report this email which claimed abuse. I still haven’t seen or been told how it read. Does AT&T actually scan cell phone emails. The Manager read me the regulation that requires reporting within 24 hours, but she was going to do it immediately.
My response was that it’s been less than 2 hours since the event. Get the facts clearly outlined and she’s incompetent.
I don’t know how serious this reporting is or it’s consequences. The AL contract appears to say that they can evict her, if they can place her somewhere else.
Ali’s MS started at age 19 but I think her biggest problems started when she was in a local hospital for 1 and 1/2 months in late 2003 and received steroids for about 30 days. Nearing 78 years of age and having profound back problems I can’t do 24/7 care any longer.
What am I suppose to do? I think that along with telling me about the incident in vague terms, an unbelievable info about AT&T’s involvement this should be handled more thoroughly. Do I hire an elder attorney or call Medicare and Medicaid and ask them the consequences? I’m devastated. Should I be? Please advise.
I thank everyone in advance,
mom
A resident with a profound learning disability sends an email which contains allegations of serious abuse. The email goes astray, but - apparently, though I'm very surprised by this - an unusually alert AT&T employee, somehow seeing the email's contents (?!), takes to heart the principle that the safeguarding of vulnerable adults is everybody's business, perhaps also follows company policy too, and calls the police. Good for the employee! Good for AT&T, if it was by their sanction! It is very reassuring to know that these channels of communication are open and working!
Meanwhile, the police demand an explanation from the ALF; and so serious are the allegations that the manager is forced to return immediately to work to handle the situation.
Well oh dearie me. Ain't it tough at the top.
Still. I am judging by the anxious tone of your post that the manager sounded pretty hacked off about all this when she spoke to you. Perhaps one can understand that she might well be, but if so she certainly had no business unloading it on you. Never mind. The important thing is that she rang you at once because it was essential that she alert you to the allegation as soon as she became aware of it. She will now, I don't doubt, have a formal procedure to follow to clear up the mess and I expect she will have an obligation to keep you informed about that, too.
So no, you should not be devastated. It might be no bad thing to consult and consider retaining a professional advocate for your daughter, but that's more because you are 77 years old and your daughter will eventually need one.
Call upon the patient's rights advocate who is required by law to visit your daughter, addressing her rights vs. the facilities rights.
Understand that at this point (and I think you do understand) you do not have enough information. Receiving such vague but serious news would distress anyone, but the manager's outrage was unprofessional and could be a sign of an abusive person, imo.
Of course, you will want to talk to your daughter a.s.a.p., making sure to ask her to keep a low profile, and that you are sending help. She may be required to ask to see the patient's rights advocate herself.
Do you have POA assigned to you, or are you her guardian? Person's with intellectual disabilities are not automatically declared incompetent, and your daughter has a borderline I.Q., needing help with living and needing advocacy, but not necessarily incompetent.
Keep in mind that any decisions on her requiring more care somewhere else
(saying she is incompetent) can be appealed and adjudicated, citing side effects of medications, Covid isolation effects expected to be temporary and some I.Q. recovered, or a physical issue not yet identified.
Make sure her doctor orders tests for a UTI. Behavior issues can be exacerbated (increased or intensified) with a UTI (urinary tract infection) as a person ages, and certainly can happen with your daughter's physical diagnoses.
Not an expert, sorry.
Is she being abused or neglected? Is her depression being adequately treated with meds?