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kphealthy Posted May 2019

This a a letter I sent to a rehab in NJ...

My mom approximately a week and a half ago was sent to your facility for rehab from XXXXX . Around 4/27/2019 my mom became dehydrated in your facility which they hydrated her by intravenous . Even after that she was still lethargic I was there almost every day and watched my mom plead for water and most of the time she was lethargic and non responsive. One time she was so week she was crying she had to go to the bathroom and I watched her pee the bed. I went into the hallway and had to plead with the nurses to help her. Through the week I watched her get worse and called Doctor XXXX to have her transferred to the hospital . I thought my mom was dying. Every day I called multiple times because I thought my mom was dying in your facility. Dr XXX refused and told me that my mom's lab work was fine. On Saturday 5/4/2019 I called multiple times to your second floor nursing to get my mom transferred to Hospital and I was told they didn't have access to a doctor to transfer her. On Sunday night I got a call from Rehab my mom was unresponsive and was going over to Hospital. When my mom got to Hospital she had their team work on her. I am lodging this complaint because I myself watched my mom dying in your facility and even with a full Power of Attorney over her life and death. I was still refused by your facility to get her the care she needed. Now I am not sure how she is going to recover from this. I can only pray and if it was your mother you would feel the same way as me. I was also not the only one that saw her unresponsive in your facility. Her friend who saw her there is a nurse for the elderly and she also called me with concern. During the time she was there she was also given the wrong medicine lexapro and became psychotic calling people in the middle of the night saying that the rehab was trying to kill her. I called the NJ State Health Department to do an investigation. They also didn't have signed papers from me or my copy power of attorney till days later.

anonymous272157 May 2019
I am so sorry you and she experienced this.  My aunt wasn't that bad, but I didn't like what I saw.  She was getting worse, not better, and it was supposed to be for rehab.  They were over an hour away, so I couldn't be there a lot.  My family also visited and gave me feedback. I got a CNA whom I knew, and set a day to go get my aunt with her.  Then I called the NH and told them to have paper work and her ready to be moved on that day.  We took her home for a 24-hour period, and she totally relaxed and smiled the whole time.  Meanwhile I found a MC placement nearby, and they miraculously had a bed a day later.  I was ready to have a nurse at home and make her feel respected, but the MC did that beautifully.

Good for you to write.  I hope the issue can be addressed.  I did not write, too tired and sick myself, but a friend looked up the parent company. They had suits pending, and even one from Medicare. 

By the way, I took Lexapro for depression.  It does not work immediately, but is good also for anxiety after a few weeks.  My doc switched to something else because it can affect the heart.  Sounds like there wasn't time for it to work right, or to try something else.  Good luck.  Some things in rehab are not addressed, but maybe you can find a better place.

freqflyer May 2019
kphealthy, may I ask what were your Mom's health issues that she was sent to Rehab? That could have had a play in why she was lethargic. As for the lexapro, that is given to patients who have anxiety. There is a side effect of dry mouth, so maybe that is why your Mom wanted a drink of water.

So sorry you and your Mom are going through this. As our parents age, so many different things can happen that can be complex. And we hate seeing this happen to our love ones.

What does the hospital say regarding your Mom? What issues are they finding?

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JoAnn29 May 2019
You had the right to call an ambulance for Mom. You don't have to wait for the facility to do it. You also have the right to transfer her. She was not in a prison and has rights as a resident there.

You may want to call the State Ombudsman to investigate. In Moms facility they were always giving the residents water.

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