Father wasn't getting required meds at NH. I think this admission should be accompanied by a reduction of fees. Any thoughts?

I, too, have to keep on top of Mom's AL facility constantly. They won't thicken her liquids, but she is still able to do so herself. She is on xanax PRN and doesn't think to ask for it much of the time (when she needs it daily, really). Sometimes the staff try to talk her out of it! Yes, we have to keep on top of everything constantly, and I'm in OH while she's in KS. :(

My dad’s in An assisted living facility. One day I decided to check all his meds because no one had asked for refills. Long and short of it all was he was not getting all his meds daily. I made a list along with the papers showing dates of RX from the pharmacy. If you cannot get a resolution by talking to the nurse in charge or the director of the facility you can file a report with the department of aging and disabilities. It takes 6 to 8 weeks for them to get an investigator out and you will need to call them weekly to make sure your case doesn’t fall between the cracks. This will prompt an investigation and a thorough check of the facility. They could be sited with violations if they’re not doing their job. But this is the only way for future prospective residents to know what kind of a facility they’re putting their loved one into. I’ve done it. The facility was fined and people were fired. Things improved with his meds. You will have to be the one to stay on top of everything, meds, showers, eating, housekeeping...everything! Hope this helps and things improve.

Oh, the facility will do everything they can to not reduce the monthly rate. Sorry but reduction in rate probably will not happen. 

Karsten
Is the memory care private pay ? You may be disappointed on many fronts -
mom's memory care is considered assisted living and frankly they are just not equipped to handle more than a basic level of care

Residents often go without meals and liquids - there isn't any monitoring, and lots of families either spend a great deal of time with their loved ones or hire private caregivers

It is a big money business - when you can, check out your state's licensing site and view inspection reports and see if they're ordinary or serious -
one recent report for an investigation on a resident injuring another was found to be inconclusive because the injured resident has dementia and couldn't corroborate the attack

I am mom's constant advocate and yet she had a UTI so bad she went into sepsis and had to be sent to a nursing home for a month, and she is one of the lucky ones - others are left untreated until it is too late

Let us know how things get resolved

I would call APS, this is beyond unacceptable to let him suffer.

I'm so sorry you are going through this, not like it's not hard enough you have to deal with incompetent monkeys. Sorry if that offends, my personal experience has caused me to believe that very few if any of these places care about anything but the money. Not enough regulations and not enough enforcement of existing regs.

Keep your cool, be nice and continue to advocate for your dad, keep notes and report this nonsense. By the way, they can fax orders and they should have sent paperwork with orders with your dad. Heads should role for this. Just remember to never be threatening or angry, the law is all on the side of the incompetents, if they say they were scared of you, you could face charges. That is way they think they can harm vulnerable people, they cry foul and all there actions are secondary to their feelings. Messed up beyond words but reality.

I did follow up with state agency to see if the NH did self report, and the agency said they cannot divulge anything. They said my only recourse was to file a complaint myself so I did, even though this may be duplicitous.
But get this, we moved my dad to the memory care then yesterday found out he had not had anything to drink for 24 hours. The MC said they had not received any orders for beverage thickener, the hospice said they tried to call MC to give them orders, and both are blaming the former NH to say they did not forward orders.
So what do you do? Let an old man go 24 hours without anything to drink? I said I am going to go to the pharmacy to buy some thickener myself and get my dad something to drink while they work out the paperwork. They said I cannot feed him that until orders come in. I said the heck with the orders, I am not going to let my dad dehydrate, which he probably already was as when the orders came in, he drank down a quart of thickened water. Everyone is pointing finger at each other. So fine, but in the meanwhile, doesn't the facility have some responsibility to keep him hydrated while all this is worked out? You pay money to these places so you don't have to worry, yet I feel if I am not on top of them all the time, we have no assurance he is getting what he needs Last night later I asked the aids when he was given his meds. They didn't know.

Give the hospital heck! A cousin of mine was in a nursing home at one time; he was neglected so he was moved to another facility; I had fun chewing the old facility out big time.

Mom took a med for her Graves desease (thyroid). She was given it every other day. Med infovwent from the AL to the hospital. From the hospital she went to rehab where ten days later I had a care meeting. I also have a list of her meds which was given to the hospital and rehab when she was admitted. In the meeting I was told the meds she was on, her thyroid med was not listed. I got upset and wanted to know why. Upon research it was found that the doctor at the hospital too it upon himself to drop it. (Mom was under a specialists care). Seems her labs were normal. THEY WERE NORMAL BECAUSE SHE WAS ON THE MED. When the list went onto the rehab, they noted that she hadn't had the med so they Didn't continue it. I demanded a lab done at their expense. TG it came up normal after not having her med for two weeks. No one looked at my paperwork which listed the med and...the doctor who prescribed it. This is what I dislike about hospitals. If ur Dr. doesn't have privledges there the hospital doctor refuses to contact ur doctor before making med changes. I asked and was told I could consult my doctor after discharge.

Karsten, his stay was covered by insurance.

It was a mess, every employee covering for each other, they tried to say hospital didn't send correct list, boy were they red when I produced a copy of what hospital sent via me when he was transferred.

If this is a for-profit facility they are just paid monkeys doing the corporations circus act, no accountability. I would tell them that you are filing a complaint with Medicare, licensing board and whom ever else oversees the vulnerable population they handle so carelessly. This will be your best chance at a discount, picture them trying to buy silence.

I pray you get a huge discount, oh yea I also told them they should get on their knees and thank God that my dad didn't throw a clot as it was only his mercy that protected my dad from their incompetent care.

The best thing is to be your loved one's advocate - this shows we need to be aware of all meds they are on & double check when they switch places - thanks for posting Granjan because is now on list of TO DO items so that we all can assure ourselves nothing gets missed in a move

As to getting a discount -"if you don't ask the question you will never get a yes" is a favourite saying I have - good luck

You can inquire about a deduction but my guess is NO. My mom’s AL has messed up a few times combined with my father’s DEAF micromanaging.

Oh, same amount each month.

Call the local Ombudsman Supervisor and report this neglect.

When my mother broke her hip she was discharged to rehab. From rehab to a memory care facility. I noticed her feet and legs swelling badly. I kept asking if she was given her "water pill". They would answer she was being given all her meds. Finally the swelling almost got to the seeping stage and we discovered the hospital, who had been given a list of her meds upon admittal, had not sent the order for that medication to the rehab facility who then of course didn't send it to the memory care facility. I always kept a list of her meds in my billfold but it never occurred to me to check it against what the hospital sent out with her. Be sure the nursing home knew they were supposed to give the drug. If they NEVER gave it to him, it might not have been included in the list of meds they received and the hospice nurse was working from a different list. These are the kinds of errors that can cost lives.

Thanks isthisrealyreal. Did you get any discounts?

Make sure they self report, my dad did nor get his warfarin, he has a mechanical valve, same story. They would self report, did not happen. Report them as not all meds that are missed are no big deal. My dad's cardiologist said it's a blessing he didn't start throwing blood clots. For all future patients follow up, please. I would ask for a discount. Come back and let us know what happens.

You can negotiate almost anything. But more importantly, I would follow up with the state agency to be sure they do self report! Have you noticed any change in behavior while your Dad did not take the med? Check with the MD to see if he still needs it. Doctors seem quick to add meds but never take you off of them!

It never hurts to ask....