anonymous917624 Asked June 2019

Nursing home not returning calls. Any advice?

Hi..I am the guardian of someone just admitted to a long term facility. I am hundreds of miles away, trying to get basic info is like pulling teeth. I have called and emailed the activities person 3 times over a week and she doesn't answer (yes she is there). She handles clothing for the residents and I need info. The Administrator is brand new to the facility and said he would have her call. This has happened with the Nurse not returning 2 calls and the DON taking a week to answer. HELP! Do I reach out to the homes parent company?

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Many here have had bad experiences with A Place For Mom. While it does not cost you anything, APFM is a referral service that is paid by the facility that is used. Not exactly an impartial basis for selection.

AGINGCARE is.owned by A Place For Mom.

Helpful Answer (8)

OMG! I had NO IDEA this was owned by APFM! So is that who is moderating this? I mean this has been a good site for so many of us...but that explains a lot. Someone in my adult children support group had a beneficial experience with whomever she spoke with. Got a list of available resources for in-home care. I called and it was like when you friggin go car shopping and IMMEDIATELY began to get a deluge of phone calls soliciting my business. I was infuriated and one person was nice enough to offer pulling me off the list or whatever. I mean the last thing any of us needs as a caregiver is MORE STRESS by phone calls! But the topper to this was just the other day I got an email from someone that looked personal and this person sends a short note acting like we're friends, and how she knows how hard it is because she is a daughter too, and she'd like to know when I could arrange a tour for mom and dad and myself to see the Weils!!!!! First of all I NEVER was looking for care outside of our home, and second of all if you want to see what limited funds you have fly through the air, that's one of the places. Not to even mention that the first place I contacted for in-home care...the woman who owned it, who had no problem hiring a person trained there who had a LENGTHY record of driving offenses, was friends with someone who also apparently USED to work there in some sort of administrative capacity who went on and on about how wonderful she (AND THE AIDE) were on that Next Door site. I learned many lessons...add this one to the list. Thanks for sharing this! I guess my next question is who owns A Place For Mom? I really get angry when I see that person in the ads...Joan Lunden isn't it? She's probably clueless!

(3)

At Moms NH it was her social worker who managed clothing. Have you tried that person? The activities people were never in an office to answer a phone, they were always with the residents.
If it’s a good sized place, there should be a charge nurse along with an administrative assistant for the floor. Ask for those peoples numbers, as the administrative assistant will be your best friend there.
If still no luck, call the ombudsman.
Is there someone local to the NH that could physically go there and track down the people you need?

Helpful Answer (6)

Call during business hours, tell them you will hold. Keep hounding the people who actually do answer the phone. Mentioning the formal complaints process to the administrator may light a fire.
I found that asking for the charge nurse usually worked since she pretty much ran the place during her shift.

Helpful Answer (5)

Right. I got the direct line to the nurse’s station to call to check on Mom. But, sometimes there was no one at the desk because they were taking care of residents. However, eventually someone was there eventually and they always answered my questions.

(1)

Phone calls do not help. If you put someone in a nursing home you have to visit in person and daily. I mean seriously they can be covered in poo and have bed sores all over and they will still say they are doing fine and resting well. So why are you even bothering with calls.

Helpful Answer (5)

She is hundreds of miles away :(

(2)

I am in a similar position as I am a POA for someone in another state. This was happening to me too. No return phone calls, messages left, etc. Finally, I got the receptionist and told her to write down word for word what I had to say. Basically I told her to give xxx my message that if my calls were not returned by time/date, I would proceed to take appropriate legal action against the facility. I started getting calls back within two hours. And, you can also tell the receptionist that someone LIVE must be paged and found right now - you are NOT hanging up and that you will hold as long as needed - but you DEMAND A LIVE PERSON N O W.! Things have improved since I laid down the law as they know I am a tough cookie and am not going to be ignored. One other suggestion, write a very formal professional letter to the head person stating the exact problem and what is not happening. Tell them this is a situation you will not accept or tolerate and it better be fixed. Believe me, this works. Go straight to the very top of the chain and explode (in a professional way) and you will get success. I have a 95% success rate with problems like this Good luck. By the way, this is typical of most companies today - horrible.

Helpful Answer (5)

Thank you..! Silly Question..what is a POA?

(0)

It sounds as they are trying to “train” you. The more you complain, the less they respond. Yes, I would reach out to the parent company...

If this is the poor service they are providing to you, though, how are they treating the residents?

Can you move the person into a different place before s/he gets fully settled?

Helpful Answer (4)

Thanks all for the feedback. Yes they are aware I am the Guardian. The NH was chosen by the hospital he was in. Social Security fo insurance. The Activities person is the one who handles clothing/supplies. I reached out to her first but she referred me to activities. I too worry about the quality of care if the quality of communication is so poor. Good thing is Im not shy so will continue to seek answers from them or parent company or Obsurdman. I have full understanding how busy people are but this is indane. Glad I found this board

Helpful Answer (4)

One should hopefully NEVER let the hospital choose a NH UNLESS you know the place and agree. Call the local office on aging. They may not be able to speak freely, they cannot recommend one place over another probably, but they can tell you which to avoid. As can the Long Term Care Ombudsman's office or the local area agency on aging can guide you to where you can look up info yourself. I don't know your finances, but you can also hire a geriatric case manager to keep watch and intervene. You may get more attention if someone local is watching out, but you shouldn't have to worry like this. Is it possible to move the person closer?

(1)

I would go straight to the Ombudsman.

Helpful Answer (4)

Contact the State office that oversees NH licensing.

Call local Center on Aging to ask for a Wellness Check.

Continue to keep a log of all attempts to contact: whom, topic, time, date....when did you hear back...was it a productive response.

You have binding legal authority, similar to a spouse. It is time to let them know, you know this is unacceptable, and you will take further action if it doesn't stop.

If they "Offer" to move her to another facility because you appear to be unhappy... don't take the bait..but write down who, when and where they wanted to ship her off to. Odds are it is a facility with an ever more checkered track record...or more expensive.
Tell them you will decide if and when and where to move your LO, but that is stressful, as they know. You expect them to do their jobs as they are contractually and legally required and you will hold them accountable.

If this does not work..or stops working, call a respected Elder Care Lawyer in that state & hire them to draft a letter of concern to the facility, cc the Corporate Management.

Good Luck.

Helpful Answer (4)

I just answered this above. But also contact the Office on Aging in your county and ask for the Ombudsman to handle the situation. You might also threaten to report them to the state (that you live in) and they could receive a big fine for violating business practices. And you could say you hope you won't have to get in touch with your attorney. I guarantee you - you will get return calls. Be tough and threaten them by saying you hope you don't have to resort to.....to get return calls.

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Nursing home not returning calls. Any advice?

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