The dog was brought in unannounced and unleashed. My mother had to go through hip surgery and has now been forced to go into assisted living thus draining her bank account at $7000 a month. Medicare paid for the surgery and rehab with home PT/OT. Can I notify Medicare that this was a personal injury negligence situation so they can recoup the funds from my sister?
There will be no recouping of funds.
The sister, I am certain, is now forewarned.
Falls happen all the time for elders, dog or no. But clearly now sis will understand that the visiting pet needs to be on-leash.
You don't think Medicare should be paying for it? I'm sorry I missed a step somewhere - is that not what insurance and Medicare are for? Ultimately it was an accident. And while you didn't mention suing your sister, how exactly do you think that you would recoup any money otherwise?
"Oh, but Doggie-Pye loves my mom so much!" That's why Doggie-Pye jumps on mom? It's not fair to Doggie-Pye OR mom to put them in such a situation.
I used to be subjected to my parents' little dog, Smoochie. Darling dog, but she barked the whole time of every visit (they assumed she was invited but I didn't invite the dog, just them). They gave her treats to shut her up. So she barked again after every treat. I suggested that Smoochie barked too much. Incredulous looks from my mother, who said she did not. I said she'd barked all through dinner and it was hard to converse. Mom said that Smoochie used to bark when they first got her, but she didn't now. I gave up. Mom was never going to admit the apparent.
Just leave your dog home, people.
No, there's no such a thing.
You say you don't want to sue her, but how else will you get her to pay the money for her medical expenses -- to anyone. Never mind that -- what about the $7k per month that your Mom has to pay for who-knows-how-long?
FYI Medicare gets its money from us, the taxpayers. She should pay us.
Your sister was a bonehead for not keeping her dog in control when she knew your Mom lives there. I had a neighbor do something similar: my 95-yr old Mom was at the bank of mailboxes and a young woman had her standard poodle off the leash (in spite of leash laws). The dog ran up to her and tried to run through her legs. Good thing she had something to hold on to.