Our 73 year old sister lives over 2000 miles for us. She has been on doctor prescribed opiates for at least 8 years and she needs help! She is extremely depressed, no self esteem, sleeps most of the day, has no interaction with family, doesn't answer her phone or the front door. We are fairly certain she is addicted to pain meds. What can we do legally to get her help? What are the first steps in reaching out to her. Will Medicare pay for rehab?
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Rstern, my concern about your sister is her age. There's a tendency, that some (not all) physicians seem to have, the tendency to dismiss the idea that a person in their 60's & 70's are candidates for addiction. It does seem like the addiction would have reared it's ugly head a long time ago but if the addiction is there and just not fed until a person reaches senior citizen status, it's no less an addiction. So don't put all your hopes into the idea that her physician will be responsive to your concerns but even if the doc is responsive to your concerns, your sister will promptly take her addiction to another doctor. Nothing motivates an addict into action like taking away their 'life support system'. But make sure it's an addiction you're dealing with, as 97yroldmom said, how do you know it's addiction? Does your sister have other health problems that could mimic addiction symptoms, like depression?
So glad you made the right decision and you are here! So many others don't realize that you can have a person hauled away by police, put them in programs, tie them to a church pew, douse them in Holy water, etc. but if it is against the persons wishes, it will not work. Does anyone remember we were given free will to do with our lives what we choose whether good or bad? People are always so desperate to control others, but addiction is very difficult to tackle. I know someone who has been in and out of rehab so many times, it never lasts. The persons parents have done everything you can think of, spent a fortune on treatments, let them go to jail, live in special program housing. This person always ends up sliding back at some point. It's heartbreaking. They are not ready. In the end, it is the persons choice whether we like it or not and all the love, support, tears we cry cannot break the cycle of addiction for those we love. I am so happy to hear success stories such as yourself! That means you are one tough lady and that is admirable!
All it took was for another emotional upheaval to send him back and there I was, at the hospital with him. I told him I loved him and that I was always there for him no matter what, but HE had to decide what he wanted for his life. I could not "fix him" because he had to be the one to make that decision. The hospital put him in a three day lock down and as soon as he got out, he went straight to the city, got his usual dose & that was enough to kill him after being off of the real thing through methadone. Some random stranger or dealer was with him and drove him in his car to the hospital and he was DOA. The person drove him up, yelled, "This guy needs help!"and took off running. Why am I telling you this awful story? Because I have been there, done that. Ultimately it is the individuals decision and there isn't a darn thing you can do except offer your help and support. They have to be the one who wants it. You can call any service, police, etc. and that may help, but when a person has their mind made up, they will always find a way back to that. You cannot control them. My brother simply slipped between the cracks when nobody was watching.
You can legally report your concerns in writing to her health providers; they should know about this, esp if they are writing the prescriptions. They might even disclose some information to you, because they are technically allowed to do so in cases of emergency or grave disability.
https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/faq/
Good luck!
I'm sorry to hear about your sister. Since you live so far away how do you know your sister is isolating and addicted to drugs?
If you know who your sisters doctor is you could send him a letter advising him of your concerns.
You might also call the area on aging and ask them to do a wellness check on your sister. They can do that anonymously.
I have a friend whose BIL died and her sister would not allow my friend to visit. She would talk on the phone. At one time it appeared that the sister was being scammed by a bogus social worker. Friend called area on aging and got them to check on her sister. That started the ball rolling to get the sister help. You might also try sending your sister a letter and letting her know you are concerned about her. What have you tried so far? If no one has seen her, she could be incapacitated inside her home. I hope you are able to get through to her soon.
Another thing you can also do is alert all of your local hospitals to what's going on. Believe it or not, hospitals generally see this kind of thing every single day. I've known people in the medical field and I've educated myself on what goes on in the ER and what they deal with. One good way to get that knowledge is to watch the shows on TV or even YouTube. Believe me, they know how to deal with drug addicts that come through the ER. When they untold stories of the ER was being made, there was one specific story about one guy who came as a frequent flyer to his local ER for pain killers and they sent him out empty-handed. They know how to encourage drug abusers to get help and for the more violent ones, they also know how to handle those.
Anonymously alerting the cops, hospitals and even the walk-in clinics we have now will give them a heads up in case they have any encounters with her. The more of the right people you can alert to what's going on, the better because at very least they'll be able to take record of it and have the upper hand ahead of time without giving her any more drugs.
I'm terribly sorry to hear this is even happening but it's become an epidemic. Too many people would rather pop a pain pill rather than to try to find relief through alternative methods. Pain pills are not supposed to be the number one go to, it's actually supposed to be the last resort. I hope you can get some help in your corner to get to the bottom of this, but definitely start with alerting the cops, hospitals, and walk in clinics. Start there.
You were wondering if Medicare would pay for drug treatment and as far as I know, I think so. In fact, we have an ad that frequently shows up on TV for the junkies out there to get the help they need. I think most or maybe even all insurances will pay for drug treatment at least here in Ohio anyway. I would think that if they pay for drug treatment for junkies in Ohio to come clean, I would think insurances would pay for it elsewhere because they say "drug addiction is a disease". It may be a disease, but thankfully it's curable and even preventable. This particular disease need not be fatal