Are You Cognitively Impaired Or Vitamin Deficient?

By Irene A. Masiello

Certified: Holistic Counselor, Adult Educator & Stress Management Consultant

My book, Paradise Costs, A Victim’s Daughter Fights Back against Elder Abuse, is a chronicle of my father’s deterioration into the abyss of severe cognitive impairment. This was the consequence of Alzheimer’s and resulted in his subsequent abuse and exploitation by neighbors in Walterboro, South Carolina. 

Dad’s tragic decline took years. It was heartbreaking to see a robust and vibrant man once captivated by his love for animals and nature become apathetic, depressed and withdrawn.

Writing Paradise Costs took ten years to complete. It was a stressful marathon filled with agonizing memories, requiring intense focus while processing deep sorrow. Most of my time was spent indoors in front of my computer. I’ve attributed some health issues to the stress and, recently, I was diagnosed as a possible diabetic.

Over the course of this past year, I developed severe and crippling pain in my shoulder, rib cage, chest and foot. I felt weak and exhausted all the time no matter how much rest I got. I was unable to concentrate, was unsteady on my feet and unable to make decisions. I felt overwhelmed and anxious over slight matters and somewhat immobilized.

My internist, a wonderful man (and a consultant for Paradise Costs),was looking towards a diagnosis of diabetes, especially, since my Dad was insulin dependent. However, under his supervision, I went on a crash diet and lost over 20 lbs. Fortunately, he diagnosed me as glucose intolerant rather than diabetic.

My glucose numbers were not extremely high. But, rather, they jumped around with great sensitivity to what time I ate, how I slept, the amount of pain I had, stress, etc. The numbers did not follow a pattern and, ultimately, were low enough for my internist to conclude that I needed no medication for diabetes but rather very careful monitoring of carbohydrate and glucose consumption.Exercise was advised but that was tough for me because I was feeling so weak.

Because of a blood issue I have and my hematologist’s orders, I had stopped taking a multi-vitamin years ago. Though I recently asked her again about vitamins, she was adamant. My body is making too many red blood cells and its thought that vitamins would stimulate my bone marrow to produce even more of them.

However, with this new diagnosis of glucose intolerance limiting what I could eat, some vague yet alarming red flags were swirling around my head and I was struggling with them. While somewhat immobilized and beleaguered, I started to wonder if I could be properly nourished since I could not eat fruit, drink a glass of orange juice, have a white potato, etc. How could I consume enough vitamins and minerals to stay healthy now?

I started thinking about the trace minerals I was doing without. I wondered about Vitamin C and my immune system because it seemed that all this pain had started around Christmas last year when I came down with a fever and stayed sick for months. During this time, the symptoms mentioned earlier seemed to be getting worse.

I was struggling to string this together but really, cognitively, I was not sure I was the person I once was. I justified it saying, “Well, none of us are who we used to be.” A couple of my friends seemed to be saying the same things, too, and feeling somewhat like me. More justification came with our saying “we’re all aging.”

Then one friend reported that he had been diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency. Once a gal pal was diagnosed with the same shortly after, I hit the Internet running. What I saw online horrified me for I was described perfectly in the pages of symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. It explained so much. I called my internist who said, “Most people are D deficient so you probably will be too. We’ll check.” 

He was shocked at the result and stated he never saw a vitamin D level so low. The normal range of vitamin D in the blood is 30-74. Mine was NINE! The Net said this level of vitamin D deficiency is dangerous.

Vitamin D deficiency is a contributing factor in diabetes and glucose intolerance. It’s thought to help safe guard us against breast, bladder and colon cancer. Deficiency of vitamin D causes body pain, weakness, cognitive impairment, confusion, brittle bones, exhaustion, more.

Vitamin D’s presence in the blood stream regulates the absorption of calcium (a lack of calcium causes osteoporosis, etc.) in the body and my doctor told me my calcium number was high.

The Net says calcium cannot be absorbed without vitamin D and that any slight deviance from the normal calcium range could change someone’s personality both emotionally and cognitively. It pointed out that magnesium was critical to the absorption of both vitamin D and calcium as well.

After only three and a-half weeks of vitamin D therapy, the pain I wrestled with for months was reduced by about 60%. The confusion and lethargy lifted somewhat, I felt more cognitively aware and I started to return to who I was. My glucose numbers came down, too. Finally, I was well enough to start walking without feeling faint.

On an outing with a childhood friend, I remarked, “Imagine what could have happened to me had I fallen and broken a hip, landed in a nursing home, and lost ability to make cogent decisions for myself all because of a vitamin deficiency.”

It’s too easy to look at the changes in oneself and dismiss them as simple aging. It’s more difficult to stay informed and active in the information loop. As we age, our nutritional needs change and, certainly, anyone who is bedridden or a shut-in needs more careful medical supervision and monitoring.

Your physician’s assistance and support is critical. Doctors know a lot but they don’t know everything and, usually, they’re the first ones to admit it. Certainly, mine did.

Our healthcare system has dramatically reduced the quality of medical care. Doctors spend too much of their very valuable time complying with insurance company mandates and doing paperwork rather than practicing the art and science of medicine which they love and have dedicated their lives to.

We, as patients, must remain pro-active and do our homework in partnering with our doctors. With the state of our health care system in shambles and it failing us all, both doctors and patients need to work together as a team.

Please find an informed advocate to help you navigate the system, if possible, and, remember, nutrition is a science. Please discuss your nutritional needs with your physician and ask him or her about consulting with a nutritionist. Many insurance companies will pay for this care.

Question….do you get 15 minutes of sunlight every single day? If not, please ask your doctor for the blood test as soon as possible for you may be vitamin D deficient.

Irene A. Masiello is the author of Paradise Costs, A Victim’s Daughter Fights Back against Elder Abuse, www.ParadiseCosts.com, afterword by Bennett Blum, MD, www.BennettBlumMD.com, and proprietor of Kayla Grace Designs affordable handmade jewelry especially created for baby-boomers see:www.etsy.com/shop/kaylagracedesigns. PLEASE NOTE: The above article is not a replacement for the care of your licensed healthcare professional. Please consult your physician for all your healthcare needs. © Copyright, June 2011, Irene A. Masiello, All rights reserved. Do not reprint without permission of the author. Reach her at irenemasiello@msn.com.

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Seniors Health: Are You Cognitively Impaired or Vitamin Deficient?

Are you Cognitively Impaired or Vitamin Deficient?
 
by Irene A. Masiello

Paradise Costs, A Victim’s Daughter Fights Back against Elder Abuse, my book written in 2009, is a chronicle of my father’s deterioration into the abyss of severe cognitive impairment. This was the consequence of Alzheimer’s and resulted in his subsequent abuse, exploitation and, in the opinion of many, his premature death.
 
Dad’s tragic decline took years. It was heartbreaking to see a robust and vibrant man once captivated by his love for animals and nature become apathetic, depressed and withdrawn.
 
Writing Paradise Costs took ten years to complete. It was a stressful marathon filled with agonizing memories, requiring intense focus while processing deep sorrow. Most of my time was spent indoors in front of my computer. I’ve attributed some health issues to the stress and, recently, I was diagnosed as a possible diabetic.
 
Over the course of this past year, I developed severe and crippling pain in my shoulder, rib cage, chest and foot. I felt weak and exhausted all the time no matter how much rest I got. I was unable to concentrate, was unsteady on my feet and unable to make decisions. I felt overwhelmed and anxious over slight matters and somewhat immobilized.
 
My internist, a wonderful man (and a consultant for Paradise Costs), was looking towards a diagnosis of diabetes, especially, since my Dad was insulin dependent. However, under his supervision, I went on a crash diet and lost over 20 lbs. Fortunately, he diagnosed me as glucose intolerant rather than diabetic.
 
My glucose numbers were not extremely high. But, rather, they jumped around with great sensitivity to what time I ate, how I slept, the amount of pain I had, stress, etc. The numbers did not follow a pattern and, ultimately, were low enough for my internist to conclude that I needed no medication for diabetes but rather very careful monitoring of carbohydrate and glucose consumption. Exercise was advised but that was tough for me because I was feeling so weak.
 
Because of a blood issue I have and my hematologist’s orders, I had stopped taking a multi-vitamin years ago. Though I recently asked her again about vitamins, she was adamant. My body is making too many red blood cells and its thought that vitamins would stimulate my bone marrow to produce even more of them.
 
However, with this new diagnosis of glucose intolerance limiting what I could eat, some vague yet alarming red flags were swirling around my head and I was struggling with them. While somewhat immobilized and beleaguered, I started to wonder if I could be properly nourished since I could not eat fruit, drink a glass of orange juice, have a white potato, etc. How could I consume enough vitamins and minerals to stay healthy now?
 
I started thinking about the trace minerals I was doing without. I wondered about Vitamin C and my immune system because it seemed that all this pain had started around Christmas last year when I came down with a fever and stayed sick for months. During this time, the symptoms mentioned earlier seemed to be getting worse.
 
I was struggling to string this together but really, cognitively, I was not sure I was the person I once was. I justified it saying, “Well, none of us are who we used to be.” A couple of my friends seemed to be saying the same things, too, and feeling somewhat like me. More justification came with our saying “we’re all aging.”
 
Then one friend reported that he had been diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency. Once a gal pal was diagnosed with the same shortly after, I hit the Internet running. What I saw online horrified me for I was described perfectly in the pages of symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. It explained so much. I called my internist who said, “Most people are D deficient so you probably will be too. We’ll check.”
 
He was shocked at the result and stated he never saw a vitamin D level so low. The normal range of vitamin D in the blood is 30-74. Mine was NINE! The Net said this level of vitamin D deficiency is dangerous.
 
Vitamin D deficiency is a contributing factor in diabetes and glucose intolerance. It’s thought to help safe guard us against breast, bladder and colon cancer. Deficiency of vitamin D causes body pain, weakness, cognitive impairment, confusion, brittle bones, exhaustion, more.
 
Vitamin D’s presence in the blood stream regulates the absorption of calcium (a lack of calcium causes osteoporosis, etc.) in the body and my doctor told me my calcium number was high.
 
The Net says calcium cannot be absorbed without vitamin D and that any slight deviance from the normal calcium range could change someone’s personality both emotionally and cognitively. It pointed out that magnesium was critical to the absorption of both vitamin D and calcium as well.
 
After only three and a-half weeks of vitamin D therapy, the pain I wrestled with for months was reduced by about 60%. The confusion and lethargy lifted somewhat, I felt more cognitively aware and I started to return to who I was. My glucose numbers came down, too. Finally, I was well enough to start walking without feeling faint.
 
On an outing with a childhood friend, I remarked, “Imagine what could have happened to me had I fallen and broken a hip, landed in a nursing home, and lost ability to make cogent decisions for myself all because of a vitamin deficiency.”
It’s too easy to look at the changes in oneself and dismiss them as simple aging. It’s more difficult to stay informed and active in the information loop. As we age, our nutritional needs change and, certainly, anyone who is bedridden or a shut-in needs more careful medical supervision and monitoring.
 
Your physician’s assistance and support is critical. Doctors know a lot but they don’t know everything and, usually, they’re the first ones to admit it. Certainly, mine did.
 
Our healthcare system has dramatically reduced the quality of medical care. Doctors spend too much of their very valuable time complying with insurance company mandates and doing paperwork rather than practicing the art and science of medicine which they love and have dedicated their lives to.
 
We, as patients, must remain pro-active and do our homework in partnering with our doctors. With the state of our health care system in shambles and it failing us all, both doctors and patients need to work together as a team.
Please find an informed advocate to help you navigate the system, if possible, and, remember, nutrition is a science. Please discuss your nutritional needs with your physician and ask him or her about consulting with a nutritionist. Many insurance companies will pay for this care.
 
Question….do you get 15 minutes of sunlight every single day? If not, please ask your doctor for the blood test as soon as possible for you may be vitamin D deficient.
 
Irene A. Masiello is the author of Paradise Costs, A Victim’s Daughter Fights Back against Elder Abuse, www.ParadiseCosts.com, afterword by Bennett Blum, MD,www.BennettBlumMD.com, a certified holistic 
counselor, stress management consultant and adult educator and proprietor of Kayla Grace Designs 
affordable handmade jewelry especially created for baby-boomers see: www.etsy.com/shop/kaylagracedesigns, http://handmadejewelrybykaylagracedesigns.com/.  The above article is not a replacement for the care 
of your licensed healthcare professional. Please consult your physician for all your healthcare needs. 
© Copyright, June 2011, Irene A. Masiello, all rights reserved, please do not reprint without permission. 
Reach Irene at irenemasiello@msn.com. 
 
Irene A. Masiello 
Author: Paradise Costs- A Victim's Daughter Fights Back Against Elder Abuse 
Afterword by: Bennett Blum, M.D. 
www.ParadiseCosts.com
www.BennettBlumMD.com
Contact:             begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            718.776.5644      end_of_the_skype_highlighting       
"Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has" 
- Margaret Mead 

_______________________________________
This is an important discovery. Please alert you friends or loved ones.
Many thanks to Irene for permission to post her article.

...........    Andrew
______________________________________

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Power of Attorney Theft Underreported, Police Say (CANADA)

Power of attorney theft underreported, police say

Police lay charges after relative cleans out elderly woman's bank account

CBC News

Jul 18, 2011

Police say they've laid their first-ever charge in the case of someone using power of attorney authority to clean out a relative's bank account in Windsor, Ont.

Police visited the home to check on an elderly woman's well being after a personal service worker noticed "inconsistencies" in the home, said Const. Julie Hebert, who works in the Windsor Police force's special victims unit. The worker also felt that the family member, who was also living in the home, was "very abusive" psychologically, she said.

"Then we learned of the huge financial abuse that had been going on," said Hebert. "There's been an arrest and a charge."

Police say power of attorney theft has been in the criminal code for 10 years, but it's extremely difficult to prove.

Power of attorney gives someone the authority to make decisions on a person's medical care or financial affairs in the case of a person who can't make decisions for themselves.

POA often gives one or more individuals access to financial records and bank accounts. Hebert said that kind of access can lead to abuse.

"You'll often find people who are of a limited income all of a sudden buying themselves a new car, a new boat, going to the casino," Hebert said.

Often she said, that means the bank account is drained when it comes time to pay the medical bills.

POA thefts underreported

Hebert's colleague, Const. Sheri Meismer, said its difficult for police to know how prevalent POA thefts have become because the victims are often isolated, and many have health issues that affect cognitive abilities and are ill equipped to make a complaint.

Your stories

Do you have a story of elder abuse or power of attorney theft?

Email us at CBC Windsor.

SOURCE:   CBC.ca
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State Resources to Vet Caregivers Underutilized (USA)

State resources to vet caregivers underutilized

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jul 19, 2011

PORTLAND — Private care­givers who help the elderly are not subject to background checks or oversight, and officials concede that government resources to help vet them are largely unused.

The state Department of Human Services reports that there were 2,350 cases of abuse involving elderly people living at home last year. Elder abuse can take the form of physical or sexual attack, although it’s more common that vulnerable seniors and their families become victims of fraud and theft.

“It’s a common misconception that if someone holds themselves out to be a caregiver they must have been checked by someone, somewhere. When, in fact, they have not,” said Jeff Lesowski, a senior deputy district attorney in Washington County.

State law requires background checks for caregivers paid through Medicaid or other public programs, but not for those who are paid privately. State and local agencies offer training, background checks and help with aging spouses or relatives. But officials say that most people aren’t aware of those government resources and often turn to online classifieds such as craigslist.com in search of caregivers.

Decisions about a senior’s care are often made during times of high stress or medical crisis, and there’s often little time to investigate all the options.

State research found that Oregonians tend to look to their doctor for advice about an aging relative.

“The doctor knows about acute care, such as nursing homes, but is usually not schooled in the whole network of social services,” said Elaine Young, a program manager with the state’s Seniors and People with Disabilities Division.

In an effort to help people connect with vetted caregivers and other services for seniors, the Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon launched a searchable website with resources in every county. The Oregon Home Care Commission also offers connection to an online registry of caregivers who have cleared criminal background checks.

Dennis Rolling turned to craigslist.com two years ago when looking for a caregiver for his 80-year-old mother. He found a woman with a “good personality” who “took good care of mom,” he said. But he later discovered that the caregiver was using his mother’s charge account to buy jewelry from a home-shopping network, and other questionable transactions showed up among his mother’s bills.

SOURCE:      The Register Guard
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Scams Targetting the Elderly (USA)

Phishing on the rise, fraud specialists warn

Jul. 18, 2011

Would you give a perfect stranger your Social Security number? How about your credit card number?

Apparently residents and businesses are doing just that in phishing scams that fraud-prevention advocates say are becoming more prevalent.

“Phishing is an attempt to acquire personal information such as Social Security, Medicare and credit card numbers as well as user names and passwords by pretending to be a trustworthy and known entity such as a bank,” said Janet Caffo, Ulster County consumer affairs director.

In a July newsletter, the Ulster County Consumer Fraud Bureau reported a spike in the number of reports of phishing attempts.

Scams can come in the form of phone calls, emails and texts, Caffo said, often cleverly devised so solicitors appear as if they are calling about an existing relationship or business account.

In 2010, the Ulster County Consumer Fraud Bureau processed 43 complaints. In the first 6 1/2 months of this year, it has had 31.

Identity theft-related crimes, including phishing scams by email, were the third-most common complaint reported to the FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov) in 2010, said Austin Berglas, coordinating supervisory special agent of the FBI’s New York Field Office Cyber Branch.

Of more than 303,000 complaints received by the FBI’s clearinghouse in 2010, about 30,000 related to identity theft, he said.

“Con artists make cold calls to businesses and ask the person answering the phone to confirm the address and telephone number, claiming to be calling to verify the company’s listing in the yellow pages or a similar business directory,” Caffo said, referring to a recent business directory scam.

Callers then fire off a rapid series of questions, sometimes sliding in a confusing reference to the cost of a listing. They may tape-record the conversation in order to later “prove” the business authorized the service.

“It works because fraudsters convince people picking up the phone that they’re just verifying information,” Caffo said. “But what they’re trying to do is sell you questionable goods and services.”

Other types of scams come in electronic form.

“The most egregious phishing scams are the ones that come through emails,” she said. “Scammers pose as your bank and they direct you to another link through the email. They’ll say there’s a problem with your account and they need to verify your info, please click on the link below.”

Caffo said banks and other major institutions do not obtain personal information by means of email.

“Your bank will never, ever redirect to a link in an email,” she said. “They already have your information. The government will never, ever ask for your Social Security card number because they already have it.”

If scam artists do get a hold of your personal information, she said, they can then use it to establish credit and take out loans in your name.

“As our society has become more sophisticated, scamming methods have become more sophisticated,” said Edward Whitesell, chief of the Special Investigations Bureau for the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office. “Four to five years ago, computer scams tended to come from Canada or African countries. The average person could get past them. Now, you can digitally send voice over the Internet, and phone numbers can appear local when they’re not.”

With email and other technology, scammers are able to cast wide nets when searching for potential victims, Whitesell said.

One scam that has garnered recent, local attention targets the older population.

The “Grandparent Scam,” as it is known, involves callers posing as grandchildren, in need of financial help, requesting that victims wire them money right away. The elderly can be especially vulnerable to these types of schemes, said Alice Mann, a founder and coordinator of the Coalition on Elder Abuse in Dutchess County.

“I think they’re at greater risk because they’re often isolated,” she said. “They may not be interacting with many people, they may be housebound, they may lack transportation. Sometimes, there are cognitive difficulties. There are a variety of reasons for this — medications, for example, or mental health issues like dementia.”

When the elderly are victimized in scams, Mann said, it often goes unreported. 
“There’s often concern that if they tell anyone they’ll be perceived as no longer able to handle their own finances,” Mann said.

In fact, one of the most common forms of elder abuse is financial, said Caffo, who also leads the Ulster County Coalition of Agencies on Elder Abuse.

She advised taking a firm stance when dealing with unsolicited phone calls.

“Do not be afraid to be rude,” she said.

If you have been asked to provide personal or business information over the phone, the Ulster County Consumer Fraud Bureau advises to ask callers where they are calling from and then obtain the organization’s number from directory assistance or by looking in the phone book.

The agency warns residents not to rely on contact information provided by the caller.
“It pays to be skeptical,” Caffo said.

SOURCE:     The Poughkeepsie Journal
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Why Caregivers of the Elderly Need Background Checks (USA)

Story Serves as Cautionary Tale Showing Why Caregivers of the Elderly Need Background Checks

July 19, 2011

By Tom Ahearn, ESR News Editor

A recent news story from ‘The Oregonian’ described as “a cautionary tale for baby boomers needing help with their aging parents” shows why background checks are a good idea when hiring caregivers for the elderly. In the story – ‘Oregon couple finds caregiver they hired to take care of elderly mom had criminal record’ – a man suspicious of the woman he hired to care for his 92-year-old mother-in-law visited a County Courthouse and discovered the caregiver had been convicted of criminal mistreatment of an elderly person and had a record of felony theft convictions stretching back to 1976.

The Oregonian reports that the man and his wife hired a caregiver in 2009 to care for the wife’s mother. The caregiver came highly recommended by an old friend so they didn’t check if the woman had a criminal record. After the caregiver said she needed some time to care for a sick sister in San Diego, the couple was shocked to find out that the caregiver was not in San Diego but had spent 90 days in the Washington County jail as a result of a 2010 conviction. Though out on probation, she had been prohibited from working for any elderly or dependent person under a judge’s order.

According to state Department of Human Services, there were 2,350 abuse cases in 2010 involving elderly living at home in Oregon, with the most common form of elder abuse taking the form of vulnerable seniors and their families falling victim to fraud and theft. While state law in Oregon requires that caregivers paid through Medicaid or other public programs to undergo background checks, there are no such background check standards for caregivers working for private-pay clients, such as the woman in the Oregonian story.

The Oregonian reports that Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon has launched a website to help Oregonians connect with vetted and trained caregivers and other services. The Oregon Home Care Commission also offers connection to an online registry of caregivers who have cleared criminal background checks and operates a registry of roughly 17,000 home health care workers who have cleared a criminal background check. For more information, call toll-free:             1-877-867-0077 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            1-877-867-0077      end_of_the_skype_highlighting      .

Employment Screening Resources (ESR), a nationwide background check provider accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), offers the ESR Home Health Care Check and will soon launch ScreenedCargegiver.com, a new service specializing in background check services for Home Health workers and In-Home Caregivers to help protect vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with special needs against the hiring of dishonest, unqualified, or dangerous workers.

 For information about background checks, visit Employment Screening Resources (ESR) at http://www.ESRcheck.com.

SOURCE:     The Oregon Live
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Couple Face Felonies in Elder Abuse Case

Gloucester couple face felonies in elder-abuse case

Jury trials scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday

July 10, 2011

By Dan Parsons

Two juries this week will decide whether two Cappahosic residents are responsible for the neglect and abuse of an elderly relative that died while in their care.

Erick Wilson, 48, is scheduled to answer one felony count of abuse involving the incapacitation of an adult causing injury on Tuesday in Gloucester County Circuit Court.

He is charged along with Gigi Garner, 44, in connection with the death of Regina Wynn, Wilson's 87-year-old aunt, who died in September.

Garner is scheduled to stand trial two days later on July 14. Both trials are to be decided by juries and both are scheduled for a single day, according to court records.

Wynn had been in her nephew's care since he checked her out of Walter Reed Convalescent Center the previous December.

She left the facility in good health, though she suffered from dementia and was being fed through a stomach tube. She was not able to care for her herself, nor was she able to make decisions for her own care, Barbara Lee Williams, a nurse practitioner at Walter Reed, testified at a preliminary hearing in February.

Matthew Steverson, a nurse at St. Mary's Hospital of Richmond, testified at the hearing that he noticed a very strong odor emanating from Wynn when he found her in Wilson's car the morning of Aug. 6. Wilson had driven Wynn to the hospital in Richmond, more than 70 miles from his home.

Wynn had plate-size bedsores where her flesh had rotted to the bone and weighed only 80 pounds when admitted to the hospital in August, according to court documents. She died in September.

SOURCE:    The Daily Press
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Disturbing Video: Seniors' Home Sued for Patient Abuse (Montreal CANADA)

'Fall ... I'm fed up with you': elder abuse alleged

 Disturbing video; seniors' home sued for patient abuse

 By CHARLIE FIDELMAN, Gazette Health Reporter

 July 15, 2011

MONTREAL - A woman is suing a Beloeil seniors' home for neglect after capturing disturbing images that she says document inadequate care and abuse of her husband.

The case is the latest of several highlighting nursing home negligence in the Montreal area.

Guy Courville, 68, moved into Centre d'hébergement Champlain des Pommetiers, a private nursing home, in June 2010. He has dementia and Parkinson's disease.

Nursing staff documented 45 falls in six months.

Worried about his numerous bruises, scrapes and cuts, Jacqueline Rioux complained to the head nurse. But when the home failed to respond to that complaint, Rioux hid a camera in his room.

The videos show malfunctioning alarm equipment, Courville tottering on his feet then falling, as well as nursing staff that refused to help the confused patient and then verbally abused him.

In one sequence, two staff members make inappropriate comments. "Fall, fall - go ahead, hurt yourself and you'll end up in the hospital; I'm fed up with you."

In another scene, one aide throws Courville's helmet on the floor - the same helmet that's supposed to protect him during falls.

"Fine then, do it yourself. Stay that way, I'm not looking after you," the woman says.

This week, Rioux and her lawyer, Jean-Pierre Ménard, filed documents in Quebec Superior Court suing the home and two doctors for $91,000.

"This situation is unacceptable and should not reoccur," Ménard said.

The only way to stop this kind of abuse is to put it out there in the media, Ménard added.

The suit alleges Courville was erroneously prescribed two medications for epilepsy - which he took for six months - and that increased his trembling, unsteadiness and risk of falling.

Rioux said her husband never had a medical visit by a doctor during the six months the video was installed.

An alarm rigged to his mattress to signal each time he left his bed malfunctioned. It failed to ring or went off when he sat on the bed.

Rioux said she found it disturbing to see nursing staff blame a patient with dementia for his mental confusion.

Dementia affects mental functions including memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behaviour.

"It's unbelievable. It shows what shouldn't be done," Rioux told The Gazette.

"Those who work there have to understand that the patients are there because they are sick."

Ménard and Rioux are demanding better government regulation of nursing homes and are calling on the provincial physician's board, the Collège de médecins, to draw up clinical guidelines concerning falls and prescriptions to increase physicians' awareness of a vulnerable patient population.

Nursing home director Anne Beauchamp called the video images disturbing and unacceptable, and said the case was likely an isolated incident.

The home got a copy of the video Wednesday, the workers in the incident have been identified and the matter is under investigation, she told The Gazette.

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

SOURCE:    The Montreal Gazette
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Elder Abuse: No Justice (Tas. AUSTRALIA)

Elder Abuse: Case Closed and Buried (Australia)            

My associates and I are saddened by the news of the passing of M yesterday, in Launceston, Tasmania Australia.

M was ‘victimized’ by bureaucracy because of her inability to express herself in English.

As a resident of Australia for many years, one would have thought that what she had experienced at the hands of Organizations that were supposed to protect her.

According to our records, her case was brought to my attention a few years ago. M protested against a Guardianship ruling that she was ‘Demented’. She was placed under the ‘protection’ of the government through a guardianship decision. Her finances were taken over by ‘Public Trustees’.

I have viewed copies of medical specialists’ reports that M was not demented. 

More frightening for all seniors, is the ability of government appointed organizations taking over one’s life; even if you protested through help of willing, trusted friends.

Questions we need to ask of that State government:

1.   Why was her protests and assertions that part of her collection of gold coins had disappeared, were not looked into.

2.   Why was a second medical report on her capacity to manage her own affairs, denied?

3.   Why were details of her financial situation, not reported to her regularly?

4.   Why were people who spoke up for her; threatened with imprisonment?

Where is the Elder Abuse Strategy of the state government, when it came to the protection of this elderly woman.

Yes, we have been holding our breathes; waiting for some answers.

NO SUCH LUCK. THE VICTIM HAS DIED.

CASE CLOSED. ………..  NEXT CASE, PLEASE?

Before we get threats of imprisonment..... Please note that a close friend of M has boxes and boxes of documents on this case. She is worn out by the threats and harassment, when she was fighting for M. But, I'm sure she would be too happy to pass it over to someone genuinely seeking the truth of this case. 

 Cases like this does not happened in a rich, developed country like Australia?

Don’t kid yourself.

.............. Andrew




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Elder Abuse Laws Rejected (TAS. AUSTRALIA)

Elder abuse laws rejected

CHARLES WATERHOUSE

  July 13, 2011

THE Tasmanian Government has ruled out introducing elder abuse laws.

A northern Tasmanian municipal council wanted the State Government to change laws to specifically cover prosecuting people who committed crimes against older people, to deter abuse of the elderly.

West Tamar Council is raising the issue as a motion at the Local Government Association of Tasmania's annual conference, which starts next Wednesday.

The council says reports of abuse of older people in the community are sickening and appalling.

The council wants to have included in the aggravated assault section of the Police Offences Act a specific identification to people over the age of 60, just like previous legislation had to people aged under 14, or females.

The State Government says it already has legislation to prosecute offenders and it had an elder abuse strategy that addressed the abuse of the elderly.

SOURCE:    The Mercury
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Where is the proof that the Elder Abuse Strategy of the State Government is working? We have been following a case in Launceston for awhile now. The lady in question is very ill. Her case has been ignored by the organisations that were supposed to have looked after her. 


Advocates for rights of the vulnerable Elderly are sick of political rhetoric that
look good on paper; but does not do the job. 


May be the Government in question, need a Royal Commission to look into it (to buy more time).


Whether any strategy works or not, depends on the result NOT the dismissive, political statement to the media.


........................ Andrew


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