Dr. Caliendo called me at 5:15 AM PST and we had a thirty-five minute conversation.

I gave him permission to administer Zyprexa to try to stabilize mom. I tried to give him a history of mom’s medical and psychological issues, but he made it clear that he was spending much too long on the phone with me. I noted that mom was / had been competent to live alone right up until she was admitted to Stewart-Marchman and he started her on the Aricept and / or the Namenda, and that I was concerned about the fact that he seemed to be keeping her on a “drug cocktail” that seemed to be making her worse every day and not better.

Dr. Caliendo apologized for frequently forgetting to call me, despite my repeated message for him. He blamed it on being “an old man” and the time zone difference.

He said that he decided to transfer mom to Halifax from Stewart-Marchman because he wanted to rule out any potential “medical” reasons for her dementia. Dr. Caliendo said I needed to face the fact that she was “incurable”.

Update: At about 5:00 PM PST I received a packet from Halifax via USPS containing a guide book detailing what it meant to be a Guardian Advocate. There was also a written test included which I was instructed to complete and return to the hospital to prove that I was competent to make decisions about mom’s care.