Kathleen A. Gagne

Kathie Gagne died 4,703 days ago.

March 1st, 2012 @ 10:16 am

About six months before mom died, my friend’s father-in-law wrote me a very nice email offering some of his contacts to potentially help us navigate the process of dealing with Medicaid and nursing homes, etc.

From: [redacted]
To: Gagne, David
Subject: RE: Questions for Monday
Sent: March 1, 2012 1:16 PM EST

David: I’m sorry I haven’t been any help to you up to this moment, but I’m hoping to change that. … [redacted] …

With that now behind me, hopefully now I can provide some guidance. There is an attorney friend of mine, [redacted], who is an elder care attorney and who can provide general guidance regarding senior related matters. She is NOT familiar with the options in Daytona Beach, but IS very knowledgeable in structuring POA’s and those kind of issues. She used to live in [redacted], now lives in [redacted], but keeps her practice active in [redacted] by traveling here a couple of times a month. Her telephone # is cell [redacted]. Her [redacted] office # is [redacted]. IF you do call her, mention my name, tell her you’re a friend of my daughter and she’ll be ecstatic to talk with you. At some point the meter will be turned on, but I’m sure prior to that she can give you enough
initial information to see IF she’s helpful to you.

On to the nursing home question. [redacted] talked with [redacted] this morning and she passed word on to me that you mom doesn’t have a mental health diagnosis, rather a dementia diagnosis. That’s good. Most nursing homes in that area (depending on their occupancy) would accept Medicaid applied medicaid patients, and that sounds like your mom would meet that qualification. (Incidentally, [redacted] can also speak fluently on all of the Medicaid questions you might have. But additionally, I have a person on staff who knows all the ins and outs of Medicaid qualifications so you
can contact her by calling [redacted] at [redacted]. Just let her that you and I are friends and I suggested that you call her. She can give you a lot of Medicaid information at absolutely no cost.

Let’s start with that. Hope this is helpful. Then, when your mom is ready for nursing home placement, I know a lot of operators in the business so hopefully I can find someone who will give us a willing ear and will help out. It’s worth a try.

-[redacted]

Re: Treatment Team Meeting 2.28.12

February 29th, 2012 @ 4:56 pm

Late on February 29th, 2012, my friend’s wife replied to my frustrated email about administrators at Halifax Hospital suddenly wanting to discharge mom without having a good option of where she should go:

From: [redacted]
To: Gagne, David
Subject: Re: Treatment Team Meeting 2.28.12
Sent: February 29, 2012 7:56 PM ET

Any way you could get down there Friday for a few days? Attend that meeting and help mom find placement? [redacted] … wanted me to reassure you that he hasn’t forgotten about you. He brought home his contact list for nursing home/ ALF contacts in Daytona. I’m sure he’ll be in touch with you soon once he’s made some phone calls. He also said that he has some names of Elder Care lawyers that he works with if you need one.
Do you know if Jenny has tried any of my suggestions of activities to try with your mom?
Was she able to take a picture of your mom for you ?
I think you’re correct that they’re trying to get rid of your mom (but I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner). I really think it would be wise for you “make face” with the hospital (where she’s leaving and where she’ll be going). You, not Jenny, really need to be present to make those decisions. It would probably make mom feel safer and you’ll be glad you were there for her.
Keep me posted! Xoxo

I replied a few hours later:

From: Gagne, David
To: [redacted]
Subject: Re: Treatment Team Meeting 2.28.12
Sent: March 1, 2011 10:41 PM PT

Hey [redacted],

Well, a quick check shows that the cheapest I could get a round-trip plane ticket for tomorrow would be $708, so that’s not really a viable option. They’re going to conference call me into the 8:30am meeting on Friday, though, and Jenny will be there. I think it’s more than a little inconsiderate that they’re having this meeting so early when they know full well that I am on the west coast and it means it will be 5:30am for me. I’m going to call tomorrow to see if I can convince them to make it later in the morning. (I know it is a huge HUGE favor to ask, but is there any chance at all of you joining the call? Even if it’s just to listen? I will gladly call you if you can.)

I’m sorry to hear about [redacted] … I very much appreciate that he was thinking about me during what is no doubt a stressful time for him; I *had* been a little disheartened that I hadn’t heard from him. Yes, I would be grateful for the contact information for any elder care lawyers he knows.

[redacted] also called and left me a voice mail tonight — I was busy with [redacted] and couldn’t answer the phone! — saying that he might be able to get me in touch with some lawyers through his company, maybe even some that do pro bono work.

By now you’ve probably received the email from Jenny about her experiences with mom since you suggested ways to keep mom connected. Yes, she was able to get me two photos of my mom. She looks horrible, although I can’t say I’m very surprised.

I know you’re right about me being there so all of the social workers and doctors can at least put a face to the name and voice on the phone. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how complicated everything is when you have an 18-month old in the mix, though. I’m going to talk to [redacted] about going to Florida as soon as I can.

Right now I think Jenny is (justifiably) petrified that Halifax is just going to ramrod my mom’s discharge through the system and she is going to be dumped into a facility even less qualified to give her the care and support she needs. As much as I would like to dream about her making some sort of recovery — because I firmly believe that all hope is not lost for a return to some bearable level of functionality — at this point we are simply worried about her physical *and* psychological health not getting any more damaged because of the complete lack of any efforts of rehabilitation and the claustrophobic, sterile, and boring environment where she’s trapped now.

Again, my heart is filled with gratitude to you and [redacted] and [redacted]. Just knowing that there is anyone that cares makes a profound difference.

David Vincent Gagne

Chamberlin Edmonds

February 29th, 2012 @ 2:17 pm

I called and spoke to Maryann at Chamberlin Edmonds. We talked for twenty-seven minutes. Here are my notes from the call:

1417
called Maryann at ChamberlainEdmunds. They are a national company with offices in many hospitals; said their mission is to “help people with little or no health insurance.” Maryann was very nice. She said Connie ¹ told her to talk to [my sister].
Maryann said that on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 (yesterday) she was told that mom has health insurance through ACT, which is some sort of Volusia County program

¹ Constance “Connie” Wade, a social worker at Halifax Hospital

A Request for a Phone Call

February 29th, 2012 @ 2:11 pm

Here is a voice mail I just received:

“Mr. Gagne, this is Marilyn at Halifax in Daytona. I just gave [name redacted] a call to see if she could join us in a meeting on Friday, this Friday, eight-thirty in the morning, ¹ to discuss the Medicaid application and that kind of thing that is gonna impact on her placement possibilities, her finances in essence and she said that she wanted me to give you a call and just run this by you because she didn’t wanna come without you saying that it is fine. So if you could give [name redacted] a call and y’know just tell her I guess tell her it’s okay to come and if you have any questions that I might be able to answer I’ll be here tomorrow. Thursday in the morning I’m in court but tomorrow afternoon (386) 254-4080. Thanks so much. Bye.”

I immediately returned her call — and I mean within fifteen seconds of missing the phone ring — but I was told she’d already left the building.

¹ That would be five-thirty in the morning for me in Los Angeles.

The Halifax Psychiatric Center

February 29th, 2012 @ 2:18 am

This is an email I sent to a friend of mine.

From: Gagne, David
To: [redacted]
Subject: Fwd: Treatment Team Meeting 2.28.12
Sent: February 29, 2012 2:18 AM ET

Hey [redacted],

This is an email (see below) I received from my sister summarizing what was discussed at Monday’s treatment team meeting.

I find it absurd that all of a sudden they seem to be so concerned with getting mom moved out of the Halifax Psychiatric Center. I’m also decidedly opposed to the idea of her being put into Lakewood. [My wife]’s mom visited Lakewood for me a few weeks ago and was not impressed at all. And — worse than that — before I knew anything about the place I tried multiple times to contact them and their phones weren’t working. When I finally was able to talk to the administrator there — a woman named Maria who sounded disorganized and incompetent — she made many excuses about their phone system and was terribly unprofessional. It also bothers me that now representatives from Halifax Psychiatric are pushing this Lakewood place on us; the people at Stewart-Marchman were doing the same thing. I really think that there may be some under-the-table financial incentive involved with that place, that’s how shady I think it is.

My sister told me that someone from Chamberlain Edmonds http://www.chamberlinedmonds.com/ called her out of the blue on Monday to discuss my mom’s lack of insurance and possible Medicaid issues. My sister was unfortunately very vague about the details of the call. (Their website does not seem to portray them as any place that you go for help, though; it seems like a service a hospital or insurance company would use to get money from patients.)

Apparently we are supposed to have a conference call with Connie Wade — the “social worker” there — and Dr. Caliendo this Friday morning in which my sister thinks they are going to put pressure on us to get mom out of there.

I’m pretty upset about the fact that they are trying to do this stuff through my sister instead of dealing with me. I know it’s only because they know they can push her around and that I will ask too many questions and be “difficult” and it really, really makes me angry. I’ve told my sister repeatedly — and Halifax Psychiatric Center even forced me to take a silly written test to confirm! — that I alone, as her official Guardian Advocate, am supposed to be the one allowed to represent my mother. But, of course, they don’t particularly seem to care about that.

I am very nervous about this phone call we’re supposed to have on Friday. I have no idea what to expect and I hate that.

Thank you so, so, so much for any help you can provide,
dvg

David Vincent Gagne

Treatment Team Meeting 2.28.12

February 28th, 2012 @ 10:28 pm

My sister just sent me this email:

Hey, David.

This is a brief rundown of what I got out of the meeting. (I am not agreeing with all of it, just telling you what I heard them saying.) I am also working on a journal of my visits. I will send you that once I finish copying it out of the notebook.

Diagnosis is “Dementia“. They did not specify a kind; they just kept saying “dementia”.

Evaluated by 2 psychiatrists

Received a Mental Status Exam

Verified by a neurologist who met with Mom and looked at her MRI upon arriving at Halifax

Some of her symptoms are wandering, terrible anxiety, sometimes she thinks she is in another time (looking for Nana and Papa or talking about going to school)

Dr. Caliendo, Marilyn, and Connie again stated that they believe this is Mom’s best level of functioning

Connie said that if we are not interested in Lakewood, she needs to receive the names of some alternative placements

Mom needs to be moved because she will do better elsewhere

When the Medicaid is approved, that is going to be the catalyst to getting her out

ALFs are looking at behavior control. If she looks manageable, they will take her. This was the reasoning for the meds she is on.

Hank was the one who arranged for the photo to be taken.

The places I have visited are:

Grace Manor
http://www.gracemanorportorange.com/

They might be willing to work out a short-term stay plan. It was very nice, and I liked the admissions director, Jessica.

and

Emeritus
http://www.emeritus.com/florida/port-orange/emeritus-port-orange

I forwarded the email I received from them. Dustin is the one with whom I spoke. He said it would be $1900 for the room and regular amenities, and Medicaid should cover the additional services. He said they might be able to work something out to lower the $1900.

I also went to another place called Coastal, but it was expensive, loud, and unpleasant.

Summary

February 27th, 2012 @ 11:52 am

Early in the morning on February 27th, 2012 I forwarded this email to a friend of mine who asked how things were going with mom. I had originally sent it to someone else, but it was a good summary of what was happening and he said he might know someone who could give me advice.

From: Gagne, David
To: [redacted]
Subject: Fwd: My Mom
Sent: February 27, 2012 11:52 AM EDT

To Whom It May Concern,

Here is a summary of the details I have regarding my mother right now. I’ve included a very basic timeline at the end. I have taken extensive notes during every phone call I’ve had with anyone regarding my mother — every nurse, doctor, social worker, etc. — since she was admitted to Stewart-Marchman Act at the beginning of December 2011, so there are a million more details I can provide. (I have called and talked to someone, anyone — a nurse or social worker or someone working for the state of Florida ElderSource program — at least twice every day for three months now, so there are a lot of notes.) But this basic outline should provide enough information for anyone to understand the current situation.

Right now my mother is not receiving any rehabilitative therapy at all. She is simply being medicated into a stupor and is being held at the Halifax Hospital Psychiatric Center. Several people in the medical profession have told me that this should be considered unacceptable; that if she has been diagnosed with dementia she should be receiving rehabilitative care and she should no longer be in a hospital.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for any help you can possibly give us.

Thank you,
David

——————————————————
(1) Personal Information
——————————————————

Full Name: KATHLEEN ANNE GAGNE
Also Known As: “KATHIE” GAGNE
Maiden Name: ALBANESE
DOB: 09/22/1948
SS#: [redacted]

——————————————————
(2) Current Contact Information
——————————————————

My mother is at:
Halifax Psychiatric Center, Unit 2500
303 N CLYDE MORRIS BLVD
DAYTONA BEACH FL 32114
(386) 254-4080

I can be reached at:
David Vincent Gagne
[redacted]
dvg@davidgagne.net

——————————————————
(3) Medication
——————————————————

Here are, to the best of my knowledge, the drugs my mother is currently being administered:

HALDOL — 2mg/2x/day since 2/6/12
NAMENDA — 5mg/2x/day since 1/25/12
ZYPREXA — 5mg at bedtime since 2/6/12
ARICEPT — 10mg in the morning since 1/26/12
BENADRYL — 2x/day
LOPRESSOR — 25mg/2x/day
PRENAVIL — 10mg/2x/day
HCT2 — 12.5mg in the morning

Just today (Thursday, February 23, 2012) my sister told me that they are going to discontinue the Benadryl starting tomorrow in an effort to minimize how sedated she is constantly for the last few weeks.
I know that some of these drugs are prescribed for high blood pressure.

——————————————————
(4) Doctors and Contacts
——————————————————

Dr. Stephen Oh; psychiatrist – (386) 258-6455
Dr. Dahila Fulop; psychologist – Neurology Associates – (386) 673-2500
Dr. Dannie Buck; internist – (386) 676-0505
Dr. Shoemaker; long-time family doctor – (386) 677-0453
Dr. Caliendo; Halifax Psychiatric Center AND Stewart-Marchman Act – (386) 254-4080
Constance Wade, Social Worker; Halifax Psychiatric Center AND Stewart-Marchman Act – (386) 254-4080
Sophia Mas, Social Worker; Stewart-Marchman Act – (386) 236-3260
Rodney Curtis, discharge coordinator; Stewart-Marchman Act – (386) 236-1729
Delia Mcclain; ElderSource – (904) 391-6600

——————————————————
(5) Financial Information
——————————————————

My mother currently receives $1104.00/mo from Social Security, on or about the fourth Wednesday of the month.
She has been receiving these funds since November 24, 2010.
She has no health insurance or savings account. Her checking account contains less than $100.00.
She has approximately $10,500.00 in a state of Florida pension fund from the time she spent in the early 2000s working for AmeriCorps, where she managed all of north central Florida for years. My sister and I are not really sure how to access this, and there is some question regarding the tax penalties for withdrawing money from it before she turns 65.

——————————————————
(6) Timeline
——————————————————

Here is a timeline of significant events to date:

05/04/2007 – My maternal grandmother died from complications during emergency surgery because she was dropped on the floor by a nurse at Indigo Manor assisted living facility in Port Orange, FL; the nurse “covered up” the accident and for three days my grandmother was in tremendous pain until finally someone realized she had a broken femur that had become infected; My mother has since been (understandably) terrified of being placed in a nursing home.

07/31/2008 – Mom lost her job at AmeriCorps when her position was eliminated (layoffs)

03/2009 – Indigo Manor settled my mother’s lawsuit against them out of court; she and my uncle each received a small amount of money

10/2009 – Mom was in a pretty serious car accident when she mistakenly made a left-turn into oncoming traffic

12/14/2009 – administered CT-Scan and electrocardiogram at Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach, FL; was told that there is nothing at all wrong with her brain

01/20/2010 – the last date I received an email from my mother; she discussed attempting to find free psychiatric counseling because she was scared and nervous about her mental state; from this date forward she seemed to completely forget how to use any electronic devices at all

07/02/2010 – moved into The Park apartment complex because she could no longer afford her prior apartment

08/22/2010 – my son [redacted] was born

11/01/2010 – my sister wrote a letter explaining that my mom was exhibiting short-term memory loss and difficulty executing daily, routine activities

11/09/2010 – Mom and my sister flew to Los Angeles to visit and meet [my son]

11/24/2010 – Mom began receiving $1104.00/mo from Social Security

06/01/2011 – Neurologist Dr. Fulop prescribed 40mg of Citalopram daily; said he wanted to do neuro-cognitive tests to discover extent of dementia

08/18/2011 – Psychiatrist Dr. Oh stated that mom seems markedly less depressed and noted a definite improvement in her cognitive abilities

12/01/2011 – found wandering lost in the apartment complex parking lot; administered CT-Scan at unidentified hospital in Deland, FL; admitted to Stewart-Marchman Act http://smabehavioral.org/

12/??/2011 – first Baker Act hearing

12/08/2011 – requested to speak with Dr. Caliendo; was told he would contact me when he could

12/20/2011 – conference call with Dr. Caliendo and Sophia Mas, social worker at Stewart-Marchman Act; Dr. Caliendo told me that mom has incurable dementia; asked for specific diagnosis and was told “dementia”; Sophia Mas called to say that CT-Scan from 12/01/2011 revealed an “old lacunar infarct of the left thalamus” and “periventricular white matter hypodensities” that were “suggestive of chronic small vessel ischemia”

01/05/2012 – Dr. Caliendo returned from vacation

01/05/2012 – Sophia Mas called to tell me that it was time for mom to “go somewhere else” because there was nothing more they could do for her at Stewart-Marchman Act and they were being pressured by their administration to get her out of there; Sophia Mas told me specifically that she had done all the work necessary to have mom added to the appropriate waiting lists for supplemental Medicaid assistance

01/12/2012 – was informed that Dr. Caliendo agreed to slowly stop administration of Respirdal

01/18/2012 – administration of Respirdal ended

01/19/2012 – Sophia Mas emailed me to apologize and admit that she had NOT done the work necessary to have mom added to Medicaid waiting lists.

01/19/2012 – Rodney Curtis, discharge coordinator at Stewart-Marchman Act, called to say that mom’s condition deteriorated dramatically between 01/16 and 01/19; that she was no longer bathing or dressing herself and not “maintaining hygiene” and that they were transferring her to “Halifax Hospital Geriatric Ward” because no assisted living facility will take her because she can’t bathe or dress herself, and no nursing home will take her because she has no insurance
Rodney asked why she wasn’t receiving Social Security, and I informed him that she was, in fact, receiving Social Security.

01/19/2012 – admitted to Halifax Psychiatric Center in Daytona Beach, FL

01/20/2012 – administered MRI / EEG at Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach, FL; began taking 150mg Wellbutrin once each morning (I was not consulted or informed of this.)

01/20/2012 – first conversation with Constance Wade, social worker at Halifax Psychiatric Center

01/20/2012 – ElderSource in Jacksonville added mom to “assisted living facility waiver” waiting list

01/25/2012 – administration of Wellbutrin ended; was told for the first time that I am the court-appointed Guardian Advocate of my mother

01/26/2012 – another Baker Act hearing

01/30/2012 – third phone call with Dr. Caliendo, who told me he was responsible for having mom transferred from Stewart-Marchman Act to Halifax Psychiatric in order to rule out potential medical reasons for her dementia

01/30/2012 – received Guardian Advocate forms via USPS

02/01/2012 – returned Guardian Advocate forms via USPS

02/14/2012 – Jennifer Gagne, my little sister, arrived in Florida

David Vincent Gagne
http://www.davidgagne.net/
Tweets by davidgagne

RE: My Mom

February 27th, 2012 @ 8:28 am

In the middle of February 2012, I emailed a friend of mine from college with part of the story of what was happening with mom. He replied to me offering to help:

From: [redacted]
To: Gagne, David
Subject: RE: My Mom
Sent: February 27, 2012 11:28 AM ET

Dave – do you mind if I forward your email to a friend who works in the mental health industry? She’s a consultant for the federal government and may have some contacts who can help or have ideas. It’s probably a long shot, but please let me know if it’s ok to give it a try.

I responded immediately:

From: Gagne, David
To: [redacted]
Subject: Re: My Mom
Sent: February 27, 2012 11:45 AM ET

Hey [redacted],

Yeah, sure. It can’t hurt, right? Thanks so much. That’s really cool of you. I seriously appreciate it.

I actually got some form of good news last week. [Redacted] (remember him?) showed the email to his wife, who works at Emory in Atlanta. She is actually in the neuroscience field. For some reason I always thought she worked in orthopedics. She works specifically with people that are dealing with the same sort of brain trauma — small vessel ischemia — that my mom has, and she said that CNN has all sorts of grants and stuff that they give to Emory for research in that area. She said that she was going to look into getting my mom into the program up there or, at the very least, connecting me with people that work on a similar program at UF. She said that there is all sorts of money out there from big pharma and stuff to help people with no insurance, you just have to know how to get to it, and she would help. And, as a crazy bonus, her dad used to be the president (or something) of the ElderCare program in Florida, and he is currently [redacted] in [redacted], so he knows all about navigating the financial aid programs in Florida, so he is going to try to help, too.

Maybe nothing good will come out of any of that, but it was really great to hear from [redacted]’s wife, just to learn that there are people involved that aren’t completely incompetent, uncaring morons.

If your friend can offer any insight into dealing with federal programs — Medicare, Social Security, whatever — that would be tremendous. I don’t know if you’ve ever had to deal with anything like that, but it’s a huge 5hit5how. All of the people you call just forward you to someone else; nobody seems to have any idea who is supposed to be in charge of what. Everything takes forever because of HIPAA regulations. It’s just all a horrible pain, and it’s so frustrating because when you’re dealing with something like this you’re ALREADY probably stressing out like mad and scared and sad and then to spend hours every day on hold with people that don’t believe in email or Google or seem to care at all about their jobs … it just sucks.

So thank you, sincerely. Anything your friend can do to help me is a bonus.

I’ll also email you a copy of a separate email I sent [redacted]’s wife with a bunch of more specific details (medications, who her doctors are, etc.)

Thanks, man.

My Mom

February 24th, 2012 @ 10:28 pm

Near the end of February of 2012, an old and dear friend from college suggested I email his wife and her dad with some details about mom’s condition in the hopes that they might be able to offer some advice.

Here is the email I sent them:

From: Gagne, David
To: [redacted]
Subject: My Mom
Sent: February 24, 2012 10:28 PM PST

Dear [redacted],

Here is a summary of the details I have. I’ve included a very basic timeline at the end. I have taken extensive notes during every phone call I’ve had with anyone regarding my mother — every nurse, doctor, social worker, etc. — since she was admitted to Stewart-Marchman Act at the beginning of December 2011, so there are a million more details I can provide. (I have called and talked to someone, anyone — a nurse or social worker or someone working for the state of Florida ElderSource program — at least twice every day for three months now, so there are a lot of notes.) But this basic outline should provide enough information for anyone to understand the current situation.

I know you recommended that I get a lawyer, and others have suggested that I get “power of attorney” over my mom, but I do not even know where to begin with that. I know several lawyers in California, but none of them specialize in family law, and I would assume that the laws in Florida are wildly different. (I am not even sure if lawyers are allowed to work between states. I know that when I got divorced a decade ago I had to get a lawyer in Florida to handle the case because lawyers in California all told me they would not be able to do anything.) Do you know anyone that I could contact to find a lawyer in Florida? Should I simply Google someone? That seems absurdly inefficient. Any advice you can give me related to that would be welcome.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for any help you can possibly give us. Even if there is nothing more that you can do, simply talking to you tonight has given me hope that everything is not hopeless, and I cannot thank you enough for that.

Thank you,
David

——————————————————
(1) Personal Information
——————————————————

Full Name: KATHLEEN ANNE GAGNE
Also Known As: “KATHIE” GAGNE
Maiden Name: ALBANESE
DOB: 09/22/1948
SS#: [redacted]

——————————————————
(2) Current Contact Information
——————————————————

Halifax Psychiatric Center, Unit 2500
303 N CLYDE MORRIS BLVD
DAYTONA BEACH FL 32114
(386) 254-4080

——————————————————
(3) Medication
——————————————————

Here are, to the best of my knowledge, the drugs my mother is currently being administered:

HALDOL — 2mg/2x/day since 2/6/12
NAMENDA — 5mg/2x/day since 1/25/12
ZYPREXA — 5mg at bedtime since 2/6/12
ARICEPT — 10mg in the morning since 1/26/12
BENADRYL — 2x/day
LOPRESSOR — 25mg/2x/day
PRENAVIL — 10mg/2x/day
HCT2 — 12.5mg in the morning

Just today (Thursday, February 23, 2012) my sister told me that they are going to discontinue the Benadryl starting tomorrow in an effort to minimize how sedated she is constantly for the last few weeks.
I know that some of these drugs are prescribed for high blood pressure.

——————————————————
(4) Doctors and Contacts
——————————————————

Dr. Stephen Oh; psychiatrist – (386) 258-6455
Dr. Dahila Fulop; psychologist – Neurology Associates – (386) 673-2500
Dr. Dannie Buck; internist – (386) 676-0505
Dr. Shoemaker; long-time family doctor – (386) 677-0453
Dr. Caliendo; Halifax Psychiatric Center AND Stewart-Marchman Act – (386) 254-4080
Constance Wade, Social Worker; Halifax Psychiatric Center AND Stewart-Marchman Act – (386) 254-4080
Sophia Mas, Social Worker; Stewart-Marchman Act – (386) 236-3260
Rodney Curtis, discharge coordinator; Stewart-Marchman Act – (386) 236-1729
Delia Mcclain; ElderSource – (904) 391-6600

——————————————————
(5) Financial Information
——————————————————

My mother currently receives $1104.00/mo from Social Security, on or about the fourth Wednesday of the month.
She has been receiving these funds since November 24, 2010.
She has no health insurance or savings account. Her checking account contains less than $100.00.
She has approximately $10,500.00 in a state of Florida pension fund from the time she spent in the early 2000s working for AmeriCorps, where she managed all of north central Florida for years. My sister and I are not really sure how to access this, and there is some question regarding the tax penalties for withdrawing money from it before she turns 65.

——————————————————
(6) Timeline
——————————————————

Here is a timeline of significant events to date:

05/04/2007 – My maternal grandmother died from complications during emergency surgery because she was dropped on the floor by a nurse at Indigo Manor assisted living facility in Port Orange, FL; the nurse “covered up” the accident and for three days my grandmother was in tremendous pain until finally someone realized she had a broken femur that had become infected; My mother has since been (understandably) terrified of being placed in a nursing home.

07/31/2008 – Mom lost her job at AmeriCorps when her position was eliminated (layoffs)

03/2009 – Indigo Manor settled my mother’s lawsuit against them out of court; she and my uncle each received a negligible amount of money

10/2009 – Mom was in a pretty serious car accident when she mistakenly made a left-turn into oncoming traffic

12/14/2009 – administered CT-Scan and electrocardiogram at Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach, FL; was told that there is nothing at all wrong with her brain

01/20/2010 – the last date I received an email from my mother; she discussed attempting to find free psychiatric counseling because she was scared and nervous about her mental state; from this date forward she seemed to completely forget how to use any electronic devices at all

07/02/2010 – moved into The Park apartment complex

08/22/2010 – my son [redacted] was born

11/01/2010 – my sister wrote a letter explaining that my mom was exhibiting short-term memory loss and difficulty executing daily, routine activities

11/09/2010 – Mom and my sister flew to Los Angeles to visit and meet [redacted]

11/24/2010 – Mom began receiving $1104.00/mo from Social Security

06/01/2011 – Neurologist Dr. Fulop prescribed 40mg of Citalopram daily; said he wanted to do neuro-cognitive tests to discover extent of dementia

08/18/2011 – Psychiatrist Dr. Oh stated that mom seems markedly less depressed and noted a definite improvement in her cognitive abilities

12/01/2011 – found wandering lost in the apartment complex parking lot; administered CT-Scan at unidentified hospital in Deland, FL; admitted to Stewart-Marchman Act http://smabehavioral.org/

12/??/2011 – first Baker Act hearing

12/08/2011 – requested to speak with Dr. Caliendo; was told he would contact me when he could

12/20/2011 – conference call with Dr. Caliendo and Sophia Mas, social worker at Stewart-Marchman Act; Dr. Caliendo told me that mom has incurable dementia; asked for specific diagnosis and was told “dementia”; Sophia Mas called to say that CT-Scan from 12/01/2011 revealed an “old lacunar infarct of the left thalamus” and “periventricular white matter hypodensities” that were “suggestive of chronic small vessel ischemia”

01/05/2012 – Dr. Caliendo returned from vacation

01/05/2012 – Sophia Mas called to tell me that it was time for mom to “go somewhere else” because there was nothing more they could do for her at Stewart-Marchman Act and they were being pressured by their administration to get her out of there; Sophia Mas told me specifically that she had done all the work necessary to have mom added to the appropriate waiting lists for supplemental Medicaid assistance

01/12/2012 – was informed that Dr. Caliendo agreed to slowly stop administration of Respirdal

01/18/2012 – administration of Respirdal ended

01/19/2012 – Sophia Mas emailed me to apologize and admit that she had NOT done the work necessary to have mom added to Medicaid waiting lists.

01/19/2012 – Rodney Curtis, discharge coordinator at Stewart-Marchman Act, called to say that mom’s condition deteriorated dramatically between 01/16 and 01/19; that she was no longer bathing or dressing herself and not “maintaining hygiene” and that they were transferring her to “Halifax Hospital Geriatric Ward” because no assisted living facility will take her because she can’t bathe or dress herself, and no nursing home will take her because she has no insurance
Rodney asked why she wasn’t receiving Social Security, and I informed him that she was, in fact, receiving Social Security.

01/19/2012 – admitted to Halifax Psychiatric Center in Daytona Beach, FL

01/20/2012 – administered MRI / EEG at Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach, FL; began taking 150mg Wellbutrin once each morning (I was not consulted or informed of this.)

01/20/2012 – first conversation with Constance Wade, social worker at Halifax Psychiatric Center

01/20/2012 – ElderSource in Jacksonville added mom to “assisted living facility waiver” waiting list

01/25/2012 – administration of Wellbutrin ended; was told for the first time that I am the court-appointed Guardian Advocate of my mother

01/26/2012 – another Baker Act hearing

01/30/2012 – third phone call with Dr. Caliendo, who told me he was responsible for having mom transferred from Stewart-Marchman Act to Halifax Psychiatric in order to rule out potential medical reasons for her dementia

01/30/2012 – received Guardian Advocate forms via USPS

02/01/2012 – returned Guardian Advocate forms via USPS

02/14/2012 – Jennifer Gagne, my little sister, arrived in Florida

David Vincent Gagne
http://www.davidgagne.net/
http://twitter.com/davidgagne

Emeritus at Port Orange

February 24th, 2012 @ 9:01 am

On the morning of February 24th, 2012, my little sister forwarded me an email she received from someone at Emeritus at Port Orange:

From: Gagne, Jennifer
To: Gagne, David
Subject: Fwd: Emeritus at Port Orange
Sent: February 24, 2012 9:01 AM

Hi, David.

I received this from one of the places I visited. I thought you might want to just check it out. I spoke with Dustin on the phone, and he was saying that the costs for housing (room, meals, laundry, etc) would run $1900, but that he might be able to work something out and that extra services (med dispensing, etc) would be covered by Medicaid.

I feel like Connie is basically pushing for Lakewood, as she walked by me the other day and was saying she spoke to someone with Eldercare (?) who would be in contact with us. Just want to consider temporary options if they say Mom has to be out by a certain day. I don’t really know how any of this works, so I don’t know how long Mom can be at Halifax, especially if Connie is setting things up with Lakewood.

And here is the forwarded message:

From: Isabell, Dustin
To: Gagne, Jennifer
Subject: Emeritus at Port Orange

Good Evening –

It is with great excitement that I am writing this email. Today, we received approval from our Vice President to offer a rare incentive through the end of February. If you take possession of you apartment by February 29, 2012, you will pay only $99 for February AND receive HALF off your rent for March. This is a great opportunity to secure your room at our community and we have already had several people take advantage of this amazing incentive. We have only two (2) rooms left, so please contact me at (386)761-1055 to secure yours. Don’t wait until it’s too late!!

Yours Truly,

Dustin Isabell
Community Relations Director
Emeritus at Port Orange
1675 Dunlawton Ave, Port Orange, Fl 32127
(386) 761-1055 – Phone | (386) 761-4408 – Fax
portorange-CRD@emeritus.com | www.emeritus.com
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