I called Woodland Terrace and Ida Alvis answered on the first ring. She said, “Woodland Terrace. Ida speaking.” I said, “Ida, it’s David. Did the hospital call you?” Ida said, “Yeah, and I am shocked to hear that —” “All right. Thanks,” I interrupted. As I hung up I could hear her say, “You’re welcome.”
At 3:19 PM PDT my phone rang. I was in the middle of trying to get my son to take a nap and had to run to answer it. I didn’t recognize the number — (386) 943-4522 — but I knew from the area code that it was someone in Florida. “Hello?” I said. The […]
I just spoke to Brenda, the Health Unit Coordinator / Secretary at Fish Memorial Hospital in Deland. She said my mom had just arrived from Woodland Terrace and they, “are working on her now.” I asked, “Is she alive?” and Brenda told me she is in critical condition. I told her that I was in […]
I was sitting in the parking lot of Centinela Feed, a pet store in Los Angeles, when I received a call from Woodland Terrace. It was Ida Alvis. Ida was unimaginably rude and hung up on me at least three times yesterday (Saturday), so I knew if she was calling to talk to me it […]
My college friend sent me an email the day before mom died, in response to the news that she had been hospitalized and discharged (again). I had gotten very excited after reading this, thinking that it might explain some of what had been happening to mom, and that we might be able to get to […]
I called Woodland Terrace and Ida answered the phone. I said, “Hello, Ida,” and she said, “Hello, Mr. Gagne.” I asked her if I could get a phone number for James Thompson, the new administrator. Ida laughed and said, “I’m not giving you his personal contact information.” I said, “I’m not asking for his personal […]
I called Woodland Terrace and Marty answered. I told her I needed to talk to Ida, because I don’t want them to give my mom Risperdal. She said, “Hold on,” and then, “Whoops! That line is busy. She just picked up. Hold on.” After one minute she returned and said, “Hold on,” and then Lisa […]
I called Woodland Terrace and Marty answered. I asked to speak to Sherri Spillman, the administrator. Marty told me that Sherri was no longer there. I was confused and asked her what she meant and she told me that Sherri was no longer the administrator. “When did this happen?” I asked. Marty said, “I can’t […]
I was so upset about what happened tonight while dealing with the staff at Woodland Terrace that I sent an email to Michelle Cofano <Cofanom@elderaffairs.org>, the Registered Nurse Specialist at the Department of Elder Affairs who earlier this week helped me make some progress on obtaining Medicaid for mom. The subject of the email was […]
I didn’t hear the phone ring, but at 7:18 PM PDT I missed an incoming call from (386) 425-1300. I know that 386 is the area code for north central Florida, so when I noticed eight minutes later I called immediately. The man that answered the line said that I was calling the Emergency Room […]