Statesman Group

December 9th, 2013

President & CEO

The Statesman Group of Companies

Dear [redacted]:

Our recent experience with your facility,[redacted]), impels us to write and make management aware of the treatment, or lack thereof, received by our mother.

Our mother, [redacted], became a resident of the [redacted] in August 2004. We chose the facility because while [redacted] was capable of being on her own, the [redacted] advocated proactive monitoring of residents, morning and evening check services, and full nursing care if required. For those many years she was the epitome of a good tenant. There was never an issue with payments, she was not a complainer or created issues, and she was always gracious and welcoming to new tenants. [redacted] made many friends at the [redacted] with residents and employees alike and looked at this as her home.

Four weeks ago, my sister and I visited my mother and found her dazed out on the couch. She had recently had a root canal so we assumed she was just very tired. However, our concerns heightened when she was unresponsive and we called paramedics and had her taken to the hospital. She spent two days at [redacted] and a multitude of tests were run EEGS, MRI, blood work, etc. No underlying condition was found that warranted her remaining in the hospital.

Prior to leaving the hospital for her home at the [redacted] we contacted the [redacted] nursing staff. Based on the report from the hospital we were comfortable having her return home provided we could obtain the appropriate care. My sister, [redacted], worked with [redacted] and [redacted] to provide nursing care for [redacted] to include periodic visits, wellness checks, meal delivery and arrangements for a staff member to stay with [redacted] while she ate to ensure she was getting adequate nutrition.

That same night I received a phone call from the [redacted] stating that my mother needed me immediately. I live about 20 minutes away and drove straight to the [redacted]. On my way the phone rang again and I learned that the Paramedics had been called and they wanted to take her to the hospital. I asked them to wait until I arrived.

When I arrived I found my mother in the lobby surrounded by paramedics and looking very frightened.

The paramedics advised me that she had an episode and she stated to those around her someone was trying to hurt her. By the time I arrived my mother was quite calm and didn’t seem overly stressed. I had a health power of attorney and the paramedics agreed she did not need another hospital visit. My mother told me she reacted this way because they had brought her dinner, left it on the counter, and locked the door. She became frightened and felt someone was trying to hurt her and went to the lobby and notified the front desk.

During my interaction with the paramedics the receptionist had told the paramedics that she had seen a major change in my mother over the last three weeks and that [redacted] had not been coming down to dinner. My two other sisters joined me and we stayed with my Mom until 10:00 that evening. We spoke to [redacted],the evening attendant, and reviewed the plans for checking on my mother during the night. We saw the dinner that was brought to Mom sitting on the kitchen counter. It was a “sloppy joe” and had not been eaten so the staff had not remained with her as requested. At that time I checked with my sisters to see if they had heard anything from the staff at the [redacted] regarding Mom and her supposed decline. They had heard NOTHING and had never been contacted.

The next morning, I arrived at the [redacted] to check on my mother and give her a manicure. I received a knock on the door and there was the Manager of the facility and the Supervisor of the Nurses ([redacted]) . They advised that my mother had a “psychotic episode” and she was unsafe at the [redacted] and that they could not allow her to stay unless she was assessed. We thought that seemed premature since we had just contracted with [redacted] nursing services. [redacted] stated that they could NOT provide nursing service because neither she nor her assistant would be there during the weekend to provide supervision to the staff! If other individuals in the [redacted] were receiving nursing support does this mean it was all unsupervised? Why would a facility advertise nursing support and not be able to provide it? If having their supervision was necessary, why were they attending the same conference? In questioning some of the staff, they were unsure how to proceed and did not understand what was being asked of them. [redacted] recommended an institution called “[redacted]” that could do the assessment and provide care. In other words we were asked to negate the nursing services we just contracted and leave the [redacted] until my mother passed some test.

This all happened so very quickly and we were concerned about Mom and thought we were getting the best advice for her. We made the arrangements with [redacted] with the help of [redacted]. We drove Mom to [redacted] on a Friday evening and were quite shocked when we arrived. It was a locked ward and did not appear to be the kind of place my mother needed. Additionally, after we had her admitted we found out that her assessment could not be done until Monday. Over the next two days we were distraught and concerned because on top of what our Mother had been through we now felt we had her in an even worse situation receiving a type of care that she did not need and further damaging her health.

We immediately began efforts to relocate her to another facility and were in contact with [redacted] daily to make sure she was OK. On Tuesday we were able to find a wonderful home for her.

All of this occurred over a 10 day period. Our mother’s life was completely turned around by one incident. She had been a resident for over 8 years. Not once did a representative of your organization contact us to see how she was doing during this ordeal. Worse, information that was vital to us regarding her stay at the [redacted] was not told to us (i.e., so called decline in health, and not going to dinner). Professional nursing care that the [redacted] advertised was NOT available to us. The care that was provided was below standard and contributed to her “episode”.

Over the next few days, my sisters and I were in and out of the apartment moving items. No one asked a word about where [redacted] was, how she was, or what was going on. One day, a staff member asked about [redacted]. We told her what occurred and she was shocked. Nothing had been told to the staff at the [redacted] regarding [redacted]; nor to this day has anyone asked or called to inquire about her or her health.

We are extremely upset, shocked, and disappointed at the treatment and the poor level of care and professionalism that was exhibited by your facility. It is distressing to us that we had this terrible experience and worry that others will also encounter the same or worse. We would welcome an opportunity to talk to you to express our concerns and provide feedback to ensure this does not happen again.

Sincerely,

[redacted]