Anyone Want to Wager?
Lies. Deceit. A person who is cognitively stunted at the egocentric stage normally witnessed in five to eight year old children. At least all this studying helps me recognize this.
To whit:
Jane was kicked out of ALF-1 because she was not medically compliant. She refused to believe this, even after Ed and I had conversations with several people at ALF-1. They're lovely people, we understand their frustrations with her, because we have the same issues.
No impulse control.
Disregarding any instruction that she perceives as being too difficult to do.
Canceling doctor's appointments because she doesn't want to be told what she needs to do.
Garbling any important message to the point that it in no way resembles what was said. (The phone taking a soak was the result of one person telling her never to leave the building at ALF-1 without the phone. It morphed into 'you must always have the phone next to you')
Last week, I expected to hear that she'd picked a skilled nursing facility, a place that provides round the clock care for her multiple health issues. She crowed about how good her legs look right now (for her, they do-but they're still dark red/purple). She ignored my comments that the reason they look good is that for the past month, nurses are constantly caring for them, something that would not happen in an Assisted Living Facility, but would in a SNF.
She announced that she'd found ALF-2. When I expressed my reservations, she told me 'they'll handle all my medication!' I was not convinced. I questioned about the insulin repeatedly and she kept answering "they come in three times a day to do medications." Did you specifically ask if they'd do your insulin? She again stated 'they come in three times a day.'
Uh oh. Not only does ALF-2 not have CNAs on premises 24/7 like ALF-1, she hasn't talked to them. I've learned lie detection with Jane is much like it was with my kids when they were young-don't directly answer the question. I mentioned to Ed that this concerned me, but when he talked to her, she'd polished her act and he believed her.
Sunday, she tipped her hand. "I need to talk to them about how we're going to handle my insulin," she said. I asked her how many shots a day she needed and she didn't know, explaining she takes a long acting form of insulin every morning and evening and shots throughout the day. When I pressed her for how was this going to be done in only three visits a day, she said she didn't know, she had to talk to them about it when she saw them later.
Oh, crap. Once again, I didn't believe her and had visions of being burned when she goes noncompliant, like she always ends up doing.
Monday morning, in a phone conversation with her, she asks me why I didn't bring her insulin over from the fridge at ALF-1. "Jane, you had no insulin, don't you remember?" She was befuddled by what I was saying "You ran out of insulin and didn't have any for three days, that's why you were in the hospital for a month." She still was convinced that there was some insulin in the fridge.
About 5pm, I realized that this conversation could possibly mean she hadn't had any insulin since departing from the rehab Sunday afternoon. A panicked phone call to Ed later, he called her and she said that the healthcare people had her insulin and had administered it.
That's great, are they going to be there to dose after each meal, too?
Today, at ALF-1, I was stopped by the manager, and she was concerned that Jane was going to another ALF. Me, too, I stated, and expressed concerns about the insulin situation. At that point, she explained that the nurse manager for ALF-1 works for the same company that handles ALF-2.
Some phone calls were made. Some answers that scare the crap out of me were provided.
It seems that the healthcare agency agreed to take blood sugar readings twice a day for a 'newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic', with a goal towards educating the patient to do this task independently. The staff at ALF-2 stated that they would administer her insulin injections.
Houston, we have a problem.
1. She is not 'newly diagnosed', she is a non compliant patient with numerous co-morbid health issues.
2. When I arrived at ALF-2 Sunday to move stuff in, there was NO staff on the premises other than three kitchen employees. After dinner each night, there is a maintenance person, but no one in the office and no medically trained staff.
3. Who the hell is administering the insulin?
It becomes clearer to me with each passing day. Last week, she indignantly showed me a monitoring bracelet that had been placed on her arm in the rehabilitation center. "They won't let me leave the building" The look on her face was all 5 year old in the throes of a temper tantrum. "ALF-1 told them about the time I went down to the lake," an event that earned her a 2 week stay in the hospital-a fact she conveniently ignores.
I explained that if something happened to her if she decided to leave the building, they'd be held responsible.
Now, I think that she opted to go to ALF-2 because she wanted to be able to come and go as she pleased, and by going to one that wasn't familiar with the rules that ALF-1 had started to impose upon her, she would be back to doing all the things she wanted.
All the things that kept putting her in the hospital again and again.
This time, there's not someone knocking on her door every hour and letting themselves in to make sure she's okay.
And frankly, it scares me greatly. So, what's your wager? What will happen? And when?
One thing is for certain-this is Jane. If she's going to wreak havoc with her health, she is going to do it in some grand fashion.
Oh, goody.
To whit:
Jane was kicked out of ALF-1 because she was not medically compliant. She refused to believe this, even after Ed and I had conversations with several people at ALF-1. They're lovely people, we understand their frustrations with her, because we have the same issues.
No impulse control.
Disregarding any instruction that she perceives as being too difficult to do.
Canceling doctor's appointments because she doesn't want to be told what she needs to do.
Garbling any important message to the point that it in no way resembles what was said. (The phone taking a soak was the result of one person telling her never to leave the building at ALF-1 without the phone. It morphed into 'you must always have the phone next to you')
Last week, I expected to hear that she'd picked a skilled nursing facility, a place that provides round the clock care for her multiple health issues. She crowed about how good her legs look right now (for her, they do-but they're still dark red/purple). She ignored my comments that the reason they look good is that for the past month, nurses are constantly caring for them, something that would not happen in an Assisted Living Facility, but would in a SNF.
She announced that she'd found ALF-2. When I expressed my reservations, she told me 'they'll handle all my medication!' I was not convinced. I questioned about the insulin repeatedly and she kept answering "they come in three times a day to do medications." Did you specifically ask if they'd do your insulin? She again stated 'they come in three times a day.'
Uh oh. Not only does ALF-2 not have CNAs on premises 24/7 like ALF-1, she hasn't talked to them. I've learned lie detection with Jane is much like it was with my kids when they were young-don't directly answer the question. I mentioned to Ed that this concerned me, but when he talked to her, she'd polished her act and he believed her.
Sunday, she tipped her hand. "I need to talk to them about how we're going to handle my insulin," she said. I asked her how many shots a day she needed and she didn't know, explaining she takes a long acting form of insulin every morning and evening and shots throughout the day. When I pressed her for how was this going to be done in only three visits a day, she said she didn't know, she had to talk to them about it when she saw them later.
Oh, crap. Once again, I didn't believe her and had visions of being burned when she goes noncompliant, like she always ends up doing.
Monday morning, in a phone conversation with her, she asks me why I didn't bring her insulin over from the fridge at ALF-1. "Jane, you had no insulin, don't you remember?" She was befuddled by what I was saying "You ran out of insulin and didn't have any for three days, that's why you were in the hospital for a month." She still was convinced that there was some insulin in the fridge.
About 5pm, I realized that this conversation could possibly mean she hadn't had any insulin since departing from the rehab Sunday afternoon. A panicked phone call to Ed later, he called her and she said that the healthcare people had her insulin and had administered it.
That's great, are they going to be there to dose after each meal, too?
Today, at ALF-1, I was stopped by the manager, and she was concerned that Jane was going to another ALF. Me, too, I stated, and expressed concerns about the insulin situation. At that point, she explained that the nurse manager for ALF-1 works for the same company that handles ALF-2.
Some phone calls were made. Some answers that scare the crap out of me were provided.
It seems that the healthcare agency agreed to take blood sugar readings twice a day for a 'newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic', with a goal towards educating the patient to do this task independently. The staff at ALF-2 stated that they would administer her insulin injections.
Houston, we have a problem.
1. She is not 'newly diagnosed', she is a non compliant patient with numerous co-morbid health issues.
2. When I arrived at ALF-2 Sunday to move stuff in, there was NO staff on the premises other than three kitchen employees. After dinner each night, there is a maintenance person, but no one in the office and no medically trained staff.
3. Who the hell is administering the insulin?
It becomes clearer to me with each passing day. Last week, she indignantly showed me a monitoring bracelet that had been placed on her arm in the rehabilitation center. "They won't let me leave the building" The look on her face was all 5 year old in the throes of a temper tantrum. "ALF-1 told them about the time I went down to the lake," an event that earned her a 2 week stay in the hospital-a fact she conveniently ignores.
I explained that if something happened to her if she decided to leave the building, they'd be held responsible.
Now, I think that she opted to go to ALF-2 because she wanted to be able to come and go as she pleased, and by going to one that wasn't familiar with the rules that ALF-1 had started to impose upon her, she would be back to doing all the things she wanted.
All the things that kept putting her in the hospital again and again.
This time, there's not someone knocking on her door every hour and letting themselves in to make sure she's okay.
And frankly, it scares me greatly. So, what's your wager? What will happen? And when?
One thing is for certain-this is Jane. If she's going to wreak havoc with her health, she is going to do it in some grand fashion.
Oh, goody.
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