Title: The Hospital Gestapo: You May Never See Home Again Source:
[None] URL Source:http://ppjg.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/17918/ Published:Sep 13, 2011 Author:Angela V. Woodhull, Ph.D./licensed priva Post Date:2011-09-13 14:59:00 by christine Keywords:None Views:301 Comments:21
American hospitals have devised a scheme to guarantee they never get stuck with an unpaid bill. It’s called guardianship.
Thinking of checking into a hospital? Think again. You may never see home again.
Ginger Franklin, Hendersonville, Tennessee, fell down the stairs in her condo and suffered a bump on her head. She was declared “temporarily mentally incapacitated” and a guardian was appointed through the courts. Within six weeks, the guardian had soldFranklin’s home, car, furniture, and drained her bank account. Today,Franklin has her freedom back, but she is having to start all over.
Michael Kidd, 72, of Richardson, Texas, fell in his yard and broke a hip. Now, he is living in Countryside Nursing Home with his wife. Both were removed from their home when the state of Texas petitioned the courts claiming that the Kidds were mentally incompetent. Their house sits vacant and neglected, with rotting food still remaining in the refrigerator. The Kidds have been confined to a single room in the nursing home, while the state appointed guardian burns through their money an gives them a mere $60 a month spending allowance which they have been using to buy “real” food.
Robert Milton (not his real name) was taken to the hospital because he fell “one time too many” at his home, and although his stepson had been given power of attorney to make all of his health care decisions, a court-appointed corporate guardian placed Milton against his will in a nursing home where he is now isolated from his family and friends. Meanwhile, his money is being spent as quickly as possible by the Orlando-based guardian and her attorneys.
How It Commences
Joseph Niedesky (not his real name) was air lifted to a hospital in Orlando from Ocalaby helicopter after he was the victim of a motorcycle crash. But something went terribly wrong during Niedesky’s surgery and he aspirated on his own vomit, causing some brain injury. That’s when a corporate guardian was contacted by the hospital and appointed by the court as Niedesky’s full plenary, permanent guardian.
What Happens Next
The corporate guardian who petitioned the court stated in the court papers that Niedesky had no family. In reality, Niedesky had been married for more than 20 years and had four teenage children. It took more than two months for Niedesky’s wife to discover what had happened to her husband and where he was located.
The Family is Always Portrayed as the “Devil Incarnate”
What happened to Niedesky is becoming a commonplace occurrence in America. A family member is rushed to the hospital. Surgery occurs and something sometimes goes terribly wrong. However, by quickly petitioning the courts for guardianship, the hospital avoids any kind of lawsuit for negligence or wrongful death. Niedesky’s wife wanted to bring him home and get him out of the guardianship. The guardian, however, kept moving Niedesky from location to location, city to city, until the statute of limitations for suing the hospital had expired. Shortly after the statute of limitations ended, Niedsky just happened to die.
“The hospital saved itself millions in a lawsuit. It is typical that shortly after the statute of limitations runs out, the ward just happens to suddenly die,” stated David Newman, Gainesville, Florida, a civil rights guardianship reform advocate.
Niedesky’s wife was portrayed in the court record as uncaring, incompetent, over-meddling, and negligent, and although these descriptors seem to be a contraction of terms, you will typically find the most cynical descriptions of family members in most court files where an involuntary guardianship has been granted by the courts to a total stranger.
For example, in Milton’s case, Milton’s stepson had been named long ago as his power of attorney and health care surrogate. That designation, however, was destroyed by the court and the corporate guardian even accused the stepson of stealing several thousands over the years from his stepfather. Today, Milton’s stepson, a 65 year old retired veteran, finds himself in a legal nightmare gathering bank records and hiring attorneys and forensic accountants to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, the corporate guardian is spending Milton’s money like water.
The Other Scenario
Tom Griffith (not his real name) wonders why an Orlando-based corporate guardian would be interested in his father at all.
“He has no money. All he gets is a small monthly cheque from Social Security of about $800.00.”
I explained to Griffith that his father has been marked for destruction and will mostly likely not be among the living in a very short period of time. “We live in a country that is ruled by corporations, not the U.S. Constitution. If there is not enough money for the nursing home to cover its expenses, there is ‘no reason’ to keep your father alive.” I explained to Milton how Thomas Chada’s father was sent to him as a box of ashes and how other wards seem to always turn up “expired” shortly after a corporate guardian and her attorneys have burned through all of an elderly person’s money.
But in this case, Griffith said there was no reason to destroy his father. “There is no money to gain.”
“Yes, but that is the point. The corporate guardians have a symbiotic relationship with the nursing homes. Sometimes, the nursing home gives them a wealthy resident that they can bilk. At other times, the corporate guardian does them a favor by making premature end-of-life decisions when there is not enough finances to cover the elderly person’s day-to-day expenses.”
In the case of Griffith’s father, who just received quadruple open heart bypass surgery, it was determined that the ward, age 74, now needed dialysis, a very costly ongoing treatment.
“The doctors said my father does not want dialysis,”Milton stated. “But I know my father wishes to live; he is only 74.”
“They probably got your father to sign such a statement without him even knowing what he was signing,” I explained.
Milton wanted to know what he could do to rescue his father out of this dangerous and life-threatening situation.
“You can hire an attorney, but you might end up spending more than $500,000.00 of your own money to become your father’s guardian.”
“I don’t have that kind of money,”Griffithdeclared, shocked.
It was obvious that the scenario I was describing was greatly upsetting Griffith. Those of us who have already lived this scenario remember going through the predictable stage of “mental shock” followed by the overwhelming urge to seek justice—at any cost. I explained to Griffith that he may find himself bankrupt as a result of trying to help his father out of this doomed guardianship situation.
My phone continues to ring as victims, desperate to find a solution, want to know what they can do.
In a country that is ruled by corporations and corporate greed, there will be no solution to The Guardianship Nightmare until a public uprising is so severe that these kinds of abominable– yet commonplace situations– will no longer be able to occur.
Tom Griffith (not his real name) wonders why an Orlando-based corporate guardian would be interested in his father at all.
“He has no money. All he gets is a small monthly cheque from Social Security of about $800.00.”
I explained to Griffith that his father has been marked for destruction and will mostly likely not be among the living in a very short period of time. “We live in a country that is ruled by corporations, not the U.S. Constitution. If there is not enough money for the nursing home to cover its expenses, there is ‘no reason’ to keep your father alive.” I explained to Milton how Thomas Chada’s father was sent to him as a box of ashes and how other wards seem to always turn up “expired” shortly after a corporate guardian and her attorneys have burned through all of an elderly person’s money.
But in this case, Griffith said there was no reason to destroy his father. “There is no money to gain.”
“Yes, but that is the point. The corporate guardians have a symbiotic relationship with the nursing homes. Sometimes, the nursing home gives them a wealthy resident that they can bilk. At other times, the corporate guardian does them a favor by making premature end-of-life decisions when there is not enough finances to cover the elderly person’s day-to-day expenses.”
oh god....i saw this coming when they murdered Terri Schiavo
oh god....i saw this coming when they murdered Terri Schiavo
back in the 'mother country'/british empire
Aug 15, 2011
The backup killer for brain cancer patients in the UK
Bill..
I got your book, when my wife collapsed and was found to have a glioblastoma 4 brain tumour in March this year...
There were many problems I faced. When my wife was unconscious, I was told I had no control over her treatment. She belonged to the National Health Service! They took her away from the intensive care hospital where she had been admitted and had gained consciousness, and took her 60 miles away and operated on her without my consent, nor apparently my wife's (perhaps they got her to sign something in her condition, but I suspect not.. they did not even consult me at all). They whisked her away and it was all over before I knew it.
After the operation she had about 12 to 14 months to live or so I was told. Fine, I thought, now we can get her on the Bill Henderson protocol... wrong....
I was not allowed 24-hour access to her and despite many requests the nursing staff and catering people seemed hell bent on forcing as much sugar products down her gullet as they could lay their hands on, when I wasn't there. They also allowed her to go to the toilet alone and I know of 2 occasions when she fell and was found sprawled on the floor, after some time had elapsed (fellow patients informed me .. not the nursing staff).
My requests to bring her home, where I could implement your system properly, were confounded by my need to have backup care locally as she was not in a local hospital. I had to wait while they decided to move her 'when a bed becomes available' to a local hospital before she was 'allowed' home. Some three weeks went by before she finally came home.
Shortly before and after the operation, my wife was walking around the hospital quite easily leaning on my arm, but during those three weeks she declined in her physical health and became unable to walk. We were told nothing further about her condition or why this decline was taking place.
After only 4 days at home my wife became unconscious and we rushed her back to hospital where they put her on anti-inflammatory drugs and she regained conciousness .. for a short while. The edema in her brain was the problem we were told.
Not long after becoming unconscious for a second time, the doctors decided they had done quite enough for her and they then decided it was time to starve and dehydrate her to death, by withdrawing all life support, in the time honoured tradition of our glorious country.
My lovely wife Christine died on the 15th of May (my son's birthday and the final humiliation) about 7 weeks after the operation.
She was doomed from the minute they started that operation. I would like to know if you agree?
Sincerely,
Robert Moore
You have my complete empathy, Robert. The hospital's barbaric treatment and ridiculous feeding reminded me of my former wife's experience.
oh god....i saw this coming when they murdered Terri Schiavo
That really upset me. It was clear that Terri's good 4 nuthin husband (who had a new ol' lady) wanted to euthanize the poor woman (who according to her caregivers was responsive and not in a persistent vegetative state at all) and get his hands on the remaining cash from the insurance and charitable donations.
And it was clear that the judge who made it happen was sympathetic to the husband. After all, what judge wouldn't dump his brain damaged spouse and move some young tender thing in to help him with his "loneliness and grief"?