Mam’s Haemorrhagic Stroke and Our Hospital Experience
from JC
On Tuesday morning last week my mother was transported from our house to Day Kimball Hospital by EMT Services (thanks again to the Muddy Brook Fire Department and the EMT guys and gals). After a CAT scan she was diagnosed with a bleeding (haemorrhagic) stroke in the center of her brain. The emergency physician let me know that my mother’s condition was serious and that she may not have long to live. He said that neurosurgery could be done but we both agreed that you do not do this to a 91 year old patient who has already exhibited senility. He also mentioned that a “social worker” would meet with me soon to explain the options for my mother.
My mother was placed in a ward with a case manager. Our mind-set at the time was that she would die in a few days and that she would not leave the hospital. However, on the second day at 9PM I was called to the hospital because she had opened her eyes and was awake. This was the last time I was able to speak to her and receive a response although she could not speak. I had begun the practice of going to the hospital in the morning then leaving for work for a few hours and then returning in the late afternoon.
I was still uncertain what was going to happen as it seemed that my mother had leveled off a little bit. On the third day (Thursday), I went to the nurse at the desk and mentioned that I was told there would be a “social worker” who would meet with me to discuss “options”. I was told “That’s the Case Manager!” I had met this person in my mother’s room but I was uncertain what her role was. It turns out that the case manager (CM) is responsible for arranging for the patient to leave the hospital (and as soon as possible). When I approached this CM about this, I was told that “I am trying to work something out.”
On Friday I had an important job to complete with a client in California and planned to meet with the client at noon. In mid-morning I received a call from the CM who told me that my mother had to leave the hospital because she had had her “three days” and would qualify for coverage in a nursing home. I was asked for three nursing homes as my preferences and I chose the three closest to Woodstock. I then reiterated that my mother has no coverage beyond Medicare and little cash in the bank. There was never a time when the “options” were explained. The CM was still “trying to work something out” with the nursing homes. This, I found out, only required a phone call and the ward was more than half empty. When at the hospital, I noticed the CM opining about being ‘on overload’ more than once. It was my impression that the CM was incapable of cutting to the chase and by the forth day (Friday) we had never had that get-together to discuss the options. The few brief conversations we had were more confusing than informative. I noted to Becki that people working in the hospital were poor communicators who spoke in their own lingo about medical and policy practices that I had no experience with.
During that phone call on Friday morning the CM also said that I needed to talk to ‘T’, the Medicaid specialist at the hospital. Five minutes later I received a call from T who had all of the answers. In order for me to file an application for Medicaid, I needed to have a picture ID, a Social Security card, and three years of bank statements. The word “liens” was mentioned although I don’t remember the context. This conversation rattled me, so I zipped an email off to my lawyer. My lawyer got back to me with “Stay away from Medicaid.” Medicaid attaches all assets of the nursing home candidate to guarantee that ‘the best’ nursing care can be paid for. This is, of course, how room and board can be paid for at a nursing home if the patient stays for a long time at $6000 a month and higher (sky’s the limit). Read the rest of this entry »
