Big Steps

I called the Director and used the word "neglect" which got his attention really fast. He said that if I have a problem, maybe the right thing is to move my mother. I said "Andy, that sounds like a threat." I know that this is against the law and went to www.kansas.gov and found it online, printed it out, and showed it to my dad.

I got in touch with the state ombudsman who gave me advice and suggested that I talk with Andy, then the people at Sunrise Corporate, and then come back to him if there is still a problem. But, he said that I have legitimate concerns that Sunrise should be willing to correct on a pretty quick basis. He suggested that I focus my argument on Mom, not everyone. He said that it isn't okay that Sunrise has accepted so many patients that would be better placed in a nursing home. He also said that they legally have to provide "sufficient staff" and enough to evacuate people in 5 minutes. So, I printed out a bunch of the laws and put together a memo stating that there aren't enough staff or activities and that this constitutes neglect (although I didn't use the word - I used the state's definition of neglect in quotation marks.

My dad is avoiding me, and I can tell doesn't agree with how I am handling things. But, he's coming to the meeting tomorrow. I am really anxious about how all of this is going to go. I called my therapist who suggested that I touch base with Dad's best friend (I left her a message) and is letting me come see her after the meeting tomorrow even though she does not ususally schedule appointments then. There's a lot on the line right now.