Update: Pray for Dom- Dom has passed, His Services, Thank You- Page 48 post 949

[Dizneefamily+4]

I'm furious on your and your family's behalf after reading this! This just sounds like a horrible facility and could probably do with an inspection. My grandmother was in a terrible nursing home (back when they were still called nursing homes) that wound up being shut down years after she was there. It was a pricey facility in a great neighborhood, so you would never have guessed. My mom wound up suing them over my grandma's treatment and won the lawsuit. I hope Dom is able to get into a better facility ASAP.

 

[macraven]

totally unacceptable treatment for Dom and all others that are in that place with the way it is ran......

i have a broken heart for Dom after reading what it was like for him.

the readers here have had such high hopes of a continued humane treatment for him.....
treating him with dignity and caring for his daily needs is essential.


if you called the correct office that handles complaints, would it be advantageous for Dom?

 

[superme80]

I am crying and praying as I read this. I pray a transfer can happen and soon. My heart is breaking for you guys.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Hoping Dom is out of that place, Teresa, real quickly.

 

[TeresaNJ]

1

 

[mousefanmichelle]

My heart is breaking for Dom and all of you. I pray that he can get to a place that can care for him the way he deserves so that he can continue to make progress. He deserves to have that light in his eyes back and all of you deserve better treatment for him.

 

[cabanafrau]

This is hard to read, I cannot imagine the strength it takes to live it. I wish I had an answer.

I'm not understanding why the guardianship process would take so long or be so expensive. I work in the court system here in Michigan and my job frequently has me involved in guardianship and conservatorship cases, both for the elderly and those in Dom's case. Sometimes the elder cases can stretch out due to opposition, but even so frequently a temporary order is put in place. I have never heard of a severe medical situation such as Dom's taking more than filing the petition, stepping up before the Judge to allow review of the supporting documents and answering a few questions and having the guardianship awarded. The wait involved is only the filing of the petition and then maybe 15 minutes after the hearing for the letters of authority to be prepared and off the guardians go. States do have different laws, but I still strongly suspect something is not right in this situation. Is there possibly an auto insurance company involved who is sticking their oar in? Questions need to be raised with the attorney, and unfortunately there is a possibility the attorney doesn't have the experience in this area of law and is in fact the problem. Either way, the attorney needs to be queried and be able to answer what the standard process and timeline are.

 

[TeresaNJ]

1

 

[Vernie822]

Hi Teresa - Stopping by to read an update on Dom. I can't believe the stories you have told us.. wow. I hope he gets to the more desirable facility soon! I follow a page on FB, called Tripp Halstead Updates. If you are unfamiliar with it, Tripp is a little boy from Georgia. He was playing outside at daycare at age 2 when a tree branch fell and basically crushed his skull. He has recovered a lot over the last 4 years as a result of his traumatic brain injury. His mom runs his page and is a fantastic writer. She shows how far he has come and she is really open and honest about her life and the struggles they face daily. Not only their struggles but how well he is doing. It is worth a read and maybe it will lift your spirits a bit.

 

[cabanafrau]

I'm not sure if it's taking so long because Patty was assigned this attorney through a program for low income parents, but the hold up is waiting for the case to be heard before a judge. After weeks of waiting, after filing all the paperwork, she was finally told about a month ago that the case would be heard sometime in April. I'm not sure of the exact date. I think it's costing her around $800. If she went to a regular law firm, I think the cost she was quoted was between $3000 & $5000. I don't know all the details. We were telling her to file for guardianship since the beginning, but for some reason she kept holding off. She is definitely overwhelmed, more so because my brother can't handle any aspect of this. I know he had to be notified by the courts that Patty was filing for sole guardianship, so hopefully he won't contest it. I doubt he will. He's pretty much given up on life.

First, the legal fee is fair. The quotes she received are quite high. What happens is the petition is filed with the court and legal notice has to be issued to all interested parties, obviously your brother is one, it's possible there are others but I really cannot say. There is a legal time period before the petition can be heard and then it should be more like the formality of signing off like I outlined above, unless there is an objection coming from somewhere. Given the situation it is a shame the attorney didn't submit an emergency petition to be heard immediately to issue a temporary, with the formal to come in the normal timeframe. The temporary guardianship would have carried all the legal authority of the permanent and offered Dom more protection quicker. It really is a shame your SIL didn't file much sooner, but frankly I give her credit for being at all functional in the circumstances.

I will continue to lift you all up in prayer and keep waiting for some very good news to come across my screen soon.

 

[wilkeliza]

Teresa so sorry to hear this weeks updates. It seemed like Dom was on the right path and then to have that ripped away from him even as an outsider breaks my heart. I can't imagine what you are yor family are going through. If they are doing this stuff to Dom who has such an actively involved family I'm scared to imagine what they sre doing to those poor people who are left by themselves with little family involvement. I will pray that a bed opens up and Dom gets out of there ASAP.

 

[TeresaNJ]

1

 

[macraven]

I appreciate you sharing and updating all of us

When things become a nightmare, we all share the pain you and your family are going through

Sending you 's from all of us

I know things will get better for Dom once he can be relocated to a higher standard facility

Prayers always being said for Dom and family

 

[Vernie822]

Hi Ashley! Yes, I've been following Tripp for years. His parents, as well as his entire family, totally amaze me. Such a tragedy that happened to that adorable little boy. He has come so far. Just goes to show you how you have to appreciate life every single day, and never take anything for granted. I pray for the day when we can get a real smile out of Dom. I hope Dom somehow knows or senses how much he is loved, just like it seems Tripp knows.

Aww yay, I love that little dude. He can really bring a smile to your day. Just seeing how far he has come makes me so happy for their family. And I'm sure Dom will come far, as well! Hopefully in a few years you can look back and say "Wow, look at how far he has come!" - One day at a time. Thinking of you!

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

I hope something good comes out of the meeting with Meadow View today. Please tell your husband my thoughts are with him.

 

[2manypets]

I'm so sorry your going through this. I understand how frustrating insurance company's and hospital staff can be. Sending prayers your way.

My daughter was in a terrible car accident almost 7 years ago in May and sustained a severe brain injury. She was in a coma for 7 months, went to a sub acute rehab and then a long term rehab (also Health South here in Memphis) where, like Dom, she received all three disciplines of therapy daily. After the insurance decided she plateaued, they tried to send her to the most horrible nursing home, so we declined. No other facilities would take her as she was still considered "minimally conscience".

At that point we had no other choice but to bring her home. She was still on her PEG feeding tube, couldn't walk, talk or communicate in any way. She also didn't pass her swallow test so she was not allowed to even have a sip of water! It was a VERY scary time for us as we had no medical training or experience.

With the help of Medicaid, we were able to have a home health care aid take care of her during the day so DH & I could still work. We put on a BBQ fund raiser for her and raised enough to have OT, PT and speech come to our house 5 days a week for the next 4 months. During that time I noticed she was "awakening" slowly like a newborn growing up. I decided to start her over again like an infant and re-teach how to eat with baby food, walk by DH holding her up and walking on my feet, etc.. After another 3 months we were able to remove the feeding tube.

She'll never be the pre-accident girl she was before, she has Ataxia on her left side so her walking is still wobbly and her hand spasms, her speech is impaired due to a paralyzed vocal fold, her short term memory lasts less than a day, but she now has learned to text herself anything important.

To make a long story short, 7 years later she is walking, talking, eating, going out with friends again, volunteers at the animal shelter. She has a great quality of life and it keeps getting better slowly. (We're trying to find her a job now!)

Don't ever give up, even after this long improvements are possible.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I'm so sorry your going through this. I understand how frustrating insurance company's and hospital staff can be. Sending prayers your way.

My daughter was in a terrible car accident almost 7 years ago in May and sustained a severe brain injury. She was in a coma for 7 months, went to a sub acute rehab and then a long term rehab (also Health South here in Memphis) where, like Dom, she received all three disciplines of therapy daily. After the insurance decided she plateaued, they tried to send her to the most horrible nursing home, so we declined. No other facilities would take her as she was still considered "minimally conscience".

At that point we had no other choice but to bring her home. She was still on her PEG feeding tube, couldn't walk, talk or communicate in any way. She also didn't pass her swallow test so she was not allowed to even have a sip of water! It was a VERY scary time for us as we had no medical training or experience.

With the help of Medicaid, we were able to have a home health care aid take care of her during the day so DH & I could still work. We put on a BBQ fund raiser for her and raised enough to have OT, PT and speech come to our house 5 days a week for the next 4 months. During that time I noticed she was "awakening" slowly like a newborn growing up. I decided to start her over again like an infant and re-teach how to eat with baby food, walk by DH holding her up and walking on my feet, etc.. After another 3 months we were able to remove the feeding tube.

She'll never be the pre-accident girl she was before, she has Ataxia on her left side so her walking is still wobbly and her hand spasms, her speech is impaired due to a paralyzed vocal fold, her short term memory lasts less than a day, but she now has learned to text herself anything important.

To make a long story short, 7 years later she is walking, talking, eating, going out with friends again, volunteers at the animal shelter. She has a great quality of life and it keeps getting better slowly. (We're trying to find her a job now!)

Don't ever give up, even after this long improvements are possible.

Remarkable to read this, 2manypaets. Wonderful! Wishes and prayers for your daughter's continued growth and improvement. So encouraging for somebody like Dom here. God bless.

 

[anniemae]

Thank you of the updates, as horrid as they are. I am appalled by Dom's treatment. I know it does not help the situation, but we are here for you, we will listen to you, and we will pray for you, Dom and the family. I will be sending up some serious prayers for Dom. I wish I could do more. I am amazed at how you are all rallying around Dom, he is so incredibly lucky to have you all on his side. This is just a bump in the road. He will find the right facility and he WILL make progress. Please keep us updated if you can.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I'm so sorry to hear about the lack of quality care at the current facility! It is hard to imagine not only Dom, but all of the other patients, who may have less-involved families, living there.

The picture of Dom and his dad is adorable! I hope he can get settled into somewhere better and more stable soon.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Hi, Theresa, i've been following this thread and I'm sorry to hear of this recent update. I do have an old friend whose fiance had a serious climbing accident a couple years ago and is living with TBI. I thought you might find some hope in his recovery blog. They had many ups and downs but progress is happening. Don't ever give up.

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