My mother is a resident at the Crossings, suffering from late stage Dementia/ Alzheimers. This is hard for even a grown son to bear. This was made all the more difficult during a recent visit to see my mother at the Crossings. I noticed it was early afternoon and she was still in bed sleeping. I was concerned about this because I know how crucial movement and getting up and out of bed is to quality of life. I wondered when she ate and how they fed her. This is the woman who raised me and who I love, so naturally I am concerned. When I approached management in nursing I presume, on the first floor, I was told that they could not answer either of these questions for her son, because I was not the POA and that my mother, according to HIPPA had the right to privacy, even from her son, when she lay slowly dying in a bed at the Crossings at IronBridge. After my visit, I did some research. After getting her husband to work on " adding my sister and I' to whatever official document was required so that the Crossings could answer basic quality of care questions, I asked another medical professional about this. They said my questions, as I had thought, were not confidential medical questions protected by HIPPA, but rather general quality of care questions about the facilities protocols and procedure. I could only assume, that they evaded answering the questions for me, throwing HIPPA at me because perhaps they were culpable in some way, or perhaps there was some negligence occurring. What else is a person to think, when management won't answer basic quality of care, not protected by HIPPA questions? After I lodged my complaint on the first floor, about 10 minutes later a nurse came in to feed my mother with an Ensure and a straw. She stayed about 45 seconds ( I counted) and then walked out saying she wouldn't get up and that she'd throw the ensure in the fridge. If this is the effort staff puts forth when my sister and I are standing there, after I have lodged a verbal voice of concern, I wonder what happens when no one is watching.
My point is this- I love my mother. I know the basic quality of care/ protocol questions are of the facility, and not protected by HIPPA., as they are not questions about my mother's medical anything.
So one of two things is true: Either they have absolutely no bedside manner and do not care about the families of their residents if they are not the POA, which is disgraceful, or they don't want to disclose inconsistencies, or at worse things not happening with regard to quality of care. So, I ask the management at the Crossings at IronBridge to please ask yourselves- what if it was your mother laying in that bed dying a slow death from Alzheimers? What would be the absolute minimum you would hope for in the facility charged with her care? This is unacceptable, and I am left, living out of state, to either put my mother out of my mind, or worry every waking minute, "are they feeding her, or slowly allowing her to starve?" " Are they getting her up and out of bed once a day, or are they simply putting her out of their minds as bed sores form, and as muscles atrophy?" Do you see? When you don't answer basic questions, there are many questions that arise about your quality of care. Sincerely, not happy and nothing I can do- What will you do Crossings at IronBridge. Hopefully not just ignore this review. read more