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I wrote in a few months ago: Mom fell in her ALF after a male nurse walked in; had surgery; recovered minimally in a rehab and returned to the same ALF still unable to walk and confined to wheelchair; ALF insisted they could meet her needs if we increase level of care from Level 2 to Level 4. Well, two weeks after returning to the ALF, she has developed a pressure sore on her heel! Yesterday when I visited her, I noticed a gauze bandage on her right foot that was new; she was complaining of pain; spoke with nurse, who said she had a sore on her heel they were watching; well, when the nurse took off the bandage, I was aghast to find this pressure sore the size of a quarter with redness and swelling, and the bottom of her foot black!! The nurse said, "I think we'd better send her to the emergency room; she might have cellulitis and need IV antibiotics...." This was at 2pm yesterday; she went to the ED, and I spent most of the night with her until they admitted her at midnight! Well, I am pissed! The ED doc and nurse said this was neglect on the part of the ALF. She did not have a sore on her foot two weeks ago or ever!! She is wheelchair bound after falling and breaking her hip. PT is not going well because of her high anxiety level (which they have addressed); obesity; and mild dementia from ruptured brain aneurysm 20 years ago...bottom line, the ALF did not do ANYTHING TO PREVENT THE DECUBITUS ULCER FROM FORMING...despite the fact that 45% of people who have hip fractures and are immobile afterwards develop pressure sores on the heel because they are wheelchair or bed bound. I am pissed! I do not want to send her back to this ALF. I am worried that she will not get good care anywhere. I have been reading about the "corporate greed" of assisted living facility movement; "heads to the beds" mentality of the corporate execs who are only focused on profitability; cutting costs by maintaining low staff/resident ratios; resulting in low quality of care. I want to know what increase in services my mother had when she went to Level 4!!! She was upset last week when I visited her; told me that she needed to go to the bathroom, and she had to wait a long time for someone to come; she ended up pooping in her brief; and when two staff people came in, one made comments about the smell and held her nose. I understand this is tough work, but damn it, the staff should act more professionally in the presence of my mother. It made her feel terrible, and she said, "I think I need to go to another facility...they don't like me here." I am feeling so angry that I am ready for heads to roll. I am going to contact an Ombudman on Monday morning, then a personal injury attorney who specializes in elder care. I am royally pissed about this!! Please give me your advice or share your experience. Thank
you!

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Please explain the type of services the Ombudsman can provide, compared to an attorney? My sense is that if I decided for mom to stay at the ALF, the Ombudsman would serve as a mediator. If I decide to file a complaint and litigate for damages caused by the ALF, the attorney would be best.
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Pamstegman, why do the ombudsmen back out when a lawsuit is filed? Sounds like this lady needs another trip through a nursing home to build her up again and get the pressure sore to start healing up. I'd be pissed, too and after some compensation for their neglect.
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Good for you! But I will tell you, as an Ombudsman, that once you file the lawsuit, we are no longer in the picture and the lawyers go toe-to-toe.
Your mom needs a good 24/7 nursing home, she is beyond what ALF's are capable of providing. Get the best lawyer in town.
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I believe that your dear mom needs a skilled nursing facility.

I don't know what the regs in Maryland are regarding what ALS can provide but it sounds as though your mom might be a "two person assist" for transfers and that is best done in a nh. This might ultimately be the reason she had to wait so long.
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