Mother (93), has dementia, living in Memory Care for last 5 years. We have a Do Not Hospitalize/Do Not Transport order in her chart. Advice?

Your mother has been resident here for five years. The facility is well aware of her standing instructions. It failed to ensure that its staff understood them. As a direct result, an ambulance was called which ought not to have been anyway, AND there was apparently no clinical emergency to justify the decision, and the facility is very distinctly responsible for the expense incurred.

Put it as nicely as you can, by all means, but the bill goes to them. Perhaps the financial pain will concentrate their minds on their communication processes in future.

I fully agree with CountryMouse. Furthermore, in my experience with ALFs and Memory Care with my 92 y/o mother, they ALWAYS call me before they do ANYTHING like call an ambulance! They check her vital signs first, check for signs of bruising or swelling, make sure she's not complaining of any pain, and THEN make the calls. Honest to God, my mother has fallen over 3 dozen times in the past 5 years and they have NEVER sent her to the hospital! She's never had a serious injury as a result of the falls (believe it or not) and the nurse (LPN) was able to determine that without creating hysteria. In my opinion, a CNA has no business making a determination as to whether a resident should be sent to the hospital or not...........that should be made by an LPN who SHOULD be on duty 24/7 in such a facility...even at 3 am.