We thought the DLS placement for Naty would be good. We managed to secure a one roommate placement with double staffing. That means, my sister only had one roommate and they each had their own HTS (caregiver). Sounds great, right? Well, since being in the DLS home my sister has had a broken foot, unexplained bruises, scratches, etc. My mother and I have reported these incidents to APS (Adult Protective Services) and filed police reports. It seems to me that no one really cares about people with severe mental disabilities. Especially, if the person is nonverbal. The HTS (caregivers) hired by agencies that contract with the state are hopeless. The state does not regulate the pay HTS staff receive nor does the state have strict guidelines to who opens a agency or how the agencies are run. Basically its out of site out of mind. As long as you have 100K credit line and no felony convictions you can open an agency. Scary, huh? Also, the state always HTS staff to pass prescription medication, this includes psychotropic, valium, seizure meds, etc. In the normal population of people a LPN or RN administers medication. HTS's take a 2 or 4 day class and then the state certifies them. I taught a HTS class before and it's pathetic and scary the quality of people the agencies are hiring to work as HTS's. Also, Oklahoma only does state background checks. That means a offender could come from out of state and get a job caring for your disabled loved one. I always find it amusing that Oklahoma has so many churches and the people profess to be such good G*d fearing people, but seem to turn the blind eye to so atrocities. Do Oklahomans understand the good 'ol boy system only corrupts anything positive from happening? Look at education, teenage pregnancy, elder care, disabled person care the list goes on and on. Oklahoma is higher than the national average for STD's, teenage pregnancy, divorce, illiteracy and bad teeth:-) Sorry I don't mean to be crude, but I'm ashamed to say I was raised in Oklahoma. I want to find solution and create a better Oklahoma. Need help can't do it alone. If parents and guardians of people with severe mental disabilities band together we can make a positive future for our disabled loved ones.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
advocating for adult autism
Were or how do I start and when does it end? The road is so long and so difficult... The battles we take on to secure basic human right and justice for our loved ones, who can not defend or speak for themselves. I just want to scream, cry, shout from the frustration! You see, my younger sister is 30 years old and has severe autism and lives in a DLS group home, in Oklahoma. My sister's name is Natalie, I call her Naty. Naty has always lived at home with my mother taking care of her. Several years ago my mother was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and recently this crippling disease took its toll on my mothers body and she could no longer care for my sister.
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Well, I'm back... I have been thinking all day about my sister. I received a eviction notice from the agency stating my sister has 30 days to move out of the house she is renting with another girl that is mentally disabled. The reason... HTS staff said my sister scratched her room mate. The house is staffed one on one, so there is someone watching the girls all the time. I guess the staff were too busy watching Jerry Springer or stuffing their face.
ReplyDeleteMy sister is on medication and is very easy to redirect and work with if you aren't as dumb as a box of rocks.
My sister has the mind of a 2 year old and in her Plan of Care it states her behaviors are communication based. If you ignore her, talk over her, try to force her to do something you will get a behavior. I think that is pretty normal. I might have a behavior too if I could not talk and people ignored me and acted like I did not exist.
Example: The girls are supposed to eat meals together at the same time and staff continue to feed the girl separate. you can not feed one of the girls and just let the other watch or wait. My sister is like a 2 year old and does not understand. She is also nonverbal.
What I really don't understand is why the state lets the agencies waste money on training people that are not qualified to even take care of themselves, LOL. I remember one time a agency sent a women to work with my sister that had her children taken away... HELLO! The lights are one but no one is home! If the woman had her children taken away what makes you think she can take care of my sister? The woman looked like a street person or crack whore! Seriously, I'm not exaggerating!
When my sister lived at home with my mom there were surveillance cameras in the house. We caught almost all staff neglected or abused my sister. With the cameras we were abled to prosecute on of the girls. Her name is TANAI PACHENCO, she received a felony conviction 2 years after she abused my sister. I had to hound the D.A.'s office to prosecute. The D.A. lost the file 2 times, but we finally got the bitch convicted. What was amazing with Tanai Pachenco is she was caught on video abusing my sister and denied it to the very end and had no remorse. But if you met her you would think she was sooo sweet and caring. That is what you call a sociopath! If you have a loved one that is disabled and can not defend and speak for themselves educate yourself on personality disorders and sociopaths. You will meet alot of nut cases in the HTS/caregiver field. Good book to start with is, The Sociopath Next Door.
The following is a email I received from my sisters case worker and my response to her email. I have changed her name to protect identity.
ReplyDeleteVictoria,
I have inquired about the possibility of a single placement for Natalie. Daily Living Support Services are structured for three consumers to share a home and staff. The result of Natalie’s fair hearing was a temporary approval for a placement with only one roommate. Should Natalie want to move, we will look for a home with a roommate with a plan to eventually bring in a second roommate for a total of three people sharing the home.
This is my response...
Katie,
Natalie does not want to move. Natalie has received a eviction notice and I'm not moving her anytime soon, if we do move. There are a lot of unanswered questions. Marci's eviction notice claimed physical and mental abuse by Natalie. Well, lets get the facts straight. Natalie has the mind of a 2 year old, is dual diagnosed with severe autism and mental retardation (not mental illness) and has cerebral palsy . Natalie has a wonderful team of professional that have worked with her for a very long time and they have not been attacked nor seen Natalie scratch or hit herself. The only thing Natalie will do is bit her own hand. Natalie's behaviors are communication based and are clearly stated in PIP. Natalie is living in a house that is one on one staff and Natalie has one roommate. Natalie is even double staffed on outings and the staff have the support of ETL and a psychologist once a week, along with speech therapy, physical therapy and a OT now. Why is the staff having so many problems and why is Natalie being disregarded as difficult and accused of being the culprit of all the problems in the house? Staff have all this support and one on one staffing and still can not keep Natalie from scratching or stealing food from her roommate?
It is easy to disregard a non verbal person rights, opinion or to even see their side of the story, because it requires work, common sense and willingness to look at the whole picture and confront the real problem.
This is a staffing problem... If Natalie refuses to cooperate, soils her brief, refuses to bath or cooperate she is trying to tell you something. WHat is she trying to tell you? That is the question. Natalie a person and deserves to be treated as such. I will not believe that Natalie has been having behavior issues for no apparent reason or that she is just difficult. If you truly believe that all of a sudden over the past two weeks Natalie has just gone wild with behaviors and is self mutilating, you are disregarding years of work by ETL and Dr. Thomlinson. In other words your saying ETL and Dr. Thomlinson are wrong in their evaluations of Natalie and why she has behaviors.
Logically, sounds like a staffing issue. There is one on one staffing for a reason and I will not see Natalie persecuted for staffing problems.
No... We want to file for a single placement if Natalie is forced to move. We have seen the results of searching for years for a roommate. I want to file for single placement for Natalie. Natalie has already been through too many changes. Our job is to look for the best solution that is healthy and in the best interests of Natalie, not the state. Natalie was in supported living with 2 roommates and the results were disastrous. Now after searching for years for one roommate the results again are disastrous. There is one on one staffing in the house and the staff still do not understand the importance following the PIP. The reason I say that is because I have seen the results of following the PIP and it works. Obviously, this is a staffing issue that needs to be looked into. Natalie is not a difficult person to work with, but does require interaction and a active lifestyle.
Victoria