Grand Rapids Home for Veterans: Crime in Progress, part 12

Blame the veterans.

That's the new attitude shown today. We had a guy on one unit that developed a severe skin condition that was making him itch all over. He talked to a nurse, who talked to one of the doctors who work in another unit, because our unit doctor is on vacation. A soothing lotion was prescribed at 10am. The vet tried to get it by 1pm, and could not get it. He went to the Homes director, Sara Dunne, and tried to get it. She called the nurse who was told to go down to pharmacy and get it, because pharmacy said they could not give it directly to the veteran. When the nurse got there, it was not read for pickup. At 7pm, he still had not gotten his lotion and decided that hes had enough of the extremely poor health care that this place is NOT providing. So he got angry and told the 2nd nurse who was then on duty at 7pm, that from that point on he was refusing all health care from this facility and that from now on he would get his health care from another facility or location. He did not tell this writer where he would go, but I am guessing the Coit Street VA clinic that is located just 800 feet east of the Home for Veterans, Rankin building which is the northern most building.

Another veteran who is recovering from a quadruple bypass surgery which occurred in July of 2011, is having a relapse and is retaining fluids. He is taking lasix drugs to make him pee.
Yesterday the chow hall served what they call sloppy joes for dinner. We have mentioned these pathetic sandwiches in this blog before. Ground up meat the consistency of poarrage, with beans added. He could not eat it so he went to subway and got a ham and cheese sandwich, with lettuce, pickle, and green pepper and no dressings. A small bag of regular chips and a 20 ounce diet coke.

Today he went to the same evening nurse to pick up a new prescription for some lotion for his legs, which are dry and chaffing due to the pressure from within from the legs retaining water. He mentioned that he thought he got it figured out that when ever he eats too much salt, he retains. Well yes, the nurse said. She told him that he knew he was supposed to be on a no salt diet since he got back from the surgery, and that he was willingly not following it. She blamed the diet coke and the sub sandwich, and even though she knows the meals provided by the homes kitchen are loaded with salt, blamed the veteran for his condition because once this month he went outside the home to get a meal and because he drinks 2, 20 ounce diet cokes per day. Regular coke has 120 Milligrams of salt per 20 ounce bottle or 4 percent of the daily salt requirement. Diet coke has 70 milligrams, or 3 percent of the salt for 1 day. So if he drinks 2, he gets 6 percent. The nurse says its what is causing him to retain water. What?! 6 percent?! Bull cookies.

THIS is the level of professional "Care giving" we are getting here at the veterans home - and that from a REGISTERED nurse! Instead of doing their jobs, they are now blaming veterans for their conditions. Thank you Kathy.

And what makes it worse, is that this nurse used to work in the Michigan State prison system and is known for telling veterans that inmates at the prisons eat better than the veterans do here.

Shame shame shame..

This folks is why MICHIGAN is BROKE. They are paying fools like Kathy 60k per year for not doing her job.