Is Imprisoning veterans Standard Operating Procedure at Grand Rapids Home for Veterans?

It sure is starting to look that way.

News Flash : Dr. Bates denies Veteran his medication when he decides to leave Vets home and return to his home with his wife.

Let me introduce you to Another Fred, who just recently came to GRH4V. Fred is a disabled Nam Vet, who lost his legs.

Fred was here just under a month, and hearing about all the atrocities that have occurred in the last 2 years here under the Sara Dunn Administration, Fred decided to leave the vets home and return to his home.

I am told that Fred is diabetic. That he has some mental problems dealing with stress, and needs counseling.  No other major medical conditions exist.

So when he told them he was returning home, the staff got up set.

And today his wife came to get him, so that he would not be here for the month of august. If he is here even one day, they can charge him for the whole month.  August 1st is tomorrow.

Upon leaving the home, Dr. Bates refused to give Fred needed medication, saying his leaving was against medical advice. Now Fred has to stop at a VA center and try to get some, or the local hospital E-unit.

What we do not understand is this: Why does it appear that Grand Rapids home for veterans has a standard operating procedure to refuse people their RIGHT to leave when they choose? Why has the home appeared to have taken a stance that once you are here, you are incompetent and should never leave?

Fred is NOT the first person to go thru this kind of a situation. In Dom unit, another guy was told to give up the meds he got from the VA hospital, or leave.  He refused to give the VA hospital meds to the Dom unit nurses, because on the Dom unit, we medicate ourselves and KEEP our own meds. The only reason a nurse would ask for them is to take them away - and Richard refused to stop taking them, citing the need to from the VA medical staff who prescribed them.

So he was forced to leave and is now preparing a lawsuit against the homes administration.
In the mean time, the home has him listed as being on furlough (vacation) and refuses to release his medical records to the VA clinic, or VA hospital so that he can get his medication renewed.

Every time some one here, wants to leave this place, the home tells them it is against doctors orders, and threatens them with denial of future benefits and such.

I  think it all amounts to a standard operating procedure of once they get here, never let them go and that is called imprisonment.

Lies, thieving, and the same ole crud, different day.

I have been told by 3 different sources about the upcoming carnival, which will be held here for members, this next Saturday, the 28th.  

Apparently One of the tents of one of the groups, will be filled with clothing from where? The members clothing store!  That's right. The group sponsoring the tent, will fill their tent with items donated by the public, and they will give the impression that THEIR group donated the clothing items..  Talk about Misrepresentation and out right lying to the veterans.

Also in the news.  Sara Brooks, one of the main volunteer people, has a storage area in the Mann basement area. Apparently another individual has been given access to it, and this person named Walter, has been accused before, and reportedly caught before, stealing donated things. Well, now that Walter has access to Sara Brooks' storage area, she is now claiming things are coming up missing.  And now a new security camera has been placed down there to catch the crook.

Also, talking of stealing stuff. I personally have witnessed the Catholic priest, drive up to the main entrance, go into the building, go into the chow line, (he paid for his meal) and take the entire tray and everything out to his car and take off, on more than one occasion.

Well, its the same ole garbage going on around here.. I have some positive news from another group, but they have not yet given me the OK to make the announcement.. 

One Bad Apple DOES ruin it for the rest.

<<<  Nice new toaster, eh? Less than 4 months old. Some IDIOT decided to use it improperly as a tray heater and the result was he ended up melting the top, thus making it a fire hazard.

At the Dom Meeting, the Activities person Dianna said she would replace this one, the 2nd in 6 months, abut that if it happened again, the veterans themselves would have to replace it.

Notice to this effect was posted on the walls of the 3rd floor Dom unit Pantry and within 6 hours, some idiot had already defaced the notice. Within 2 days the notice was torn down.

The people on DOM are supposed to be adults. Apparently we still have a few children.

1 bad apple is going to get the 3rd floor pantry privilege taken away.

Update to Stealing from Veterans, posted on March 23rd, 2012

This is an update about Fred.
We have given up trying to help Fred. He has surrendered his freedom to the conservator Cythia Thornberry and the social worker Karen Fugi.

Whether or not its true, Fred is reporting that the conservator applied for a pension for him from General Motors and was awarded a large sum of money totaling over 100k. Fred was all excited that he had that money until we pointed out to him that unless his social worker and conservator approved of it, he would not be able to even touch one dime of it.. so in effect, it was not his money to use as he saw fit.

Fred bought a used power wheel chair from another member who got a new one. The home will not let him have it until he leaves here, so he reports.

Fred continues to drink his 5th of RUM every day.. that is why they take away his power chair. He never ran into anyone, cussed any one out or anything like that.. he just becomes loud and demands to be at the center of attention when he gets drunk.. which can be as early as 9am.

So those of us who tried to help the guy, have given up.

Dom Unit counsel meeting: Stop using a carrot on a stick on us.

The Dom (dormitory) unit recently held its counsel meeting in the APR room, and there were several hot issues brought up.

1. Nurses from other units just walking into members rooms without knocking (when there are signs on the doors that say PLEASE KNOCK), and getting nosy about members areas within those rooms. 

2. The one man who got the computers removed from Rankin 2. Staff said he was just the last item, that they were planning on yanking those computers out anyways, he just gave them the excuse they needed.

3. One bad apple spoiling it for everyone else. Case in point, the computers on Rankin 2. One idiot ruined it for everyone else. Many members (veterans) are angry that he only lost computer privileges for 30 days. Many think it should be for a whole year.

4. Another bad apple MELTED the top of the toaster in the pantry of Rankin 3. This made it unsafe. They were trying to use it to do something it was not designed to do: heat up a tv dinner tray.  Dianna Knoll, activities person for R3, said she would get it replaced, but that it was the 2nd one this year. And that if this new one got destroyed, the members would have to replace it.

Someone put signs in the pantry stating that, and one of the idiot veterans (one of the bad apples) wrote FU on it..

5. There was a unit picnic the day of the meeting and to be able to go to it, you had to attend the meeting unless you were working a job such as the bait shop, bike shop, poppy room, etc..

  Wayne complained that we should not have to attend a meeting to be able to go to a unit function, such as the picnic. That what the staff was doing was putting a carrot on stick in front of us and that he was very offended by it. Three others agreed with him.

  He also said, that most people do not attend the meetings anymore because staff does not listen and veterans have no say in what happens here, no voice at all. So why go at all?

Wayne is right though. Members listen to staff whine and bitch about things, and when the members offer workable solutions the staff just ignores it all.  We have documented this.

And when members bring up issues that higher administration people need to know, the existing staff that attend these meetings, do not pass the information on to the higher ups.

And I for one, agree. If it is a unit function, then they should be able to go, even if they do not attend the meetings.

Rumors about Donations.

2 people have told me that a local sporting goods business has made several donations and recently found some of them at the "in the image" 2nd hand shop.  And of course, that person was very unhappy about that.

As J told them, to ensure their donations got to the veterans, they needed to give them to a veteran, who would then make sure the proper people get the the items.

Some Members are trying to ensure that donated items get to the vets, and not put on that "in the image" truck.

Also, Greg told me that another acoustic guitar with  soft case, and guitar stand, was donated to the Guitars for Veterans class.

Also,  he obtained another donated laptop and is going over it to see if it is use able by one of the members. If so, Greg will set it up and then give it to the veteran. He is not sure this one will work though as its an older Compaq Presidio that originally ran Windows ME.

We thank those who make such donations.

Thank you Branns Steak house!

Tommy Brann  from Brann's Steakhouse here in Grand Rapids, and his employees came to GRH4V today and did a steak and baked potato cook out  for us.  And these were no mere thin sliced boiled pieces of meat. These were 6 inch diameter chunks of meat, about an inch and a half thick, that looked like half of a softball.   Add a nice 4 inch by 3 inch baked potato, and you got one heck of a meal. Most of us who could, ate 2 of each. Delicious! Those dinners would be 15 to 20 bucks anywhere in town.

Tommy and his group put on one heck of a cook out. I wish we could have them like that every weekend in the summer. It was simply wonderful to have some REAL food for a change, and not the high calorie, high salt, low food value meals we get from our kitchens.

Thank You Tommy Brann, and your group. We hope you return again.

Thank You, Universal Forest Products for Pizza and Bingo.

Well, we had a wonderful day today. Nice, sunny, warm. And Universal Forest Products came and held a bingo outside on the Pavilion next to Kozy Corners.  They brought soda pop, and refreshments, and snacks and cookies for us to eat while we played bingo.

And this was no cheap 1 dollar bingo. They started out with 5 dollar Meijer gift cards, then went to 10 dollar cards, and last 20 dollar cards.

After that they went to cash! Again 5 dollars, 10, then 20, and then they gave away 3, 50 dollar cash prizes for bingo.

After an hour and a half of giving out money, they then brought us Pizza. WOW.  All the time we played, the folks from Universal served us; we didn't have to leave our seats. They did a great job of it.

We veterans had a great time, and really appreciate it when some group comes in and does a bingo and lunch like Universal Forest Products did.

I for one, did not win at bingo, even though every time I had 3 or more ways to win. LOL, ya can't win them all.  But I did have a good time talking with friends and eating pizza afterwards.

So on behalf of my fellow veterans and residents of the home here, We say THANK YOU Universal Forest Products! We hope to see you folks again.

Lets talk Hipocracy.

As of today, you will need an ID to leave a comment. I decided to change this after a very obnoxious moron decided to try to flame my tail. His/her comment looks like someone did an Internet search on my ID, and cut and pasted a few points and used them to try to discredit what I am doing here.

This blog, as it says, is for the purpose of bringing to the public, news about the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, that many veterans believe the administration here does not want made public. And we believe the public who is paying for this place, has a right to know how their money is being wasted.

To be fair, I have made it possible for ANYONE to leave a comment, to correct the record. So far every comment has been published, and only 2 edited to protect the Identity of the people whom posted the comments.

I believe that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so I am hoping this blog will bring about some positive change. And by my count, it has in 3 separate situations. So lets get on to the absurd comment left by someone who claims I am a hypocrite, while he/she also remains anonymous which I think is hypocrisy in and of itself. At least my ID can be checked and tracked.

 Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "It's a MIRACLE! Stinky forced to shower. Update #3...":

You are so concerned about your fellow veterans by calling them names and taking pictures of them. You have no idea what this man may have been through or his mental status. You are not a nurse or health practitioner.

No, I cannot use his real name, nor full name, nor can I show you his face.. but the rest I can do. Veterans of the Dom unit have tried going thru proper channels, writing up complaints on the Yellow incident forms, and filed them with the proper people for the last 2 years. NOTHING was done. They even threatened him with a military scrub down so the staff had the fire hoses removed from the Dom unit.

All we wanted was for him to start taking showers once a week.

This man was like typhoid mary, spreading germs around a unit where people were trying to recover from serious illness and major surgeries.  . Last year the clothing he wore literally rotted off his body before he changed clothing. And he was a human stench bomb. Several people threw up, that is they barfed, vomited,  after they got on the elevator after he got off, including a 72 year old WWII veterans wife who lives with us as a dependent. One veteran named Richard would not let Stinky ride the elevator with him because of his problem. The staff refused to help him, nor get him help. It took an incoming nurse who transferred from another unit to make him start taking showers and cleaning himself.

If you want to live and work with someone like that, be my guest. It should NOT BE HAPPENING here.

 
How old are you? 40 something? Maybe if you wouldn't have eaten yourself into obesity, were more productive in life, stopped sucking the life out of your family, especially your mother, freeloading off anyone you could, quit preaching about court cases you only are aware of secondhand, quit feeding into rumors, taking advantage of guitars for vets, posting completely bogus information, feeling like the world owes YOU, and stopped blogging with others about harry potter games (and other gaming systems), avoiding student loans, avoiding paying taxes and took responsibility for your own condition, you may be productive in life.

I'm closer to 50 My weight problem is directly related to my medical condition. Sucking life out of my family? My mother? I have never done such a thing. Preaching about court cases I was only aware of second hand? I have read more court cases than you can count kiddo. How many law books have you cracked open, only to find there are no pictures for you to color?

And what information is completely bogus? Can you be more specific? If so, perhaps I can post your corrections to what I have posted, IF you have anything of value to add. 

And How am I taking advantage of Guitars for Vets? I attended class, and learned how to play guitar. It is for veterans after all.. so what was I supposed to do? Avoid it? Come on man or woman, which ever you are, your claim doesn't even have one ounce of merit to it. 

Also, when have I ever blogged about Harry Potter? Where do you get this stuff? As for taxes, tax avoidance is your right, tax Evasion is a Federal Felony, a crime.   I should know this first hand as the government has tried 3 times to get me convicted and all 3 times the judges threw out the cases. 1 state, 2 federal.

I have been productive in life, and up until 2008, was doing a pretty good job of it. But then NAFTA destroyed what remained of my American dream. And at least I was a productive Citizen paying taxes, unlike some of these state workers that just show up to get a paycheck here. My god it burns my butt to think my taxes are paying for some of these people to sit around and collect 80k a year.

 
The reason you are in this situation is because YOU created it. You are responsible for you obesity, unemployment and laZiness. 

My Unemployment is due to NAFTA, Michigan's bad economy and now my health condition that does not allow me to return to work. And for your information, I worked 55 hours the last week I worked, and when I got laid off perminantly. 55 was a standard work week for us. How many do you do? I did 50-60 hours per week for 7 years straight.

Start owning your own mistakes and work to be on your own.  You preach and preach and preach about all the wrongs done to you. How long were you in the service? 6 months? did you see any combat???? NO!

Now how would an idiot like you have any idea how long I was in? It was more than 6 months and yes I saw combat, was IN combat, but we were never given credit for it because we were not "officially" part of it.  Also, if I was in only for 6 months I would not qualify to be able to go to the veterans home. DUH. How long did you serve? 3 minuets down at the AFFES station when you found out you had to pass an intelligence test to get into the army? Or did you run away when you had to drop your pants and spread em for a VD check?

Quit spreading your lies, laziness, and wrong information! 

  
Again I ask you, what information is wrong? And what is a lie? Be specific so I can correct them. If not, shut up, and whine somewhere else.

You are today, a bitter, nosey, angry man that has lost everything due to your own actions. Not the student loan companies, your family, your wife, your kids, taxes, etc. 

Yes, I am bitter and angry that my country sold my generation out. I have every right to be that way so get over it.

Wife? Kids? See what I mean folks, this poster doesn't even know me, only what they think they found on the Internet.. Nice try though.. 

Millions of others have been in the same boat, especially as young as you are, and pulled themselves out of it. Quit posting your negative false notions and try to better yourself!

Millions? Are you off your really hard medications this week? Sounds like it. You talk of hypocrisy, yet you refuse to identify yourself.. You remind me of Dan, the guy from Misc.taxes, a news group on Usenet. No, not millions have been in the same boat, many are not veterans. Many do not live where I do, so I will continue to do what I can to try to get changes for the better to occur here.


Now if you have something more specific to add, lets say, exactly the information you claim is bogus, or lies, or whatever, and want to correct the record, I will be happy to post that information. Until that time, you are part of the problem, not the solution.


See folks, this is typical of someone who does not want to debate, or have a proper discussion, but rather someone who just wants to spout off. Notice they make accusations, but offer nothing to back up their claims. A proper person would claim that I didn't know squat about something, and then give proof.  But the individual who left the comment, is just passing gas into the wind.  And I bet they are a liberal democrat too.


 

Vet Advocate to State AG: Veteran imprisoned at Vets Home by abusive Guardian laws.

It has been rumored by 3 different people, none of which was the advocate who is doing the filing, that a Constitutional Rights violation is occuring at the Veterans home on one of the Veterans.

You have read in this blog about Richard Ware's case. Now a complaint that he is being imprisoned here against his will, by the corrupted Guardian laws and a corrupt guardian and a State of Michigan Judge, is being filed with the State Attorney General.

Allegedly named in the complaint are Grand Rapids Home for Veteran Counclor  Karen Fugi, for her roll in suggesting Cynthia Thornbury be appointed Richard Ware's guardian. It seems Karen Fugi is responsible for getting her friend Cynthia Thornbury appointed as guardian for a number of veterans, many of whom are afraid to speak up out of fear of being expelled from the home - which is the last place they have to live.

Michigan Guardian Cynthia Thornbury is also named, for her refusal to cooperate with the Advocate, for her refusal to explain where proceeds from the sale of Richard Ware's car went to, and where 30 thousand dollars disappeared from his bank account, among other things. Also, recently Cythia Thornbury imposed her will and told the Federal VA that Richard does NOT live at his house, that his house address is NOT his address.  She has blocked his resources (funding) from being transferred to Richards wife over Richards objections.  She has all but caused both Richard and his wife Cheryl to loose their home, which is still being paid for.

Also named is Family court Judge David Murkowski, Chief Justice. Apparently it is Murkowski that has declared Richard to be incompetent or some kind of status like that, that prevents Richard from leaving the veterans home.  The federal VA tests show Richard is competent. Also, Murkowski's ruling almost destroyed the family unit, instead of protecting it. Murkowski also fined a lawyer representing Mrs.Ware, because the lawyer was doing his job. That is a sure sign of corruption in the Murkowski court room and needs to be investigated.

It's a MIRACLE! Stinky forced to shower. Update #3.

Amazing. This picture of stinky was taken yesterday when it was 97 degrees outside. Today we hit 100.

Recently a nursing assignment was changed, and the Dom unit lost Annette, the usual day nurse. We still have Kathy at night.

Annette was replaced by Jan, who worked this unit before. Well today Jan FORCED Stinky to take a shower and change his clothing, and bedding.

I saw Stinky about 20 min's ago and he looked clean and nice in his cleaner clothing.. but he was one very unhappy man.

Apparently Jan got on the elevator with him and his stench made her gag.

It is a shame that Annette or Kathy did not have the guts to do what Jan did.

Those of us on our unit, Salute Jan, give her 2 thumbs up, and Thank her for her dedication to duty. THIS is what we have needed for over 2 years.

Now hopefully it will be a more common experience for him.

Added news: I spoke to an eye witness this morning. It seems that the word came down thru Sara Dunne, acting administrator, that if he refused to take a shower, that he had 30 min's to pack his things and he would be expelled from the home. AND, that he had to start taking at least one shower a week and change his bedding once a week per the Home rules. 

Now if they can do that to a few other people, we will be in good shape here.