Thank
you for allowing me to speak to you all this morning. It would have been
terrific if Richard could have been here but that isn't possible.
Everyday of my life, Richard is with me and it is because of this, that I am
here today. I am looking for accountability for his death as he was
murdered the 21st of May, 2014. I am Cheryel, Richard's wife of over 25
years. I hold the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans accountable for killing
my husband.
When
Richard entered the Home in August 2010, he was a 100% service connected
disabled veteran. He suffered from many health issues which forced me to
place him there. A mistake I will take to my grave.
To
my horror, the Home contacted the Kent County Court where an application for a
court appointed guardian was filed. It didn't matter to the Home that
Richard had two adult children or a loving wife. In January, 2011,
Richard was given Cynthia Thornbury as his court appointed guardian and
conservator. I think you need to know that Mrs. Thornbury has also been
appointed to represent many other veterans at the Home as well. She is
well acquainted with the Social Workers at the Home and uses that to her
advantage when dealing with the veterans.
Within
a year, I fought to keep us married as the guardian wanted us divorced. She
sold my husband's car to help pay for the divorce that didn't happen. My
husband didn't want a divorce but yet the guardian used his money to pay over
$16,000 for a divorce lawyer. Medical records reveal that Karen Fuji,
Social Worker, repeatedly asked my husband if he wanted this divorce and he
consistently replied with a resounding NO.
As
Richard didn't want the divorce, he was constantly asking his guardian to stop
the proceedings. The guardian felt that I was behind this so she convinced a
judge to keep us apart. This no contact order lasted 14 months. I
approached Gary Davis and Sara Dunne with this, begging for their help.
They refused.
My
husband wanted this guardian removed and asked me to petition the court to be
his guardian. I did as my husband asked. He approached Karen Fuji asking for
her help. She refused. FYI. The guardian used my husband's
money to hire an attorney to keep her job. The court denied my petition to have
her removed. Again, my husband lost and Judge David Murkowski of the Kent
County Probate Court approved the guardian using my husband's money for this
purpose. For my husband, he was now a prisoner at the Grand Rapids Home
for Veterans.
My
husband was very angry with everything that was happening to him. The Home
decided to drug him so he wasn't so upset. They put him on several different
drugs until they decided on the drug Depakote. Depakote turned him into a
zombie. He couldn't carry on a decent conversation with anybody. He developed
further signs of dementia which is a side effect of taking this drug. He also
developed a persistent intestinal problem which turned into C-Diff. This
drug was prescribed by Dr. Mark Bates, and approved by the guardian.
In
January 2014, my husband decided to stop taking the drug. He knew he had to be
careful doing this as he was threatened with losing his electric scooter if he
didn't take it as prescribed. He would give the medical staff the impression he
was taking it and then go to his bathroom and spit it out.
In
March of 2014, at a routine care conference, his guardian and the medical staff
commended him on how much he had improved, that his episodes of anger were
gone. Nothing was said to the staff at this time that he hadn't been taking the
drug.
Towards
the end of March, Richard developed a bad case of pneumonia and was
hospitalized for 10 days. At that time, I discussed with Richard the need to
"let the cat out of the bag" about the Depakote not being taken. He
agreed and all parties involved, including those at the Home and at Metro
Health were informed of my husband's actions.
Richard
returned to the Home where he was forced to again, take the Depakote. It was
ground up and put in his applesauce. There was no way he could refuse taking
it. When he asked why after he was told he was doing so good at his March care
conference, he was told that it was because of his "history of
anger". He either take the drug or lose his electric scooter.
Richard
developed a persistent case of diarrhea, a side effect of the drug. A mattress
that I had purchased for him so he would be more comfortable, had to be
disposed of as he had an accident in his bed.
On
Saturday, May 17, the Home was concerned about a low oxygen saturation and had
him transferred to Metro Health. In the ER that morning, it was discovered that
he still had a slight case of pneumonia. They treated it aggressively with
antibiotics. No mention was given to the staff at Metro about the intestinal
issue. Richard and I were told that he would be there over the weekend as they
were confident that the pneumonia would be reversed.
On
Monday evening, I went up to see Richard and his abdomen was severely extended.
Metro had him on a no food or liquid intake, hoping to solve this problem. That
night, Richard aspirated. His colon had shut down and everything was backed up
into his abdomen and now was in his lungs.
I
received a phone call from his guardian Tuesday morning that it was decision
making time. Either he be allowed to die in peace or they remove the colon. I
insisted on talking with a doctor as I made preparations to go to the hospital.
She
wanted me to tell her my decision which I couldn't do until I talked with a
doctor.
I
arrived at the hospital. I talked with the doctor who admitted him. I talked
with his doctors in the ICU and a surgeon. It was decided that we would give
Richard a fighting chance and all parties involved agreed on the removal of his
colon.
The
surgery was a success. From all signs, Richard was going to be okay. Everybody
was optimistic.
I
left the hospital about 9:30 that Tuesday night with hope.
I
received a phone call at 12:13 Wednesday morning to inform me that after 90
minutes of trying to revive my husband, he was gone. My husband of over 25
years of marriage, was dead.
On
his death certificate, the cause of death is C-Diff. This is a direct
result of the drug Depakote. A drug that the medical staff at the Home
insisted he take. Demanded he take. Who is accountable for this?
Over
the past four years, I have tried many times to contact members of the State
legislature about all that has happened to my husband and family. My
phone calls and e-mails were ignored, repeatedly. I am hoping now, that
this Committee, as a whole, will use their power and their ability to make
significant changes at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.
The
Home killed my husband. No doubt in my mind or the minds of our sons as well as
many others that this is what happened here. You can't save my husband. He is
with God. What happened to my husband is also happening to other
veterans at the Home.
My
questions to you are this. Can you .... are you willing ..... to save other
veterans from the same fate that killed my husband? Are you willing to do
something to ensure this does not happen to any other veteran in the future?
My
sons and I are demanding that somebody be held accountable for the murder of my
husband and their father.
As
members of our State Legislature, you have the power to make changes in how our
veterans are being treated at this Home. You have the power to stop guardian
abuse. The Court has only added to the problem by appointing guardians who are
abusing our veterans. This needs to stop. Can we count on your
help?
Showing posts with label Michigan Guardian abuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michigan Guardian abuse. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Friday, August 15, 2014
Is Systematic Abuse by State Appointed Guardians and family court helping to cause early deaths of veterans at the Michigan Veterans Home?
If you are an adult, and you are married, who comes first? Your spouse, right?
What if you become ill and need help and go to the hospital, and the hospital administration decides you need a court appointed guardian, what then?
What if the State court just decides to revoke the power of attorney you gave your spouse, and appoints a guardian over you, without a hearing? Is this not due process abuse?
And what if you have been married for over 45 years to the same man, and the guardian refuses to allow you to VISIT him?!! And sells your family home forcing you into a nursing home? Is this not abuse of not only your husband veteran, but you as well?
And what if that guardian immediately files for a divorce that neither you nor your spouse wants? Would you call that abuse by the guardian?
And what if that divorce never happens, but 20,000 of your money is spent on lawyer fees? Is this not abuse of your MONEY by the Guardian?
Or what if the guardian tells the home to make you take a psychotic drug, because the guardian is tired of you as a veteran, standing up for your rights, objecting to the presence of the guardian, and the decisions they are making on your behalf, for which you feel are not the right decisions? Is this abuse?
And during your time under this guardian, your ID is stolen 3 times, resulting in your credit history being ruined, the guardian sells your car, but cannot account for the money. Is this also abuse?
And what if someone calls your Home Mortgage company, claiming to be your wife, wanting to refinance your home, but finds out since they don't have the security code, they cannot proceed? Is this Abuse of the person? It is fraud, and it is a felony to misrepresent ones self as someone else in such legal matters. And it has happened more than once.
What if that Guardian instead of consulting your wife on maters, calls your Mother and Sister who both do not like your wife of 35+ years; and conspire with them for a full funeral, which you and your spouse do not want. The guardian puts a large sum of your money down as a deposit for a funeral that you don't even want. IS this Abuse?
And instead of returning your belongings and finances to your wife, the guardian sends them to your Mother who has no legal right to them, is this not abuse (of the family by the guardian)?
What about over drugging you, or forcing you to take drugs you do not need, denying you the right to a second opinion, (from someone other than the homes medical staff), is this NOT abuse of the Veteran??
These abuses and the stress from having to endure this kind of treatment by people who are supposed to be helping you and looking out for your best interests, has terrible effects on the health of these veterans. It wears them down fast, and leads to an early grave.
These are abuses that have happened to various veterans who USED to live at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. They are dead now. And its still happening to many other veterans at the Home.
An investigation of how many veterans are appointed Guardians needs to be called for by members of the US Congress. And abuse of these veterans by the State family court, and the Guardians and/or conservators, needs to be investigated fully due to the fact that the State government won't lift a finger to help these veterans.
Local law enforcement refuses to get involved or take any complaints by veterans or their families. In stead they are referred to the State Attorney General, who represents the State in such matters, not the veterans. The veterans have no voice, no Ombudsman to speak for them. No one.
Karen Fugi (SP?), a counselor at the home, is one whose name keeps coming up as the person who has made the recommendations for guardianship.
The State Appointed guardian whose name keeps cropping up as letting these abuses happen is Cynthia Thornberry, (SP?)
And the state judge who took away the spouse's rights is State Family Court Judge David Murkowski whom himself has abused families and veterans, by doing what he calls "helping them".
Yeah right. They are helping themselves to the Veterans Money, and sending the Veteran to an early grave. That is not helping them.
What if you become ill and need help and go to the hospital, and the hospital administration decides you need a court appointed guardian, what then?
What if the State court just decides to revoke the power of attorney you gave your spouse, and appoints a guardian over you, without a hearing? Is this not due process abuse?
And what if you have been married for over 45 years to the same man, and the guardian refuses to allow you to VISIT him?!! And sells your family home forcing you into a nursing home? Is this not abuse of not only your husband veteran, but you as well?
And what if that guardian immediately files for a divorce that neither you nor your spouse wants? Would you call that abuse by the guardian?
And what if that divorce never happens, but 20,000 of your money is spent on lawyer fees? Is this not abuse of your MONEY by the Guardian?
Or what if the guardian tells the home to make you take a psychotic drug, because the guardian is tired of you as a veteran, standing up for your rights, objecting to the presence of the guardian, and the decisions they are making on your behalf, for which you feel are not the right decisions? Is this abuse?
And during your time under this guardian, your ID is stolen 3 times, resulting in your credit history being ruined, the guardian sells your car, but cannot account for the money. Is this also abuse?
And what if someone calls your Home Mortgage company, claiming to be your wife, wanting to refinance your home, but finds out since they don't have the security code, they cannot proceed? Is this Abuse of the person? It is fraud, and it is a felony to misrepresent ones self as someone else in such legal matters. And it has happened more than once.
What if that Guardian instead of consulting your wife on maters, calls your Mother and Sister who both do not like your wife of 35+ years; and conspire with them for a full funeral, which you and your spouse do not want. The guardian puts a large sum of your money down as a deposit for a funeral that you don't even want. IS this Abuse?
And instead of returning your belongings and finances to your wife, the guardian sends them to your Mother who has no legal right to them, is this not abuse (of the family by the guardian)?
What about over drugging you, or forcing you to take drugs you do not need, denying you the right to a second opinion, (from someone other than the homes medical staff), is this NOT abuse of the Veteran??
These abuses and the stress from having to endure this kind of treatment by people who are supposed to be helping you and looking out for your best interests, has terrible effects on the health of these veterans. It wears them down fast, and leads to an early grave.
These are abuses that have happened to various veterans who USED to live at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. They are dead now. And its still happening to many other veterans at the Home.
An investigation of how many veterans are appointed Guardians needs to be called for by members of the US Congress. And abuse of these veterans by the State family court, and the Guardians and/or conservators, needs to be investigated fully due to the fact that the State government won't lift a finger to help these veterans.
Local law enforcement refuses to get involved or take any complaints by veterans or their families. In stead they are referred to the State Attorney General, who represents the State in such matters, not the veterans. The veterans have no voice, no Ombudsman to speak for them. No one.
Karen Fugi (SP?), a counselor at the home, is one whose name keeps coming up as the person who has made the recommendations for guardianship.
The State Appointed guardian whose name keeps cropping up as letting these abuses happen is Cynthia Thornberry, (SP?)
And the state judge who took away the spouse's rights is State Family Court Judge David Murkowski whom himself has abused families and veterans, by doing what he calls "helping them".
Yeah right. They are helping themselves to the Veterans Money, and sending the Veteran to an early grave. That is not helping them.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
How long is Michigan going to continue to allow Court appointed Guardians or Conservators to Destroy Veteran families and Steal Veterans Assets?
How many times have I heard this in the last 5 years? A man goes to the Michigan Veterans Home in Grand Rapids, Mi, and with in a few months a court appointed guardian or conservator, has been imposed upon him and his family.
Yes I said family, as they have to deal with that guardian/conservator as well. And it can be a very highly charged emotional experience as well as very aggravating when you find out that the courts that are supposed to be protecting your rights are violating them and making things worse not better.
And for the rest of this article G/C will mean Guardian and/or a Conservator that is court appointed.
Either way the fact remains that these people are Court appointed Agents. We haven't quite figured out who they are an agent for except perhaps the courts themselves; or maybe the law industry in general. (Meaning judges, clerks, court administration, lawyers, paralegals and CPA's, ect..)
Either way the G/C is a curse upon freedom. They are rarely held accountable for what they do and under Michigans current laws, it is difficult if not impossible to hold them accountable for the damages they do to families and the very people they are supposed to be helping.
And the Michigan Veterans home LOVES to get G/C's imposed on veterans.
As soon as the court appoints a G/C, any power of attorney issued by the veteran to his wife, or other family member is immediately nullified, many times without any hearing or without showing cause as to why that person should no longer be allowed to exercise the power of attorney given to them by the veteran.
This in effect stops the family members from having any say in how their veteran relative is treated, or how his/her money should be spent and for what purposes. The family is effectively shut out of the veterans life except as a visitor IF the G/C even allows that to happen.
On no less than 6 occasions I heard family members complain the G/C was preventing them from seeing their family member. In 3 cases I saw complaints of G/C removing spousal support; support that the wife of the veteran depended upon and had since the day they got married over 30+ years before. The wives were left with nothing, and instantly became financial widows.
If a veteran does not like what the guardian is doing he can fight it by petitioning the courts. Case after case, I have seen this result in the veteran being put on "anger drugs" when the court refuses to remove the G/C, and the veteran gets angry that his freedom and his right to choose and right to consent is being removed from him by some black robbed thug sitting behind a bench claiming to be upholding American Justice.
The staff at the home forces the veteran to take the anger drugs or they impose punishments on him. Sometimes they end up making him take even stronger "zombie" drugs. This is shameful, but is standard operating procedure at the Vets Home. And for several years it was done without qualified medical people. I wonder how many wrongful deaths occurred because of that?
Veterans will find their power chairs or power scooters taken away from them as punishment if they do not take prescribed drugs, or for other behavioral violations such as returning to their unit too late or for going down the hall way too fast when no one else is in the hallway or for any other number of so called reasons.
The fact is when the staff does this, it is not right. The Scooter or power chair is the veterans property and the home takes it from them as punishment??? That is thievery at the very least and is a CRIME. It should also be seen as harassment and abuse of the Veteran. Yet this happens almost daily at the Vets Home.
The only exemption to this is if the power scooter or chair being used is one that belongs to the Home itself; then the home has the right to take it.
How many times have I heard a Veteran or his wife tell me that the G/C is trying to force them to get a divorce? Just about every time. And I think I know why. So they don't have to use the veterans money to pay for the spouse. Because its easier to care for one person, the veteran which is what they are being paid to do. They do not feel they should have to care for the spouse, as they are not getting paid to do that; or are they? When they take on the responsibility of being G/C for the veteran that means they take on the responsibilities that the veteran had, which may include caring for a spouse. But if the guardian doesn't like the spouse, or thinks the spouse is abusing the veteran, (with out any proof) the guardian can use any of the veterans assets to pay for a lawyer to force a divorce on the two people, even if neither party wants it! Now explain that to me. Explain how that is helping the veteran? (Yes this is directed at you Murkowski.)
G/C's can spend unlimited amounts of the veterans money for a divorce lawyer, that does nothing. This has happened to at least 4 veterans that I know of at the home.
When the Veteran tells the G/C he doesn't want the divorce, the G/C may think the wife is influencing the Veterans opinion and get a court order banning the wife from having any contact with her husband. All without a hearing where the wife has the opportunity to speak openly without fear of reprisal from the so called presiding Judge. In 2 cases, wives were kept apart from their husbands for over 14 months.
In 4 cases, the veterans tried with their wives, to get the G/C's removed. In 1 case the G/C was removed and a daughter was appointed G/C. In another the guardian was removed completely. In the other 2 cases, the judge refused to remove the G/C yet did not explain why and when asked in one case, the judge replied he didn't have to explain his decision.
Can you see why some veterans get angry with staff and G/C's? Well, an angry vet is a dangerous vet, in some cases - but not all. Vets with PTSD can go off at any time when angered, so the home forces the vet to take "anger medication". Medication designed to keep them calm even if they have the right to be angry. This creates a lot of unnecessary stress for the veteran. And many times the application of the drugs is done without proper supervision of qualified medical personnel.
Some of the drugs are psychotropic drugs that require a certified licensed Psychiatrist be on staff. Well the home hasn't had one since before 2010 that I am aware of. And yet many veterans were on those kinds of drugs, both in Nursing and Dorm Units.
In the case of a Veteran with a G/C, the veteran is forced to take the drugs, even if doing so goes against the will of the Veteran.
Most of these drugs turn the guys into zombies, and side effects are not monitored as closely as they should be.
In one case, a veteran stopped taking one of those zombie drugs, and for months was spitting it out. Then at a care conference the staff said he was doing great not knowing he was not on the drug.
Only after this veteran went to Outside hospital, did the home find out and when they did, they went ballistic. They made him take the drug he did not need, and their excuse was that he had had anger issues in the past. A few weeks later the man was dead because of what that drug did to him.
The G/C, the medical staff at the home, are responsible for the early death of this veteran, and several others for the same reasons: Forcing them to take medications they do not need.
Also, Veterans at the home do not have the same opportunity as other veterans to go get a second medical opinion if they disagree with the homes medical staff. For the veteran to be able to go over to the vets clinic located next door to the home, they have to get the ok from the home's medical staff. And that doesn't happen very often.
And if the Veteran has a G/C assigned to them, the veteran can't go out on his own to a private doctor at any of the medical centers here in town or anywhere else in Michigan, to get a second opinion.
This is not right either.
If a G/C is challenged and a Petition is presented to the Court for their removal, exparte communication between the G/C and the Judge happens where the G/C is given permission to use the Veteran's money the G/C has control of to pay for any and all legal expenses related to the termination of the G/C. If the Veteran wants to have his G/C removed, his money is used by the G/C for them to keep their job.
In addition, the G/C has control of how medical bills are paid. If the G/C chooses not to use the Veterans insurance, they can make that choice as they control the veterans finances and often this ends up leaving a huge bill for the family. An unnecessary bill for the family that also creates even more distress and anger.
In the case of Veterans at the Home, the G/C may see several different veterans in one day yet she will charge each veteran with individual mileage to and from the Home. In most cases, the G/C does not keep a vehicle log. Many G/C's do not keep proper receipts. When the ward of a G/C dies, the G/C does not contact the family. The extended family is contacted though. It is not uncommon for the G/C to make funeral arrangements for the veteran without informing family members, or the veterans wife. In several cases they did not find out until after their loved one died.
There are cases when a G/C is necessary. When a spouse and children are active in the life of an incapacitated adult, they need to be included in every decision regarding the ward. At the Grand Rapids Home(?) for Veterans, the Home does not like it when anybody other than the G/C inquires about a veteran. The home will refuse to let a wife know what is going on with her husband. The veteran's children are told nothing, all at the whim of the G/C.
And the term incapacitated is a joke. Many times, the courts will label a veteran with this. The veteran may be totally coherent but if a judge decides to the contrary, the veteran loses. I know of one instance where a judge ruled a veteran legally incapacitated because "he didn't know how much money he received every month". To hear a judge scream this in court as his basis for making the incapacitation judgement is ridiculous. This fallacy of the judge hits home when you consider that in many cases, the amount of revenue a veteran obtains each month can change, due to changing benefits being received from several different sources. Some times its hard to keep track of it all.
The Psychiatric hospital south of town called Pine Rest makes an evaluation that the Courts use to decide if a veteran needs a G/C. Many times, a veteran has poor motor control in his upper extremities. If this veteran is told to draw a clock and doesn't make the clock in detail with little arrows and numbers, he fails the test. When they are told to draw a person and the veteran draws a stick figure, they fail the test. You got to wonder how detailed Pine Rest wants this figure to be
The fact is the G/C laws in Michigan are old, outdated and need to be scrapped and re-written for the benefit of the people who get burdened with them. They are destroying lives and families. Right now these laws only benefit the people imposing and administering them.
How much longer are the people of Michigan going to allow this to continue?
Yes I said family, as they have to deal with that guardian/conservator as well. And it can be a very highly charged emotional experience as well as very aggravating when you find out that the courts that are supposed to be protecting your rights are violating them and making things worse not better.
And for the rest of this article G/C will mean Guardian and/or a Conservator that is court appointed.
Either way the fact remains that these people are Court appointed Agents. We haven't quite figured out who they are an agent for except perhaps the courts themselves; or maybe the law industry in general. (Meaning judges, clerks, court administration, lawyers, paralegals and CPA's, ect..)
Either way the G/C is a curse upon freedom. They are rarely held accountable for what they do and under Michigans current laws, it is difficult if not impossible to hold them accountable for the damages they do to families and the very people they are supposed to be helping.
And the Michigan Veterans home LOVES to get G/C's imposed on veterans.
As soon as the court appoints a G/C, any power of attorney issued by the veteran to his wife, or other family member is immediately nullified, many times without any hearing or without showing cause as to why that person should no longer be allowed to exercise the power of attorney given to them by the veteran.
This in effect stops the family members from having any say in how their veteran relative is treated, or how his/her money should be spent and for what purposes. The family is effectively shut out of the veterans life except as a visitor IF the G/C even allows that to happen.
On no less than 6 occasions I heard family members complain the G/C was preventing them from seeing their family member. In 3 cases I saw complaints of G/C removing spousal support; support that the wife of the veteran depended upon and had since the day they got married over 30+ years before. The wives were left with nothing, and instantly became financial widows.
If a veteran does not like what the guardian is doing he can fight it by petitioning the courts. Case after case, I have seen this result in the veteran being put on "anger drugs" when the court refuses to remove the G/C, and the veteran gets angry that his freedom and his right to choose and right to consent is being removed from him by some black robbed thug sitting behind a bench claiming to be upholding American Justice.
The staff at the home forces the veteran to take the anger drugs or they impose punishments on him. Sometimes they end up making him take even stronger "zombie" drugs. This is shameful, but is standard operating procedure at the Vets Home. And for several years it was done without qualified medical people. I wonder how many wrongful deaths occurred because of that?
Veterans will find their power chairs or power scooters taken away from them as punishment if they do not take prescribed drugs, or for other behavioral violations such as returning to their unit too late or for going down the hall way too fast when no one else is in the hallway or for any other number of so called reasons.
The fact is when the staff does this, it is not right. The Scooter or power chair is the veterans property and the home takes it from them as punishment??? That is thievery at the very least and is a CRIME. It should also be seen as harassment and abuse of the Veteran. Yet this happens almost daily at the Vets Home.
The only exemption to this is if the power scooter or chair being used is one that belongs to the Home itself; then the home has the right to take it.
How many times have I heard a Veteran or his wife tell me that the G/C is trying to force them to get a divorce? Just about every time. And I think I know why. So they don't have to use the veterans money to pay for the spouse. Because its easier to care for one person, the veteran which is what they are being paid to do. They do not feel they should have to care for the spouse, as they are not getting paid to do that; or are they? When they take on the responsibility of being G/C for the veteran that means they take on the responsibilities that the veteran had, which may include caring for a spouse. But if the guardian doesn't like the spouse, or thinks the spouse is abusing the veteran, (with out any proof) the guardian can use any of the veterans assets to pay for a lawyer to force a divorce on the two people, even if neither party wants it! Now explain that to me. Explain how that is helping the veteran? (Yes this is directed at you Murkowski.)
G/C's can spend unlimited amounts of the veterans money for a divorce lawyer, that does nothing. This has happened to at least 4 veterans that I know of at the home.
When the Veteran tells the G/C he doesn't want the divorce, the G/C may think the wife is influencing the Veterans opinion and get a court order banning the wife from having any contact with her husband. All without a hearing where the wife has the opportunity to speak openly without fear of reprisal from the so called presiding Judge. In 2 cases, wives were kept apart from their husbands for over 14 months.
In 4 cases, the veterans tried with their wives, to get the G/C's removed. In 1 case the G/C was removed and a daughter was appointed G/C. In another the guardian was removed completely. In the other 2 cases, the judge refused to remove the G/C yet did not explain why and when asked in one case, the judge replied he didn't have to explain his decision.
Can you see why some veterans get angry with staff and G/C's? Well, an angry vet is a dangerous vet, in some cases - but not all. Vets with PTSD can go off at any time when angered, so the home forces the vet to take "anger medication". Medication designed to keep them calm even if they have the right to be angry. This creates a lot of unnecessary stress for the veteran. And many times the application of the drugs is done without proper supervision of qualified medical personnel.
Some of the drugs are psychotropic drugs that require a certified licensed Psychiatrist be on staff. Well the home hasn't had one since before 2010 that I am aware of. And yet many veterans were on those kinds of drugs, both in Nursing and Dorm Units.
In the case of a Veteran with a G/C, the veteran is forced to take the drugs, even if doing so goes against the will of the Veteran.
Most of these drugs turn the guys into zombies, and side effects are not monitored as closely as they should be.
In one case, a veteran stopped taking one of those zombie drugs, and for months was spitting it out. Then at a care conference the staff said he was doing great not knowing he was not on the drug.
Only after this veteran went to Outside hospital, did the home find out and when they did, they went ballistic. They made him take the drug he did not need, and their excuse was that he had had anger issues in the past. A few weeks later the man was dead because of what that drug did to him.
The G/C, the medical staff at the home, are responsible for the early death of this veteran, and several others for the same reasons: Forcing them to take medications they do not need.
Also, Veterans at the home do not have the same opportunity as other veterans to go get a second medical opinion if they disagree with the homes medical staff. For the veteran to be able to go over to the vets clinic located next door to the home, they have to get the ok from the home's medical staff. And that doesn't happen very often.
And if the Veteran has a G/C assigned to them, the veteran can't go out on his own to a private doctor at any of the medical centers here in town or anywhere else in Michigan, to get a second opinion.
This is not right either.
If a G/C is challenged and a Petition is presented to the Court for their removal, exparte communication between the G/C and the Judge happens where the G/C is given permission to use the Veteran's money the G/C has control of to pay for any and all legal expenses related to the termination of the G/C. If the Veteran wants to have his G/C removed, his money is used by the G/C for them to keep their job.
In addition, the G/C has control of how medical bills are paid. If the G/C chooses not to use the Veterans insurance, they can make that choice as they control the veterans finances and often this ends up leaving a huge bill for the family. An unnecessary bill for the family that also creates even more distress and anger.
In the case of Veterans at the Home, the G/C may see several different veterans in one day yet she will charge each veteran with individual mileage to and from the Home. In most cases, the G/C does not keep a vehicle log. Many G/C's do not keep proper receipts. When the ward of a G/C dies, the G/C does not contact the family. The extended family is contacted though. It is not uncommon for the G/C to make funeral arrangements for the veteran without informing family members, or the veterans wife. In several cases they did not find out until after their loved one died.
There are cases when a G/C is necessary. When a spouse and children are active in the life of an incapacitated adult, they need to be included in every decision regarding the ward. At the Grand Rapids Home(?) for Veterans, the Home does not like it when anybody other than the G/C inquires about a veteran. The home will refuse to let a wife know what is going on with her husband. The veteran's children are told nothing, all at the whim of the G/C.
And the term incapacitated is a joke. Many times, the courts will label a veteran with this. The veteran may be totally coherent but if a judge decides to the contrary, the veteran loses. I know of one instance where a judge ruled a veteran legally incapacitated because "he didn't know how much money he received every month". To hear a judge scream this in court as his basis for making the incapacitation judgement is ridiculous. This fallacy of the judge hits home when you consider that in many cases, the amount of revenue a veteran obtains each month can change, due to changing benefits being received from several different sources. Some times its hard to keep track of it all.
The Psychiatric hospital south of town called Pine Rest makes an evaluation that the Courts use to decide if a veteran needs a G/C. Many times, a veteran has poor motor control in his upper extremities. If this veteran is told to draw a clock and doesn't make the clock in detail with little arrows and numbers, he fails the test. When they are told to draw a person and the veteran draws a stick figure, they fail the test. You got to wonder how detailed Pine Rest wants this figure to be
The fact is the G/C laws in Michigan are old, outdated and need to be scrapped and re-written for the benefit of the people who get burdened with them. They are destroying lives and families. Right now these laws only benefit the people imposing and administering them.
How much longer are the people of Michigan going to allow this to continue?
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