A lady came from adult protective services and right off the bat was accusing my boyfriend of fraud that someone called and made a report on him, he takes care of this elderly man because his family was never around or would help him so we started helping him my boyfriend does everything for him and there friends for a long long time he even wanted my boyfriend to be his power of attorney and he's in his right state of mind and the power of attorney was notorized and filed. My boyfriend doesn't handle any of this man's money and he takes him to pay his bills, I feel real bad for my boyfriend cause this lady said a lot of bad accusations to someone she has never met and when I heard her tell the old man she thinks we're on drugs that pi**ed me off she doesn't know me and im not part of whatever is going on, I told her off , to have someone that suppose to be professional be so wrong, I don't even take over the counter drugs. The thing is I feel sorry for these caregivers who put there own lives aside to help somebody's else's parent so they can live a life get put in a terrible position because of some upset sibling not getting there way there's nothing in this for my boyfriend and the man he takes care of wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for him. I know that there is elder abuse out there. I think taking care of someone and giving your life up for them should get much more pay than just $12 an hour, a nurse can come out for a half hour and take home 300.00, I like to do something to change that system and give more help to these caregivers
Didn't want to have my name dragged through the mud. Meanwhile, who is caring for Mom while this investigation is happening? I'm sure I would not be allowed to do so if I were under investigation & there was NO ONE to step in if I were removed. Did my dear LPN stop to think about that?? I should have asked her what the plan was..... Oh yes, I'm SURE she had something in place for Mom's continuity of care - yeah, right!! It was those kinds of issues and fears I had.
My step DIL has been a Social worker for over 25+ years. She has worked for both Adult Protective Services and Child Protective Services. She is professional and very concerned about the cases she investigates and handles. She is currently on disability leave. She was assaulted and thrown off a second story porch by a couple who said she was harassing them. Her hip was broken, pelvis shattered and leg broke in two places. The couple were subsequently found to be using drugs and also found to be methamphetamine cookers. They were financially exploiting her elderly grandfather and had two children who were found to be neglected and malnourished. She has had multiple surgeries and months of rehab. She will never be able to walk normally or without support.
My ex is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for the State of Maine and then for West Virginia Adult Protective Services. Even at his level of licensing he has never made more than $45,000. He has 20+ years experience.Never paid overtime for a 60+ hour week. He and his co-workers have a thankless job and many times put in physical danger because of the job they do. My ex was shot in a shootout between two parents and the State Police because my ex had a court order to remove the child from the parents who were documented child sex offenders. He was physically assaulted by a 28yr old man when he came to do a home check on an elderly woman. Social workers are routinely lied about in court and in the community. My ex’s primary job was going with law enforcement to remove vulnerable adults and children from situations that had already been adjudicated by a court of law and the persons found guilty.
For every unfounded accusations there are an equal number that are proven true. Every complaint has to be investigated.
1. Proactively call APS myself. Was advised not to do this because it would raise more red flags than one could count and I would no doubt be investigated further.
2. Contact the hospital who is the parent company for this in-home agency. Was advised not to do this either because LPN would retaliate and ADD whatever details she felt were needed. I was dealing with someone who already fabricated that the house had an odor - what other details would she add? I won't lie. Her story could get bigger by the minute since she already lied once.
3. Contact our state nursing board. Was also advised not to do this because nurses are allowed to call APS if they feel it's needed.
Countrymouse, you mentioned that I should list my claims which can be substantiated. I completely agree with this. I have no proof is the problem. I can't prove the conversations I had with her even took place at ALL - let alone I can't prove the lies, threats, etc. I don't have proof - which is a hallmark of this type of bully - they don't leave a trail behind them. Just like so many of the harassment/bullying/conduct cases in the news these past few months, there's rarely any PROOF - but that does not mean it's all nonsense. It would have been my word against hers - and she's not afraid to lie. That type keeps making stuff up until they achieve their goal. Sad. Not sure why she picked me. Should I have to go through an investigation to prove she's lying? No. And, even if an investigation proved she was lying/exaggerating or being mean, it would not result in disciplinary for her because nurses are allowed to call APS, Period.
So.. where did that leave me? It left me just as vulnerable as I was previously. The most which would have happened to LPN was that she would have been removed from OUR case and the whole thing would have been classified as a "misunderstanding." Any disciplinary records within the company would have been private. They could have told me they fired her & I'd never have known if they did or not. Plus, LPN would just go work somewhere else. People hate this idea... but it happens all the time. Bad ones get shuffled around.
Since she had already been removed from our case and that was the most I could have hoped for anyway, I dropped it.
I had no evidence which would have changed anything for the next family who got her.
Joann29 had an idea that I could have called the insurance company - I agree that might have helped. That is one this I did not think of. But, would it truly have prevented LPN from bullying another family? Not sure.
Overbearing, nasty-minded little Hitlers like that LPN - I can't think of a polite way to put it, basically people who are right up themselves - they are underpaid and under appreciated, and their response to that is to do the minimum they can possibly get away with and to exercise what little power they do have by bullying others.
But here's the thing. Have a little faith in the ability of an averagely good social worker (there are grim exceptions, but they are not as common as the papers would have you believe) to distinguish between grounds for concern and someone out to make trouble.
Because if the LPN makes what you did, genuinely, perceive as a threat, and your response is "be my guest..."
Well, then it's not really much of a threat, is it.
You say "it's insulting to be accused." It can be, yes. But the accusation has already happened, and it's come from someone who frankly could do with a little extra inspection and supervision herself. What remains is the question "is the accusation justified?"; and to repeat: a question is not an accusation.
You'd have thought, just mulling it over, that APS might do well to engage better with their communities so that people stop thinking of them as the local Stasi and are quicker to seek their help before situations have become crises (or worse).
Then you say you fear for the next family this woman lands on. Well. Not much, you don't, do you? If you really did, you would make a formal complaint. Not a complaint about your fear of being reported to APS. A complaint about unprofessionalism that you witnessed and can substantiate.
APS are there to help, protect and support people. If people don't use them properly, they can't do their job properly; and you can hardly blame them for that.
Some people said to me "just let APS come out and see" and I do see the logic there, but it's insulting to be accused & somewhat more insulting to then have to spend time and resources defending myself when I should be caring for Mom.
I did have two reputable character witnesses step in on my behalf. Suddenly the RN who was "too busy" found the time to take power-trip LPN off of our Mom's case. I haven't heard anything from APS. It's been a while, but it still bothers me like i'm traumatized or something. I probably think about it every day to one degree or another. It was very unnerving. I've never before been accused of a serious crime & I wasn't sure how I should feel. Regarding the home care agency, we tried to elevate our complaint up the chain at the agency because we felt LPN was possibly in need of some retraining or mentoring since her job seems to have inflated her ego a little much. However, this agency was so disorganized that there wasn't much of a chain of command for us to appeal to. I should throw in that this agency was loosely affiliated with a major hospital system in my area and they were still this bad. I could have always pushed my complaint further, but I was so afraid of them that I stopped. It kind of turned into a "I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone" type of thing. I fear for the next family that LPN does this to.
I have a feeling a family member has put in a complaint because the man asked ur BF to be his POA. Which he can do. All the BF needed to do was answer to the complaint. No he doesn't handle his money he just takes him to the bank and shopping. A urine test will prove no drugs. You have to realize that a person can file false accusations, its up to the SW to investigate them. She should have talked to the man privately with no outside interference. Her findings maybe in your favor.
I do hope your boyfriend and the man went to a lawyer to draw up the POAs. I know some members have said you can go on the internet and get a form and have it notarized. All the notary is doing is saying it has been proven to them that the man is who he says he is. They don't determine if he is cognitively able to assign someone. A lawyer will make sure the person understands what they are doing and is not being coerced. Personally, I feel more comfortable with a lawyer and the POA is more binding. I also hope ur boyfriend has not been put on this mans bank accounts. As POA, when the time comes when the man cannot think for himself, ur BF will be able to write checks as the POA. This may not be the only time you see APS. The person putting in the complaint may try again using a different set of allegations. You may want the man to start keeping receipts showing that his money is going for his care. Keep a journal. Money withdrawn, money spent. If he pays BF for gas, boyfriend needs to give man a copy of the gas receipt. Its called "covering your ass"
Remember "No good deed goes unpunished". Sad isn't it.
Nurses do not get paid $300.00 per half hour. Registered nurses have far more experience and education than the average caregiver. Caregivers do need to be paid more than they are currently paid.
A report was made to APS that an elderly man was being exploited by a drug addict and his girlfriend.
APS followed it up. Er, yes. What should they have done?
A question is not an accusation. APS tells you that an anonymous person has reported these suspicions. You are able to rebut the allegations, entirely. Good!
At least part of the trouble happens when people take personal, indignant offence at being *asked.*
When it happens again and again, or if you get some zealous twelve year old social worker demanding to know how you're measuring your elder's daily dietary fiber intake, or especially when your demented elder is hollering 'help me! help me!' from his armchair...
Then it becomes very wearing, and demoralising, and you need to get support from people who've been there and understand.
But the solution is not going to be for APS to dismiss reports out of hand, just because the caregiver seems like such a nice young man.
Is your BF getting paid for his caregiving services? By the old man himself or by Medicaid? How does the complaint of $12/hour relate to the APS investigation? (I agree that caregivers do not get paid enough. But nurses do not get $300 for half an hour. A client may be charged that much, but, believe me, the nurse certainly doesn't get that much! There is an entire organization backing the nurse up -- a doctor, a clinic, a billing office, a medical records department, possibly a lab -- that factor into the billing rate.)
I think we need APS, because there really are cases of abuse and fraud that need to be investigated. But if this post is an example of how their employees behave, there needs to be some training overhauls and accountability put in place.
Registered nurses spend 4-5 years in expensive training and study. They deserve their money. What’s needed is an overhaul of the public health system.
Oh! That was done and now everything is worse!