No More Flowers Sunday

I went to George Pearson Centre for a walk with the doggies and to deliver pots of Kalanchoes to a few residents. I arranged for three pots to be given to Randy Michael Walker. As I was leaving at 2:45 a security guard runs up to me and tell me that I cannot give Randy any more flowers. Yesterday I was told that he had only one plant so three bright red plants won't be too much for his room considering I was told that he was given a special table dedicated for flowers. But then since I haven't been able to go and see Randy's area, maybe the table was never there and all the flowers I have been sending him were being thrashed. Liz was the charge nurse on duty today and told security that I could not give Randy flowers. The said nurse did not call me back after I left her a telephone message to call me at 3:00 p.m. But then the staff never phones me. It is as if they are told that they are not allowed to talk to me. As for friendships, I asked a woman who has been there for one year if she had made friends at George Pearson. She was on the sidewalk. She said no; this echos what Randy told me last week. I asked her why and she said it she didn't know. How can residents make true friends within George Pearson Centre when they can't even associate with each other as no one takes the first introductory step to introduce themselves as doing so is against the rules.

I Made a Terrible Mistake Part 1

I made a terrible terrible mistake. From the very beginning of my suspected problems with Vancouver Coastal Health I should have diarized everything on the blog. The events of this past week only reinforced by regret.

After the long Easter weekend in which I wasn't allowed to see Randy I arrived at George Pearson Centre at 1:00 p.m. to see Randy. I was advised that Randy did not want to see me. I told the staff member that was impossible. She said that Randy did not get out of bed. Why was he still in his bed at 1:00 p.m. He should have been dressed and in his wheelchair which is the routine at 9:00 a.m. The RN on Tuesday was Helen who had told me prior to my banning that she was always able to get Randy up into his wheelchair each day. So why wasn't she able to get Randy up. I was invited to wait for thirty minutes in case he changed his mind. He didn't. I was so angry that I proceeded to leave and a staff member said to me that if I had done anything (like walk down the hall to see Randy) it would have jeopardized further visiting rights. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to make the decision to leave as there were three security guards outside the piano room which was reserved for the three hours I was scheduled to visit Randy. Randy has always been motivated by money. I couldn't even get him to take out the garbage unless I gave him $10.00. So I went into my wallet and pulled out $30.00 and told the staff member to tell Randy I would give him $30.00 if he got out of bed and came to see me. The staff member refused. I then left. On Thursday the next scheduled visiting day I asked Randy if he told the staff that he didn't want to see me. He said NO. Although Randy cannot speak, he can move his head to indicate yes or no. But then Randy had brain damage so he could have said NO when he meant YES. The point is if Randy is of sound mind which Vancouver Coastal Health has assured me he can make his own decisions, then he is a capable man over twenty-one (he is 54) he can tell me face-to-face that he doesn't want to see me. Randy is not a stupid man. I suspect he was upset at me because I wasn't able to go and see him for a period of four days over the Easter weekend and he decided to make an issue of that. Or maybe he thought that I should go and see him in the ward bypassing security. But that was impossible as a staff member told me that she had to protect the other residents from me. I have talked to some of the residents from Pearson up by Oakridge mall (those that have power wheelchairs and hang out on the street) and none of them knew who I was or that they were afraid of me. I remember asking two of those residents if they would talk to Marion at GPC and tell her they were not afraid of me and was told by both that they would not do so as no one helped them. What a terrible institution that creates an environment that the residents do not help each other with something as simple as the truth. Oh, yes, there is also a legislated Residents Council who won't intervene as well. On one occasion outside GPC when I asked the friend of Joy who is the President of the Residents Council to take a bouquet of flowers to Randy he ran from me as if I was a leper. Prior to my banning this man and I talked often and he told me that he had been visiting Joy for over twenty years and that prior to his retirement he had worked at George Pearson Centre.
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Cruelty Inc.

I just left Randy after I visited him from 1:00 to 4:00 in the piano room at George Pearson Station. When I told him I could not see him until Monday he got angry, combative, and agitated. He kept shaking his head. No. No. No. When the nurse forced the wheelchair into the hallway, Randy put the brake on the wheelchair. He did not want to leave me.

What kind of cruel sick system do we have that treats a grown man with such contempt. I found out today that Dr. Perry Kendall, Provincial Health Officer, is responsible for this state of patient imprisonment.

George Pearson Centre is not a hospital; it is an extended care facility: a resident's home. It cannot take Randy's rights away from him without due process. The due process exercised here was that of a bully visitor who managed to engage other wanabee bullies to cause grief just for the sake that they can do it. I cannot forgive them.

In Vancouver Coastal Health's Workplace and Human Rights Policy it states Step # 1 ... Persons who experience disrespectful conduct or discrimination are strongly encouraged to engage in a conversation with the other person (s) to clarify and resolve the concerns. Although I asked for this, I was told that it was impossible.

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Easter Weekend

When I spoke to Randy on Thursday that I would not be able to see him over the Easter weekend four days because George Pearson Centre won't let me, he became very angry and tried to get out of his wheelchair as he attempted to pull out his life support tubes from his body so he could go home with me. It is still haunting his eyes in terror not wanting this to happen. Whatever the perceived wrong I did is pale to the pain Randy is suffering. Being a prisoner in his own body and the George Pearson Centre making it worse. Besides Randy what about me. All I am doing is crying, I can't sleep, and I keep having flashbacks to what caused this injustice and it is an injustice. By its own Respectful Workplace and Human Rights Policy Vancouver Coastal Health has violated both mine and Randy's Rights and by such conduct the Rights of every person and their families in residential care.

You Can't Keep A Good Man Down

As I watched Randy leaning over trying to navigate the baby wheels of his new Transporter Chair in an attempt to make it move, I ran over to the drug store and bought him a cane. It didn't take him long to figure out if he pushed the cane on the floor his new transporter chair would move.

VCH devoid of moral reasoning and/or cost benefit analysis

Yesterday I went to see Randy during my restrictive visiting hours. This time I had two securities guards watching me and Randy and at 4:00 p.m. accompany me off the property to the sidewalk. I can't believe this is happening but it is. Since being constructively banned from GPC on March 1st 2011 I must have cost the Vancouver Health Authority $50,000 deflecting from what they should be doing to "making an example" of what I do not know. It isn't security that is costing the money, it is the behind the scenes meetings at the top level of Vancouver Coastal Health at $500 an hour, their lawyers, etc.

And now it is the new $7,000 wheel chair without wheels that was delivered to Randy on Friday. Believe it. It has no wheels; just little tiny wheels like baby strollers have. Nothing to make him self mobile. It is called an egometric transporter chair.

When I see Randy I do not visit. I do the best I can to motivate and one area has been training him to manipulate the loaner wheelchair he had so he could be mobile. When I showed him a $50 bill across the room he went for it. It would take him awhile as he inched towards the $50 bill but he did it.

And the cost of Randy's care to date (10 months) over $One Million only to be denied his mobility and his right of association. Something is terribly wrong. And all the advice I have been given is that I have to play the game. Why. There should be no game to play.
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George Pearson Centre (amended Monday am)

I can't figure this one out. I am Randy's primary caregiver and yet I am being denied the legislated right to give him care. I do not take kindly to be falsely accused of things, nor being denied my rights, nor not being able to carrying out my duties as Randy's caregiver. I need access to him 24 hours a day so I can assure myself that he is alive and getting adequate care.

Since the reason for my banning is that the residents are

afraid

of me, I find this incredible to believe unless they have been programmed to know this by their captures and GPC hiding behind "confidentiality" only makes it worse. I find it impossible to believe that any resident would be afraid of me; least of all 100 of them. Now I am advised that this group has now been expanded globally to include staff, families and visitors (400 more people). I am sure Mary Achenhusen must be at the top of the list.

Yesterday I left a few flowers for Randy with a nurse to give to Randy. The nurse was accompanied by a security guard. I phoned ahead and said I would be on the sidewalk @ 2:00 p.m.and would someone come and get the bouquet. Bizarre. All this over a 65 year old lady weighing <120 pounds 5'1" with no marital arts training who only wanted to be friendly. Nothing worse is going to a residential care facility and the only thing you see are residents in bed watching television 24/7. Where are their families.
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