Marina Kogan

I dropped by Marina Kogan's apartment (604-681-0648) yesterday evening. Charlie Smith wrote about her in the Georgia Straight last Thursday. She is being evicted because her apartment is a bit cluttered (the "bit" came from the landlord in various inspection reports). Marina is no different than other Russian immigrants who have always lived in small spaces which is what social housing is and saves everthing because of economics i.e. she may never be able to afford to buy such an item again. Everything is stacked up neat and tidy and there was no smell of decaying cardboard. All the bulk food was in extra large containers. She mentioned that at the hearing to get her evicted that Eddy the big boss of the Vancouver Native Housing Society said that he wanted her out as soon as possible. Eddy is in the business of housing difficult people and he can't handle her. I spoke to the prior manager of Pendera and he told me he couldn't see any reason why Marina should be evicted. Marina is making no effort to move as she has decided to commit suicide if she is forced out of her home. She is at an age when many retired people do. Eddy is written up on the internet that he makes sure all his tenants are rehoused if one place is not appropriate. So with all the thousands of housing units his non-profit has why hasn't he found one for a 78 year old Russian lady. Better yet negotiate with her to store her extra stuff in an offsite storage unit. A contract could be made listing the furniture items and personal items even the quanity of food Marina is allowed to keep in her small apartment. No matter what. She is not moving. As a side note the Portland Hotel Society who manages many many buildings, NEVER NEVER evicts anyone. The problem with Marina and Eddy is that thers is a clash of cultures. And I suspect he nor anyone from the RTA ever visited her apartment. A RTA Possession Order can be torn-up at anytime by a landlord.

the United Church

I find it distasteful that the United Church hierarchy has decided to close down its low barrier shelter in the DTES at Gore and Hastings. I have always advocated for the shelter as I would tell those that might need help to go there as it never turns anyone away. It was a safe haven and a tirage to services. I thought there was hope for the "others" in our society but the "good" people have destroyed another necessary "evil." Like Rick Matthews of the United Church (if he is still a member) said on CBC this morning that in today's world no stable would take Mary and Joseph.
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The Greater Vancouver Foodbank continued ...

The following is a list of the food given to a single person last week (Dec 8/11):
kit kat chocolate bar $0.69 (Dollarama)
small tin of Gold Seal tuna $2.16 (Safeway)
3 red potatoes small to medium size $1.33 (Safeway)
3 garlic clusters $2.00 (Safeway)
1 large red pepper $1.60 (Safeway)
1 package of fresh sprouts $1.50 (Safeway)
2 overripe tomatoes $1.14 (Safeway)
2 jumbo onions $0.86 (Safeway)
1/2 dozen petit eggs (so small that Safeway does not carry them) $1.00
2 packages of dried noodles $.98 (Safeway)
1 can of chicken noodle soup Campbells $1.09 (Safeway)
1 carton of Sunrype wildberry juice $1.89 (Safeway)
3 tiny apples (so small that Safeway does not carry them) $1.00
Approximate value $17.00
NO DAIRY; NO BREAD; NO BEANS; NO PASTA; NO RICE; NO CEREAL; NO TEA; NO COFFEE
Chicken given to singles for Christmas given the week prior December 1st
Turkey given to familes for Christmas given the week prior December 1st
WHY would the Foodbank give out Christmas poultry four weeks before Christmas!!!!
The foodbank depot's scheduled 1/2 hour for food distribution from 11:30 to 12:00 only on Thursdays 3X a month. On December 8 2011 the doors did not open until 12:10. The line-up at 10:30 was substantial. So it took close to two hours plus travelling time. Say, 3:00 hours. I suspecdt it is worth it if you utilize everything and have a $60.00 a month heating bill that has to be paid and you want to make friends while waiting in line in the cold.
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I haven't given up on Randy

I haven't given up on Randy. It is so overwhelming that I needed to focus on something else so here it is: we should limit the size of non-profits to neighbour councils or better yet get rid of them altogether.

As for Randy today is such a beautiful day and I am prevented from visiting Randy. The policies of VCH is getting very upsetting to me.

I was told that "the team" decided on my banning ten months ago. At Randy's Annual Review in November which I attended none of the team (some 15 responsible for his care) knew that they were part of the team that banned me in fact my banning was never discussed with them. Dr. Dunne, the medical director for GPC wasn't there, but earlier he had said that he won't ban anyone from seeing anyone in the hospital. So these decisions that affect the care (the will to live) of patients are not those of the care team. So it is back to Linda Rose, the director of Residential Care, who never met me before the banning and only once after and/or Bob Chapman the director of Risk Management who I had met the week before my banning but as I exited that meeting I remember saying that no one was even listening to what I was saying over the fact that I was being bullied by GPC. A week later I got banned because of the bullies and their targetted treatment of me. It was open season on me because Mr. Chapman did not do his job. First by not listening to me and second by not doing anything expeditiously. But then how could he do anything expeditiously when he didn't even listen to what I was saying. The day after the banning I protested at GPC with a sign on the sidewalk boulevard, the police were called and told GPC that protesting on the sidewalk was legal, and I remember telling the social worker at that time that no one listened to me at the meeting.

Things have to change with non-profits: full legal due process when it affects a person's rights of association has to happened and just to remind all Vancouver Coastal Health is a non-profit society which makes its own laws disguised as policies and there is no appeal process. If you want something to go your way, you have to suck up to not only to management but also the lowest of the low paid employees as well. No wonder bribery is rampant in third world countries. You pay or suck up.

I am off to Safeway to check out the prices that an individual got as free food from the the Food Bank on Thursday. It doesn't seem to be worth the three-four hours it takes to get the free food most of which an individual might not buy in the first place. What happened before we had the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. I remember being poor when I was young. But I do not remember any talk about food banks. This is what happens when you work for fifty years of your life, you don't know what is going on. And now when you do, you realize that no one else does either. And who do I blame, I blame the CBC.
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Greater Vancouver Food Bank

CBC Radio reported that recently the GVFB raised $425,000 in one day. That should make Cherly Carline happy as that would ensure that the GVFB has enough money to pay her unreasonable salary. According to the Canada Revenue Agency she earns in the range of $120,000 to $159,999 and I would assume considering how difficult it is for her to oversee nine managers that make close to $80,000 each a year to distribute donated food mostly by volunteers her salary is totally obscene. Since Cheryl has recently married, I am sure she could take a salary cut of $100,000 a year. But then it would be too much to ask of her as she works for a non-profit which like a corporation is a non-person. My mantra is that no one in the non-profit sector should earn more than 3X minimum wage.

I was told this morning that the GVFB does not have any members. If that is true then who elected the Board of Directors. One would expect that those who use the food bank would be members. Perhaps someone from the Board can contact me. Or is it like the Green Party wherein the Green Party only has members during an election year and the rest of the time it is the executive who are the directors. Democracy and transparency in action in British Columbia.
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Whatever It Takes

When Randy was introduced to the "letterboard" the first word he spelt was HELP.

Yesterday I phoned GPC 604-322-8370 and left messages at 11:00 am, 2:00 pm and 3:00pm for Randy's nurse to call me. In the last message I said that if staff did not telephone me I would go to GPC to check on Randy and my restriction not to enter Ward 2 be damned.

Randy is suppose to be getting 6.5 hours of care a day and I do not know what he gets. I do not think records are being kept. But one thing for sure is that a telephone can be answered.

Gray Cup day. Last year I was at GPC during Gray Cup day and it had a festive atmosphere with delivered pizzas and drinks and all the staff fixated on the game. There was only one nurse who told me she didn't like football and was looking after the residents/patients. Napolean (Ostrow) should be there to see what really is going on during sports championship events. And what about the Chairman of the Board, Kip Woodward (604-875-4719). The gentleman that assured me that he would look into my allegations of bullying by staff, visitors and residents. My concerns were brought up at the VCH open board meeting on June 8 2011 and I was assured by Linda Rose that an independent investigation would be done. This she promised in front of Kip Woodwards' assistant (Kip Woodward is the chairman of VCH). A month later, Linda Rose told me that an independent investigation was not necessay. But, Linda Rose, it is necessary because you promised me that it would happen. What about my reputation and the humiliations I have to face each day, what about denying Randy his rights to see me when he wants (none of my restrictions apply to anyone else so therefore it is baltant discrimination). Your agrument that the hospital is privately owned doesn't wash with the wrongs you have imposed. How can anyone trust Vancouver Coastal Health. The policy of Vancouver Coastal Health seems to be wait until you give up or the resident dies or better yet the caring friend dies. Linda Rose is a paid director of Vancouver Coastal Health. She oversees the management of GPC.

On Thursday the Recreation Department took Randy and I to Oakridge mall for an hour's outing. Randy seemed happy to get out of GPC even for one hour. We checked my three BC lotto tickets (no winning numbers), checked out the board games store, and ended up at Oakridge Seniors Centre. I am a member and so is Randy.

On Friday Randy was up and waiting for me. We were together for four hours. We went offsite to Dylan's coffee shop and then back to the piano room where he did lettering and then we played a simple card game. He will need a lot of therapy as he needs a lot of reinforcement to relearn. If I wasn't there who would be assigned to do this. I do not think there would be anyone. I recently spoke to one resident who told me that he doesn't know how to read or write and he has been there for twenty years. A volunteer or a student teacher could do this job for free.

Where is the commonsense, where is the leadership...where is the quality of life mantra...where is Kip Woodward and the Board (board.chair@vch.ca). Better yet where is Christy Clark (604-666-8380), the woman who is the premier of British Columbia and her government is for families. The government is only there so that VCH can do whatever it wants with impunity. Beware of the creeping powers of non-profits. VCH is a non-profit which is on par with a corporation in that it is not a living person. In 2012 a new law governing non-profits will be enacted, it is already written and it is scary. I suspect it will be passed in the middle of the night.
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Friday 18 November 2011

On Friday I was able to see Randy for two hours. He was tired and so we spent most of the time holding hands. The monopoly idea wasn't so great as I couldn't remember how to play monopoly and there were no instructions. I tried to phone Randy's nurse to make sure he was okay, left a message, stayed by the phone all evening, no one returned my call. I didn't phone on the weekend as it would only cause me upset as the scenario would be repeated of staff not talking to me. Although it is in the care plan that I can talk to Randy on the phone the staff does not honour that directive.

However, Friday afternoon presented the occasion that I talk to the union rep for the LPNs (licensed practical nurses). I was told that LPNs earn $25.00 an hour plus benefits making the cost to taxpayers a total of $33.00 an hour. Up to this time I was told that the LPN are the lowest paid nurses on the ward. At $33.00 an hour I would consider them to be more than adequately compensated. I also asked about "continuous training" that the LPNs were exposed to. I was told there was none. They are given $125.00 a year for training but since there are no courses for them they cannot further expand their knowledge even if they wanted to. The union rep felt it was up to VCH to offer these courses. How can you trust nursing staff when they do not even know what is happening in medical advances. Maybe if staff was given "professional development" then they wouldn't have cause to bully. Courses have to be offered so that they feel that they belong to a group beyond their work environment. This would ensure that ethics would be foremost.
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