Captain's Log #41 - Lesbos

“Come now, luxuriant Graces, and beautiful-haired Muses.” Sapphos

This month we had two executives appointed by our governor: Administrator, and Deputy Administrator. I attended the swearing in ceremony. The crowd was exuberant in their appreciation. The administrator is the colonel I wrote about previously (“No… sir!) and has been acting administrator for 4 months. She had been coming into our office and high-fiving everyone; she announces herself loudly, “Hello, People!” She usually does this on Fridays for sure, when we’re wearing our themed clothing (purple, pink, superheroes, cartoon characters or rock concert T-shirts) but I think her schedule is full and she missed us Friday, or, well, we missed her. I don’t have any experience with the deputy administrator, except that she, too, is retired army, something like the highest rank for a non-commissioned officer? Since this is a political appointment the governor could have put absolutely anyone in these positions, former military or civilian, experienced administrators or complete ya-hoos off the street. To his credit he, with advice from the Vets department in Sacramento, chose two former army officers, both experienced administrators, both women, both sapphic in orientation. The latter is nothing to me but I wonder what the elderly men around here think.

Too much Masterpiece Theater?

There is a chapel across from the administration building where I work. It was not designed for exterior beauty. The inside, too, is plain and non-denominational but has a lovely, large, modern-art-style stained-glass window behind what might be the alter. I went to a memorial service there. They put one on every month for the veterans who’ve ‘passed’ in the previous month. They had the Pledge of Allegiance, a military color guard, the presentation of the colors ceremony, singing of the Star Spangled Banner, then the reading of the eulogies. I’m told that one fellow wrote his own eulogy, you could tell because it was written in the present tense. Let’s practice writing our eulogies, it would save your descendants the trouble, give you some control, and it could motivate you to step up and do more while you’re still here. They have four clergymen on staff. I thought the rabbi gave the best speech; would it be crass to ask him for a copy?  One thing the chapel does have is a fantastic bell-tower-sound system that includes recordings of multiple-sized bells and symphonic chimes. It tolls the hour, and at noon it plays some music like the Battle Hymn of the Republic and the Star Spangled Banner. I was surprised that they played God Save the King*, maybe tomorrow they’ll play O Canada.

Call and Response

Last week I needed to speak with the caregiver of a fellow who’s coming to meet me next week. I need his current bank statement to determine his fee, which will be a percentage of his income depending on his level of care – more care, higher percentage. I haven’t done this very long, I’m the pre-admission person. Some of the men are younger, in their 70s and are sharp as tacks, others, in their 90s are not, or very-very not. I think it’s essential for the next of kin to be present as I’m supposed to explain the pieces of the California Military and Veterans code that pertain to the rules we operate under, and that spell out the member’s responsibilities. It’s complicated, and important, like a real estate contract. So I was calling about this prospective member, turns out he’s in a care facility. The woman I spoke with said his stepson is handling his finances. I called the stepson. Nope, his stepfather handled his own finances and “he spent all my mother’s money.” In the background a child shouted, “he spent all of grandma’s money!”

Need your advice

Remember me overhearing the brother of a member overhearing a nurse talking about taking his brother’s money? $200 a week is unaccounted for. And me, inadvertently, informing the highest members of the administration (resulting in a Volkswagon bus dropped in a quiet pond for my supervisor.) Well, the nurse/caregiver came into our office and had a long, circuitous conversation with the case manager (there being no privacy in the office) and yes, he does take some of the member’s money in order to buy things for him at the Exchange. He replaces the money with receipts. Good lord, something stinks in Denmark here! My lizard-like real estate brain went Ding! Ding! Ding! Violation of Trust Accounts! The case manager is the fiduciary for the member and needs to keep a record of all the member’s money, yet still $200 a week goes missing. The brother, who comes up once a week from Oakland – on public transportation, has managed to make himself Power of Attorney (POA) and wants access to his brother’s money to buy a car, reportedly to be able to more easily visit his brother. Sheesh! What is in the member’s best interest? Who’s to decide? (Me thinking: “I don’t care if you have POA, you can’t steal your brother’s money!”) I learned this week that if an elderly person voluntarily give someone money, even though it bankrupts them, it’s not illegal. Later in the day I suggested to the case manager that he should document his conversations with an email, like we were supposed to do in real estate, “per our conversation…” The case manager is flapping in the wind with liability should the brother file a suit against the Vets Home/State of California. My question is: Even though I (inadvertently) notified the highest levels of management about this issue, should I tell my supervisor that the nurse/caregiver came into the office, and yes, dips into the member’s money? Or have I done enough and should keep my head down, and mouth shut. What do you think?

Lastly, sorry for the length here, get rid of your porn and sex toys before you die. Your next of kin won’t want to deal with them. One member left half a bag of stuff, I peeked in, “The Art of Organism.” While personally I might be interested in this, I certainly don’t want to know about my parent’s proclivities. Do you yours? J

Many blessings,

Karla/k.j./mom

*My Country Tis of Thee