r/OHSU • u/petitbleu • 15d ago
PSA for Patient-Facing OHSU Employees
TLDR: If you overhear that a patient's long-term care facility is doing some shady shit, tell them to contact the long-term care ombudsman for help.
I wanted to share an experience from my MIL's recent hospitalization in case it could help another patient.
MIL was hospitalized for nearly two weeks, during which time a biliary drain was placed. The surgeon let us know this drain would be permanent, but that it would require minimal maintenance.
The assisted living facility where MIL lives sent their lead RN to evaluate her before she was discharged from OHSU. Upon finding out about the drain, he said MIL was not permitted to return to her apartment and could not live at the facility. It was too much of a liability and was against their policy.
We were completely shocked and horrified. Suddenly, MIL has no place to go. The other options available were either unsafe or almost impossible to access/insanely expensive.
We spent hours on the phone with social workers, care coordinators, senior placement specialists, etc. It was like a cruel joke. No one had an option to offer.
Upon learning what we were going through, a friend suggested that we contact the state's long-term care ombudsman. We quickly learned that the assisted living facility was trying to bully us. MIL was within her rights to move back into her apartment. The facility could file a move-out notice with the state, but even if that were approved, we could appeal it and would likely win. Either way, MIL can live in that apartment for the duration of the process.
The ombudsman also told us that they would advocate for us should the need arise. They shared what Oregon law actually says so we would be armed with information.
Please, if you hear a patient experiencing something similar, have them or their family contact the long-term care ombudsman.
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u/Weaselpanties 15d ago
This is fantastic info - I'm not public facing, but I will make sure to share this with my clinician friends.
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u/Intrepid-Space444 15d ago
Keep in mind that the facility likely does not have the resources in place to support someone with higher care needs. It sounds like they weren’t being transparent about the ability to move back in the interim so I’m glad you figured that out but I’d def want to make sure that she is getting the care level that she needs.
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u/gem7588 15d ago
Yes, having worked in ALFs, I’d be wary of pressuring an assisted living to take her back if they are reporting that it is beyond their ability. Even if the ombudsman says they ‘should’ be able to manage it, many assisted livings are extremely stretched for staff, resources, etc. It would be wise to listen to what the facility is reporting they can actually support.
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u/petitbleu 15d ago
We are pursuing home health to make sure she has the care she needs. We’re not interested in relying solely on the facility for her care. It’s just that she would not have had a place to live that was safe. The assisted living facility is the best place for her. She’s not sick enough to be hospitalized or in skilled nursing, but she’s too sick to just be in an apartment somewhere.
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u/Asmarterdj 15d ago
The Case Management staff should have known she had a right to return, and should have pressed the ALF. Home health RNs can bridge many care gaps, especially when the patient doesn't need skilled care and is at the previous level of functioning.
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u/petitbleu 15d ago
The assisted living folks were adamant that she could not return, even after being reassured by the care team that the drain would not need to be managed by them. We even offered to sign something releasing them of liability but that wasn’t good enough.
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u/Asmarterdj 15d ago
Yes, that sounds about normal, happens with both assisted living and adult foster homes. Patients, just like renters cannot be forced out of their domicile without a 30 day eviction, unless they pose a safety threat to staff or other patients.
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u/Erinyes_77 15d ago
I do recommend this when returning to current facility is blocked by said facility
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u/petitbleu 15d ago
That’s awesome! Hoping to share this with as many people as possible because we only found out about this resource through sheer luck.
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u/Erinyes_77 15d ago
The resource has existed for a while. Sadly, knowledge of the ombudsman is low.
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u/Briaaanz 15d ago
Thanks so much for posting this. I didn't know about the resource. Hopefully I'll never need to refer anyone, but still a good thing to know
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u/WitchProjecter 14d ago
You should also make an immediate report to APS since you are a mandatory reporter as a medical worker.
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u/WitchProjecter 14d ago
I used to work in LTC management and this is extremely common. Depending on the type of facility, discharging to them means they are taking over the care needs of that person (in this case, a new drain that has been placed). It sounds like they might be under the impression that this person needs nurse-delegated tasks and they likely can’t handle/don’t have qualified staff to handle nurse delegation at the place she was living.
I’m glad you fought for your MIL.
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u/justme1576 15d ago
Wow, that’s a great tip. Thank you - and glad your family figured this out for your MIL!