Ms. Jones was 89 years old, in relatively good health, living in her own little cottage in Portland, Oregon. She was an avid Bingo player and loved attending her church every Wednesday and Sunday. She even helped teach Sunday school to the five and six year olds.

In October of 2006 she had a stroke and was hospitalized for two weeks and endured a feeding tube due to her difficulty with swallowing. Her son and daughter rushed to her side and assisted in her recovery. After the hospital discharged her to a care facility, her children returned to their homes in California and Arizona.

However, not long after, Mrs. Jones was diagnosed with pneumonia and was sent back to the hospital, where she fell and broke her hip. Again her children flew to be with her, but were unable to stay long.

After surgery and six weeks of rehabilitation, she was again placed into a care facility recommended by the hospital. The facility was understaffed and provided for a much higher level of care than what Mrs. Jones needed, at a rate that would deplete Mrs. Jones’s assets within 2 years.

With her independence destroyed, the joys of her life out of reach, and her children so far away, Mrs. Jones cried throughout the day and began to lose the desire to live. Her roommate at the facility was incoherent, delusional and constantly screamed for no reason, keeping Mrs. Jones from sleeping. The staff was inattentive to her needs and refused to move her to a new room. She soon refused to get out of bed and developed bed sores. It wasn’t long before she was back in the hospital due to failure to thrive and depression. She refused to eat and refused tube feeding.

Her daughter, desperate to help her mother, enlisted the services of the MHK Elder Care Coordinators (“ECCs”) to assist in the transfer of her mother from Oregon to Arizona. MHK ECCs assessed the care needs of Mrs. Jones and found a care facility that not only fit the financial and medical needs of Mrs. Jones, but also had a social program that would lure Mrs. Jones back to her old herself. MHK’s ECCs cut through the red tape of transferring Mrs. Jones to Arizona, arranged for her transportation, assisted with all the paperwork required by the facilities, and recommended a geriatric physician and therapeutic specialist. Once Mrs. Jones was stabilized by her new care team in Arizona, the MHK legal team prepared a comprehensive estate plan that enabled Mrs. Jones to protect her assets and qualify for Medicaid long term care services.

Today, Mrs. Jones can be found in the sunroom enjoying the company of her family or on every Monday afternoon, in the community room playing…Bingo.

If you'd like to learn more about how Morris, Hall & Kinghorn can help in your situation, read about our Life Care Planning Services or request a consultation.