Thursday, June 19, 2008

Granny Snatchers

Charges of unfair imprisonment. Allegations of a nursing home abduction. A heated debate between a local family and state officials highlights the complexity of addressing alleged elder abuse.



Mary Stenlund, Linda's 88-year-old mother who had been living with her for the past 26 years, fell ill and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. A week later, the Department of Human Services (DHS) obtained a court order to enter Linda's house, alleging the home was laden with such unsanitary conditions that Linda was guilty of dependent adult abuse, and moved Stenlund from Mercy Medical Center to a 24-hour nursing home facility against her family's will. Then, after months of concern regarding her mother's care and consistent pleas from Stenlund to take her home, Linda allegedly abducted the frail senior from the Fleur Heights nursing home, sparking a frantic police search that ended with the two women found eating ice cream at a local Dairy Queen.

Court documents were filed noting that the investigation of Linda Wilson for denial of critical care would be "founded" and, because "the dependent adult abuse presents an immediate danger to the health and safety" of Stenlund, the DHS recommended her placement at Fleur Heights nursing home. Based on the state of the home, recommendations from medical staff at Mercy that she required 24-hour care, and the DHS social worker's assertion that Stenlund "appeared to be confused and unable to make decisions," Judge Klotz signed a second emergency order authorizing Stenlund's transfer to Fleur Heights.

But the Wilson family says they were outraged by that determination, with John charging that DHS used "deception" to get the order. The Wilsons say Stenlund has been "stripped of all her rights" and, due to the injunctions barring her two closest relatives from seeing her, has been left without the comfort of family members in her waning days.

"I do feel they're killing her"

Full Article and Source:
Granny Snatchers

More information:
Save Grandma

See also:
Granny Snatching

Granny Snatching - Another Side

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ohhhhh, this makes me so ANGRY! They fail to mention that there is PROFIT in Granny's care.

I wish we had kidnapped our loved one back when our problem began.

They won't let elders live in their lifetime home with loved ones with a cockroach, but they'll send them to an infested long term care and charge them a fortune.

When will this nation wake up. Scouts want into homes to document cause for "taking" the elder for protection at a big cost.

How can this be happening?

Anonymous said...

The Guradianship racket is not about the best interest and welfare of the Ward of the State.

This racket is the same ballpark as so many other schemes and scams, including the scams related to the predetory home loan industry that is brankrupting families and our country.

Those who profit and benefit at the expense of their victims, in this case their Wards, know the vulnerabilities and how to work the system and they are well aware that the probate system does not work in the best interest of the Wards.

Those in the money loop know how much they can get away with and in many cases they get away with 100% of their Wards' assets and possessions with court approval.

They do this...because they can.

And, in the end if the Ward survives psychotropic drugs,over medication and deep depression and despair, the Ward is left destitute, ending up on medicaid, paid for by us, the taxpayers and that bill is out of site and growing!

Jay said...

Being from IA and suffering the same type of thing with our Mother, evidence is sufficient to know how the IA DHS functions.
As the former bloggers here allude, no one in IA is welling to upset the "apple cart" that in reality is money being carted back and forth to profit those so involved.