Air Force Pilot Julius Corley, circa 1950s. Image supplied by family.
URGENT UPDATE 9/8/2015
With a great Urgency, Laredo Regular is seeking help for his grandfather, Julius Corley, who is still being held at Montefiore Wakefield, New York, illegally.
Laredo relates that his grandfather is refusing a feeding tube because he can eat on his own and has told visitors that he is hungry and not being fed. The hospital gives no reason as to why Julius needs the ‘tec’ or feeding tube, but Medicaid guidelines show the need of a feeding tube to be reasoning behind taking medical custody of a patient.
Is this a case of putting the “cart before the horse”?
Laredo says,
“I was served with court papers on Thursday September 3 around 1pm at my office.
According to the court documents, my grandfather has continuously verbally refused having a feeding tube (PEG) placed in his stomach. Montefiore Wakefield Hospital is stating that it’s medically necessary because he has dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
I have contacted nearly every possible agency including Adult Protective Services, Department of Health, District Attorney’s office and various politicians with no results.
I have contacted various law firms and the majority don’t return my calls and one claimed that they are of “limited resources” and can’t represent everyone.
The first hearing date is on Wednesday September 9 at 10:30am at the Montefiore Wakefield Hospital (not at a court house).”
The District Attorney has referred Laredo to the Health Department who referred him back to the District Attorney’s office stating that the hospital has no right to hold his grandfather and the matter is of a criminal nature.
Laredo has been to over 30 attorneys and is asking for that special one who is willing to help him tomorrow morning at the hospital, or at least point him in the right direction.
How You Can Help
If you can and want to help Laredo and his grandfather Julius, please contact him at laredor90@yahoo.com; so that you can help this veteran, this man, this grandfather who simply wants to be in a safe place where he can live out the remainder of his days without being tortured or experimented upon. Laredo and his mother have full medical and custodial rights.
Laredo says,
“Feeding tubes are used when people are basically unable to eat. My grandfather can eat and wants to. He has not had surgery or anything else that would make him unable to swallow. I have videos of him eating without any problems. They won’t say why the feeding tube is needed. But my grandfather knows he does not want to have the tube placed in his stomach. Can someone please help us!”
by Health Impact News/MedicalKidnap.com Staff
Have You Seen My Grandfather?
Have hospitals become the new prisons?
Montefiore Wakefield Hospital in the Bronx, New York has allegedly refused to release Laredo Regular’s grandfather, Julius, from confinement within its walls.
Laredo reported that the reasons given were vague and inconsistent with his grandfather’s health needs at that time.
But let’s start at the beginning…
Prior to May 15, 2015, Laredo’s grandfather was a resident of The Laconia Nursing Home also in the Bronx, NY. The nursing home had recently sent Julius to Montefiore for what Laredo stated was described to him as a “lack of appetite.”
Laredo was concerned about his grandfather and began to ask questions about his condition and the lack of information presented to him.
Believing he had not received an appropriate response from the nursing home, Laredo complained to authorities:
Although he is assigned to a nursing home we were taking him to another hospital. I called and reported the nursing home because they weren’t addressing the issues with his medication and the bruxism it caused. His hands were swollen and they were evasive. When I touched his hands he would draw back in pain.
Bruxism is an uncontrollable grinding of teeth. Laredo believes it was due to the medicine prescribed to his grandfather for his dementia. But what he couldn’t believe was what followed.
Fighting to Free A Hostage
On May 15, 2015, within 48 hours of his complaint and his grandfather’s return to Laconia, the nursing home made arrangements to ship his grandfather back to the hospital.
Laredo stated their new decision was made, he was told, because his grandfather needed a feeding tube because he would not eat and was unable to keep his food down. Laredo and his mother went to Montefiore Wakefield Hospital.
On May 28th we told them we wanted to take him. They told us he had issues and Parkinson’s. I told the physician he didn’t have Parkinson’s.
My grandfather has glaucoma, dementia, and diabetes. None of these should keep him in the hospital. We asked why and they said he needed a feeding tube, because he was having a reaction to the medicine.
Laredo and his mother went to Montefiore again on June 1, 2015 to pick up their relative and were advised that it would be AMA (or Against Medical Advice).
Legally responsible for their loved one and properly documented with AMA sanction as a holder of a Health Proxy as well as POA (power of attorney), the Regulars were given and signed the appropriate paper work that would allow them to remove him from Montefiore as it was their intention to take him to another hospital for full evaluation.
The family sat quietly in the waiting area until after visiting hours, wondering why the release was taking so long.
They told us the risks of taking him home. Risks were: may not get medication and could fall on floor and die. My mother, also his Health Proxy and POA, was allowed to sign the AMA form in front of the attending physician, Vijay Khatiwala and the director of Hospital Medicine, Andrea Porrovecchio and told (us) she was waiting for a discharge summary until 4 hours later the medical director, Purvi D. Shah, along with Montefiore Hospital police, came and said that he can’t leave and that his removal would be illegal. Purvi Shah, along with security and fellow staff blocked us from vacating with him.
Since June 1, 2015, Laredo and his mother have been trying to get someone to help them remove Julius from Montefiore Wakefield Hospital.
Laredo also tells us that the Attending Physician refuses to give the family and legal guardians any printed descriptions of the medications or treatments they are giving him.
The attending physician along with other medical staff has refused to give printouts of his medications and have REFUSED to give full details on his condition. They have refused to give him anything to treat his dementia or bruxism. Furthermore, medical staff has repeatedly given medication to the man that he does NOT need and that the health proxy has OBJECTED to.
How Can a Hospital Have so Much Power to Defy Police, Attorneys, and the Political System?
The Laredo family continued to monitor the health of their family member, but also sought help through various legal entities—the police, attorneys, and the political system; all of whom, we are told, are in complete agreement with the family, but have not been able to get the hospital to budge from its decision to hold the grandfather against their will.
The nurse who had cared for him for over a week was telling us of all the conditions they said he had. I told her my grandfather couldn’t see. She was surprised…and said she didn’t know. He has glaucoma and you can see the film over his eyes. She also didn’t know he could talk. He was always talking when we were there, so I don’t know how she didn’t know.
Even more frightening to the family is the fact that the nurse who had been attending to Julius was unaware that he had dementia. The family feels that this information should have been sent with his records from the Laconia Nursing Home.
Laredo also tells us that the hospital was still treating his grandfather for Parkinson’s Disease instead of dementia.
They were giving him medicine for Parkinson’s Disease because they said he was grinding his teeth, but that was from bruxism. Then they suddenly took him off the medication…they told us he had a stroke and a seizure. We asked when he had these. They were evasive and blamed the nursing home. I stated the nursing home had never reported any of these incidents in the paper work we were given.
Nonetheless, Montefiore Wakefield Hospital still holds Laredo’s grandfather.
They keep saying he has all these conditions and keep naming only Parkinson’s and nutrition, but wont tell us anything else. He doesn’t have Parkinson’s and nutritional needs don’t require hospitalization.
As of June 4, the President’s office of Montefiore Medical center has been made aware of this situation and they have not taken proper action to stop the illegal hostage.
The medical director, Purvi D. Shah, has blatantly refused to give a written reason why she DENIED the AMA after his health proxy was allowed to sign it nor does she have a court order from a judge saying he can stay there.
Failure to “Serve and Protect” – Turning A Blind Eye
Laredo’s grandfather receives Medicaid and he tried notifying Medicaid and informed them that they should stop the payments to the hospital.
Laredo said Medicaid responded that they could not stop the payment because the patient was still under hospital care. He also told us that the New York Director of Elder Care refused to intervene stating, “I don’t know his condition.”
But when Laredo asked if she was going to do an investigation to find out, he says he was met with a negative response. Much the same as the police, who although agreed his grandfather could not be held, referred him back to the hospital police.
They refused to release him and told us he could not swallow. We asked why he couldn’t swallow. I spoke to a nurse friend who had told me how to check for gagging. Then I told grandfather’s nurse to give him water and he would gag if he couldn’t swallow.
I gave him food and water and he ate and drank just like any other normal person would; and I recorded it on video.
I went to the police and health dept., no one would help.
Mother Dragged Out of Hospital Room by Four Men
On June 10, 2015, after speaking with all the appropriate authorities and confirming their belief that the hospital could not hold his grandfather as he was not in intensive care, nor was he on an I.V., nor had he been a victim of stroke—the Regular family entered the hospital, went to Julius’ room, and began dressing him so that they could leave and place him in another hospital to find out what was really going on.
When hospital personnel saw Laredo and his Mom dressing their loved one, they summoned security and Laredo’s Mom was dragged down the hallway by four men.
Laredo continued to try to dress his grandfather, but was stopped by two additional men who dragged him out of the room and told him and his mother that they were “banned” from the hospital.
As of June 10, we were met with physical violence by the hospital staff when we attempted to remove him from the facility. Furthermore, we were banned from the premises even though we are his next of kin and health proxy. We have not seen the man since then and don’t know if he is alive or dead. I believe they want to kill him.
I called police numerous times during the attack and they did not come. My mother was badly bruised.
Julius’ daughter bruised at the hands of hospital security. Image supplied by family.
A Culture Dismissing the Elderly – Who Will Speak Up?
Laredo enlisted the help of friends who went to the hospital to check up on his grandfather since he and his mother are no longer allowed to visit although they are his legal guardians. There was not much good news:
Friends went. They say he doesn’t look well. His nails are long and he has a cold.
We went to our local politicians office and she called and they were belligerent to her from what I could hear. Then I believe they hung up after yelling at her.
After all of this, we also go to legal aid who did call the hospital. She related to us that the hospital told her that there was ‘really no need for him to be in the hospital’ and they ‘were just checking his nutrition.’
The Regular family contacted the hospital immediately and were then told by staff that the grandfather could not be moved to another hospital unless a physician from the new hospital accepted his transfer.
Every time Laredo confers with another hospital he is told by Montefiore Wakefield that “They didn’t accept him.” Montefiore gives the Regular family ‘no’ reason as to why the transfers are refused.
In today’s world people are quick to put their elders out to pasture and forget their existences, but not Laredo, nor his mom. They are trying to give their loved one the best possible care and attention they can with the assistance of proper medical staff and aids.
For some reason, two entities trusted by the family have failed to provide that care and the grandfather’s life hangs in the balance.
Let the world know that you also care and want to see Laredo’s grandfather safe and well.
How You Can Help
Contact:
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo at 1-518-474-8390, or reach him here. He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. at (718) 590-3557, or reach him here. He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
Sherrif Joseph Fucito/Bronx County Division at (718) 993-3880. Here.
Montefiore Wakefield Hospital’s President’s Office at (718) 920 – 2001. Here.
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