Concerns raised regarding quality of care, medication management at AFC

By Nicole Montesano

Smoke Signals staff writer

A resident of the Tribe’s Adult Foster Care lodges said that residents are being endangered and poorly cared for, and that despite many complaints, little has been done to address the problem.

Tribal Elder Beverly Cooney, a 91-year-old resident of Elk Lodge, raised her concerns at the February General Council meeting, telling Tribal Council members that, “Med mistakes are made every day. I’ve had five, since I’ve been there, in a year. I’ve had six times they’ve let me run out of meds. And they order them for me. They have control. They have all the prescriptions. I have no control over that. They let me run out six times. Then they come in and say, ‘Sorry, you’re out. We’ll have to order it tomorrow.’”

The Tribe issued a statement saying it takes the concerns seriously.

“The health and well-being of our Elders, members and community is of upmost importance to our Tribe,” Tribal Communications Director Sara Thompson said. “Concerns about the quality of care provided by our caregivers are taken seriously. It is also important to ensure that any corrective actions are taken based on a complete understanding of each situation. Tribal Council and staff have and will continue to evaluate opportunities to improve the level of care to further protect our most precious population. We look forward to continuing open communication with residents and their families well into the future.”

During the General Council meeting, Cooney told the council that several changes were needed, especially as it related to medication management.

“We need either med techs or LPNs (licensed practical nurses) to give us our meds, so that we know that we’re OK,” she said. “I know my meds. I know when I take them, how I take them and how much I take. They’ve brought me Tylenol to overdose on, at 8 in the morning. And then they bring it to me again at 8:30, and say, ‘Oh, I forgot to bring it to you; take your Tylenol.’ No. I’m not gonna take it twice. So, you see the mistakes that are being made and I know. But some of the people don’t and they just take what they’re handed.”

Cooney also said that she was not notified when two of her relatives died, that the residents were not notified of communicable disease and that some caregivers are failing to clean or make beds.

“We’re always told, ‘We’re working on it.’  It’s taken a year, and nothing’s changed,” Cooney said. “I went to (Tribal Council Vice Chair) Chris Mercier; he took me to (Interim General Manager) Bryan Langley. I thought something would change. A little bit changed. They brought in the people from the county, that were CNAs, to change some of the meds, but they disappeared, so nothing happened. No meds were changed. … Something has to be done. I’ve gone to Elder Committee, I’ve gone to as many people as I can think of and everybody says, ‘Our hands are tied.’”

Tribal Executive Director of Health Services Kelly Rowe said that she is taking “appropriate steps,” to deal with the situation.

“Though these are allegations, I am taking appropriate steps to make sure our Elders feel safe and comfortable in our programs,” she said. “I look forward to having a more in-depth conversation with the membership about what we are doing at Health & Wellness to enhance the care and well-being of our Elders in the near future.”

During the meeting, Mercier told Cooney that “a number of people have come to us with similar concerns and we are trying to figure out a way to deal with it. I’m sorry we didn’t deal with it satisfactorily when Bryan Langley and I went over to visit you last year.”

Tribal Elder Denise Harvey said she also has concerns with AFC management and care.

“My mom was there originally when it opened and I do believe my sister is the longest-living resident there right now,” she said. “But a lot of these concerns have come up year after year after year and nothing ever gets resolved. I’m hoping you take action on some of these things…it’s been a rocky road for a long, long time.”

Tribal Elder Angie Blackwell, whose mother also lives in Adult Foster Care, told council she shares those concerns. She noted that when she was serving as the Tribe’s general manager, she requested that Health & Wellness develop standards and monitoring protocols to “ensure the highest quality of care and standards for our Elders over there.”

“And while the Tribe exercised sovereignty and elected not to be licensed by the state, which I fully appreciate, I do not agree with the lack of oversight monitoring from a third party,” she said. “Written policies and standard operating procedures exist for the protection of our people. Monitoring ensures that those standards meet best practices and verifies that they are consistently being implemented. Internal monitoring alone is not enough.”

She added, “My mother was given the wrong medication that didn’t even belong to her and she required medical attention for it. So, it does happen and they do need better training and protocols in place at AFC.”

Tribal Council member Lisa Leno, along with council member Tonya Gleason-Shepek, serve as liaisons to the Elder Board. The Elder Board considers and recommends to Tribal Council policies relating to activities for and recognition of Elders, as well as coordination of Elder activities.

Leno said she would follow up, noting that the Elder Board has heard similar concerns.

“They are meeting with us next week, I believe, so we’ll be having some of these conversations and Tonya and I will attend the resident meetings moving forward,” she said.

The Elder Board issued a statement to Smoke Signals, stating that it “is aware of the situation at the AFC and we will continue to monitor the progress of resolution. We are very concerned about the health and welfare of our Elders, both living in AFC and living independently. We will continue to attend the monthly resident meetings and provide support and care to those in need. Please feel free to reach out to any Elder Board member with any concerns or issues.”

The statement noted that the current Elder Board members are Chair Darlene Aaron, Vice Chair Annabelle Layman, Secretary Pamala Warren-Chase, Melody Wright, Claudia Leno and Kim Contreras.