Man’s Wife Moved To Nursing Home 1,000 Miles Away Without Permission

Eddie Farah
Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 415
Visit Eddie Farah on Avvo
Posted by Eddie FarahDecember 25, 2008 11:33 PM
Tags: None

This is an incredible story and sounds like it could end up in court for violating the rights of the elderly.

A St. Augustine, Florida man says that on Christmas eve, his 65-year-old wife was moved to an Illinois nursing care center in Elmwood, without his approval or knowledge.

Viola Jane White, 65, has been a patient at Kindred Hospital in Green Cove Springs, west of Jacksonville. She needs dialysis and a ventilator to live. Christmas eve, William White got a call from the hospital that his wife had been flown to Illinois.

What angers him is that the hospital staff decided that they didn't need her husband’s approval to go.

"They said she agreed to it. She can't even sign her name. She don't know what day it is," White said to First Coast News.

White got a letter last September stating that his wife’s Medicaid and Medicare benefits would be exhausted by mid-November. In order to stay at Kindred Hospital, White would have to come up with $1,000 a day.

White says he was told the only option for his wife was to move out-of-state so she could receive Medicaid and Medicare, but this explaination, on the face of it, does not seem to make sense and certainly does not justify moving someone without notice and/or permission.

"I said I don't agree to send my wife 1,000 miles away. I'm 72 years old!" White said, adding that he doesn't know when he'll get to see her again.

There are many questions that Mr. White needs to have answered by a professional. Obviously moving a loved one across the country without permission, is not in anyone's best interest.

The first question should be – whose best interest is it in? #

1 Comment

Have an opinion about this post? Please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Teri
Posted by Teri
February 15, 2009 5:22 PM

Why doesn't this man let this poor woman die in peace and dignity? Why should she be kept alive on a ventilator "when she don't know what day it is" ? If she is on a vent then that means she is bedridden with a stomach feeding tube with a machine keeping her alive AND if chronic kidney failure... Why SHOULDN'T he have to pay for her healthcare? ($365,000/yr) Why should we taxpayers have to pay for her healthcare just because her husband cannot accept the fact that death is a part of life? Let her die and move on to a better place- it is inhumane to keep her alive for his own selfish reasons!

Comments for this article are closed.

Subscribe to InjuryBoard Jacksonville

InjuryBoard Jacksonville RSS Feeds

Keep up with the latest updates using your favorite RSS reader

Injury Board Jacksonville is brought to you by Farah & Farah

Legal Assistance Center

More Info
Farah & Farah (866) 735-1102 Ext 415 www.farahandfarah.com
google
Personal Injury Lawyers Serving: Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Fernandina Beach, Flagler Beach, Fruit Cove, Green Cove Springs, Jacksonville Beach, Lake City, Middleburg, Neptune Beach, Orange Park, Palm Valley, Starke, Atlantic Beach
10 West Adams Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32202 [ Show Map ]
Better Business Bureau Accredited Business Confidential

Your question will be referred to an attorney near you. If your question is of a legal nature, then by submitting this form you agree you are not forming a formal attorney / client relationship. Read our full privacy policy.

Looking for an InjuryBoard attorney closer to home? Click here.

Subscribe to Blog Updates

Enter your email address if you would like to receive email notifications when comments are made on this post.

Email address