▲ 731 r/carnivorousplants
Darlingtonia heaven
Was driving to the southern Oregon coast today and had to stop at this little nature preserve to see thousands of cobra lilies in their native habitat.
u/petitbleu — 6 days ago
u/petitbleu
r/askportland r/carnivorousplants r/eldercare r/Portland r/pnwgardening r/OHSU r/whatsthisplant r/oregon r/CaregiverSupport
Long-Term Care Shenanigans—Call the Ombudsman
TLDR: If you have family living in independent living, assisted living, or memory care in Oregon, keep the long-term care ombudsman's number on file if the facility tries anything that seems wrong/illegal. The conglomerates that own these places think they can bully you into compliance.
My MIL has been very sick and spent almost 2 weeks in the hospital. She lives in an assisted living facility in Portland. The facility's RN came to the hospital to assess her and told my partner that his mother was not permitted to return to her apartment at the facility because she was too sick for them to care for her (which no one was asking them to do—she will be receiving visits from home health). This was a day before they planned to discharge her.
We spent the next day frantically calling around, making appointments with health advocates and case workers, trying to figure out where she was supposed to live. She was evaluated for skilled nursing, but they said that since she is ambulatory she doesn't qualify. So she was not sick enough to stay at the hospital, not sick enough for skilled nursing, but too sick for assisted living. We were also facing the prospect not just of finding her somewhere to live but also having to clean out her apartment, with nowhere to put any of her stuff.
Thank goodness, a friend told us about the existence of the long-term care ombudsman's office. We called and they set the record straight very quickly. What the facility was trying to do in kicking her out of her apartment was borderline illegal. They were not following proper procedure (they would have to issue a less-than-30-day move-out notice, which would then need to be approved and can be appealed), and they failed to tell us that even if they did that, MIL has the right to stay in her apartment while all that is going on. The ombudsman also said that if the facility tried any more funny stuff, to call them and they would advocate for us. They were full of righteous anger on our behalf. It was awesome.
Armed with the law, we coyly let the facility know that we knew that what they were doing was extremely spurious. Their tune changed quite a bit. They know what they are doing is very nearly illegal. They were just hoping to bully a sick woman and her exhausted family into compliance.
u/petitbleu — 1 day ago
Long-Term Care Shenanigans—Contact Your Ombudsman
TLDR: If your loved one's assisted living facility is trying something that seems shady to you, call the ombudsman.
Long story but my MIL has been in the hospital since July 4. She and her husband live in an assisted living facility, and they have a policy that if a resident spends more than 72 hours at the hospital, the facility's RN has to evaluate the resident before they return home.
Well, MIL had a permanent drain put in to drain fluid from around her gallbladder. She has been a stage IV cancer patient since 2019, so we are looking at what are likely her final months. It's hard to know, but she's been having a lot more complications lately.
The facility's RN said that they have a policy against external drains, and that my MIL was not permitted to return to the facility. This was one day before they were planning to discharge her, so this meant we were scrambling and feeling absolutely crazy for a day trying to find placement for her somewhere. She was evaluated by PT and OT and they said she does not need skilled nursing because she is ambulatory, so that wasn't an option. And we learned that skilled nursing facilities, at least where we live, will not even take private pay because Medicare pays so much that it's not worth their time.
So she's not sick enough to stay at the hospital, not sick enough for skilled nursing, but too sick for her assisted living facility. Meanwhile her husband is being moved into memory care/hospice at this facility so we are looking at getting him moved, finding MIL a living situation, and clearing out their apartment, all while MIL is probably dying. It's bleak.
Well thank goodness, one of my MIL's friends who we've been keeping in the loop mentioned that we should try contacting our state's long-term care ombudsman. Hoo boy, did they have words for what the facility was trying to do. Basically, there are laws governing this kind of situation, and they are skirting right on the edge of breaking them. MIL is entitled to move back into her apartment, and the ombudsman let us know that she was available to advocate for us if they give us any grief.
If you're in the US, keep your long-term care ombudsman's number on file for assisted living issues. These giant conglomerates that own the facilities think they can bully old people and their stressed-out caregivers into compliance. It's obscene.
u/petitbleu — 9 days ago
▲ 159 r/askportland
Do you want a Google map of cheap eats in Portland?
A while back someone started a thread about the best cheap eats in the city, and I turned it into a Google map! I included info about the specific menu items/times of day/days of the week for the deals if the commenter included them in their reply.
This map will be a work in progress, so feel free to drop more spots in the comments here. I will add them as I have time.
u/petitbleu — 16 days ago
▲ 6 r/whatsthisplant
Something in the mint family?
This creeping plant has sprouted up all over my front yard (Portland, OR). With its square stem and opposite leaves it looks to be in the mint family, but it has no scent.
u/petitbleu — 2 months ago
▲ 17 r/Portland
Testify on Council Amendments to Mayor's Proposed Budget
The mayor has released his budget. City council has released its amendments. This is where you can register to provide verbal testimony OR submit written testimony. Make your voice heard somewhere other than Reddit! City council convenes Monday to vote on budget amendments, many of which have been discussed here with some rancor. Put that energy somewhere it may make a difference.
u/petitbleu — 2 months ago
▲ 7 r/pnwgardening
There are a few azaleas planted in a funky corner of my yard. They never look great because they don’t get enough sun. I’d love to replace them but have been hesitant because I like that they cover up the bottom of the arborvitae. Any recs for small shade and drought-tolerant shrubs that would fill this space?
u/petitbleu — 3 months ago