Thursday, 24 March 2011
Continuing saga. Mom is out of hospital, but not out of the woods.
After 8 days in the hospital Mother was discharged to return to The Peninsula. I was reluctant to take her back there as I'm still convinced that their negligence put her in the hospital in the first place. we had no alternative but to take her home. I've been watching and observing. I've been in touch with management and Head Office. They seem to want to hang me out to dry. Typical. until I get a meeting with all parties concerned I'm stepping up my smear campaign. The Avenir Company claims the person responsible is out of the office for a week. Is he the only employee? Hanging me out to dry in the rain only makes me wetter. Maybe it was a flu virus that was floating around. Maybe it was food poisoning. Maybe it was both. Mother gets a flu virus and ingests some questionable food that almost kills her. The fact that I got sick a day after eating the same food as mother makes me believe that is the prognosis. Tests are still pending from the hospital labs. Results any day now. All that aside.... Avenir gives themselves a 5 star rating resort like retirement home on their website. What 5 star hotel, resort or restaurant serves such awful food? What 5 star establishment shows such contempt for their patrons. Avenir does not have any "Stars" More importantly what son, daughter. family member would sit by and let these unscrupulous operators take Mother for granted? I feel very uncomfortable leaving Mother at the mercy of these snakes. She doesn't want to move again.I think a change in management and a terse reminder that our elders are a prized commodity and not to be taken advantage of by greedy, self serving corporate entities. I'm really surprised that response is so pitiful on such an important issue. Am I wrong in my belief that we all love our Ancestors, Parents and Grand parents. C'mom help me out here people. get some input. Good or bad it's all good.
Friday, 11 March 2011
Are you trying to kill my Mother?
OVER MY DEAD BODY
About 4 years ago it became apparent that my ageing parents could no longer live by themselves unassisted. It came upon my sister and myself, the only surviving siblings of 4, to see to their care. It was decided that they should sell their home and take up residence in a "retirement Village".
The sale of the house went off without a hitch. The selling off of all their possessions was heartbreaking but necessary to downsize from a home to an apartment. We thought we found a reputable retirement community, oddly enough just feet and inches from the location of their original home in White Rock / South Surrey. So we moved them into Whitecliff, an Avenir retirement community, and assumed that they would be well taken care of. $4000/ month for suite, meals, facilities and care when needed. Only a block from the Peace Arch hospital.
Father hatted it, kept demanding to be allowed to go home. At 90 years old he was used to having his own home with a workshop that he could putter around in all day. At the retirement home he did nothing but watch TV all day and get more and more miserable. On top of that he would make Mother miserable. He just wasted away until he died in November of 2009 at age 92
Mother, being of British stock, bore it well and tried to settle into the lifestyle.
I didn't like the place. Too much like an institution. The staff were arrogant, snooty, cold, aloof and treated the residents, who payed their salaries, like cattle. I voiced my concerns on several occasions and was basically told to "tell it to someone who cares". The level of care diminished, the food got worse and I could hear murmurs of discontent among my parents and their neighbours.
After Fathers demise we moved Mother into another retirement village nearby in South Surrey. At first the place seemed much more personable and warm. Mother liked it, Sister liked it and I liked it. But soon a dark cloud settled over The Peninsula, another Avenir retirement community, in the form of the very same manager of the Whitecliff who made that place so unbearable. Now the manager of The Peninsula.
The atmosphere took a 180 degree turn. The staff got colder, The quality of food got worse and the level of care deteriorated. Mother noticed immediately. I felt it from the staff and other residents. Heard it voiced among the patrons in the dining room when I partook of dinner with Mother.
One day i took mother to the local White Rock mall for a shopping trip and we were approached by a lady I recognized as a server from the Whitecliff. The conversation got around to the, then manager of Whitecliff, now manager of The Peninsula. She informed us that ever since he left the atmosphere had improver enormously. She also told us that there weren't many staff members that had any respect for him. All Mother and I could do was nod and agree.
One day I approached the marketing manager at the Peninsula and voiced my concerns. Her response was to tell my that the manager was highly regarded and extremely competent. I ran into the Chef and told him my mother said the meals had depreciated. He contradicted me and said that the menu had improved. Well of course, they were both on the payroll.
The other day, Mar. 7th, I got a distress call from Mother. At 90 she is still lucid and quite aware of what is happening around her. She was really sick and needed help. Where was the resident healthcare specialist? I immediately went out to White Rock only to find Mother in a bad way. With three days worth of meals on the counter, untouched or just nibbled at and her is a sorry state I was mortified. Why hadn't the staff noticed her condition and done something?
See tomorrows Blog for a continuation
About 4 years ago it became apparent that my ageing parents could no longer live by themselves unassisted. It came upon my sister and myself, the only surviving siblings of 4, to see to their care. It was decided that they should sell their home and take up residence in a "retirement Village".
The sale of the house went off without a hitch. The selling off of all their possessions was heartbreaking but necessary to downsize from a home to an apartment. We thought we found a reputable retirement community, oddly enough just feet and inches from the location of their original home in White Rock / South Surrey. So we moved them into Whitecliff, an Avenir retirement community, and assumed that they would be well taken care of. $4000/ month for suite, meals, facilities and care when needed. Only a block from the Peace Arch hospital.
Father hatted it, kept demanding to be allowed to go home. At 90 years old he was used to having his own home with a workshop that he could putter around in all day. At the retirement home he did nothing but watch TV all day and get more and more miserable. On top of that he would make Mother miserable. He just wasted away until he died in November of 2009 at age 92
Mother, being of British stock, bore it well and tried to settle into the lifestyle.
I didn't like the place. Too much like an institution. The staff were arrogant, snooty, cold, aloof and treated the residents, who payed their salaries, like cattle. I voiced my concerns on several occasions and was basically told to "tell it to someone who cares". The level of care diminished, the food got worse and I could hear murmurs of discontent among my parents and their neighbours.
After Fathers demise we moved Mother into another retirement village nearby in South Surrey. At first the place seemed much more personable and warm. Mother liked it, Sister liked it and I liked it. But soon a dark cloud settled over The Peninsula, another Avenir retirement community, in the form of the very same manager of the Whitecliff who made that place so unbearable. Now the manager of The Peninsula.
The atmosphere took a 180 degree turn. The staff got colder, The quality of food got worse and the level of care deteriorated. Mother noticed immediately. I felt it from the staff and other residents. Heard it voiced among the patrons in the dining room when I partook of dinner with Mother.
One day i took mother to the local White Rock mall for a shopping trip and we were approached by a lady I recognized as a server from the Whitecliff. The conversation got around to the, then manager of Whitecliff, now manager of The Peninsula. She informed us that ever since he left the atmosphere had improver enormously. She also told us that there weren't many staff members that had any respect for him. All Mother and I could do was nod and agree.
One day I approached the marketing manager at the Peninsula and voiced my concerns. Her response was to tell my that the manager was highly regarded and extremely competent. I ran into the Chef and told him my mother said the meals had depreciated. He contradicted me and said that the menu had improved. Well of course, they were both on the payroll.
The other day, Mar. 7th, I got a distress call from Mother. At 90 she is still lucid and quite aware of what is happening around her. She was really sick and needed help. Where was the resident healthcare specialist? I immediately went out to White Rock only to find Mother in a bad way. With three days worth of meals on the counter, untouched or just nibbled at and her is a sorry state I was mortified. Why hadn't the staff noticed her condition and done something?
See tomorrows Blog for a continuation
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Consumers Revolt
CONSUMERS TAKE BACK THE NIGHT
I'm getting sick of the way in which I get treated in stores these days. I'm 59 years old and I can remember when a retail outlet would bend over backwards to see a satisfied customer leave the store. The Bay would issue refunds on a product you bought ten years prior if it was unused and accompanied with a sales receipt. Now a days you go into a store if you want to be ignored. As far as getting a refund for a crummy product.....fogedaboutit. You might as well throw the useless product through the store window. at least that way you can get some satisfaction. Just look at the week in jail as free room and board. No I've had enough. And you? Well I'm sure you don't want to swallow any more garbage either. You may say to yourself. Why bother? It's the same everywhere you go. Yes it is Customer service is nonexistent in the modern world. the reason is the consuming public has become complacent in accepting bad service and even worse follow-up by the retailer after sales. Don't let them bully you. Waste some of your valuable time and let them know how pissed off you are. email, phone, go to the store and rant where other customers can hear, post your concerns on social networking sites and BOYCOTT. The only way corporate Poobahs will get the message is if it hits their profit margin. I'm currently running campaigns slamming BEST BUY, KOODO, and AVENIR retirement communities.
Best Buy: because they sold me a koodo plan that was not what I asked for and refused to refund my money
Koodo: because the plan I got was not as advertised and not what I asked for.
Avenir: because my 90 year old mother is a resident in one of their retirement communities. It is quite costly $3600/mon. The staff are cold and disrespectful, the food is appalling and the level of care is very poor. My mother got really sick and called for my help. When I arrived at her suite there were 3 days worth of suppers on the counter, hardly touched. She was in terrible distress and could hardly move. What happened to the cleaning service? Where was the care giver? What's going on here? I ate some of the diners the staff had brought up from the dining room, cleaned up the mess, put Mother to bed and stayed the night. In the morning she was in severe distress so I called the paramedics and had her taken to the hospital.where she still is some three days later. The funny thing is I got really sick 36hours afterI ate the food she had only nibbled at. The same symptoms that she had complained about. Nausea, Weakness and an inability to even think about nourishment without wanting to vomit. Too much of a coincidence for me. I believe that both of us got food poisoning from the Kitchen. with my strong constitution I recovered quickly. I've suffered food poisoning on many occasions in my 59 years on this planet and it's not a pretty picture. For a 90 year old it must be like death. I emailed the manager and he didn't get it, Thick as a brick. No reassurance that they won't try to poison Mother again. Only a justification for the pending rate increase. I'm MAD. I'm trying to get through to corporate HQ For Avenir Retirement communities and can't find an email address. The phone number has an automated answering system, don't get me started on automated answering systems. that keeps the execs well shielded from answering for their own irresponsibility and negligence. I'm mad. I'm concerned and I'm out for blood. Heaven help those who stand in my way.
Edward Petruik
I'm getting sick of the way in which I get treated in stores these days. I'm 59 years old and I can remember when a retail outlet would bend over backwards to see a satisfied customer leave the store. The Bay would issue refunds on a product you bought ten years prior if it was unused and accompanied with a sales receipt. Now a days you go into a store if you want to be ignored. As far as getting a refund for a crummy product.....fogedaboutit. You might as well throw the useless product through the store window. at least that way you can get some satisfaction. Just look at the week in jail as free room and board. No I've had enough. And you? Well I'm sure you don't want to swallow any more garbage either. You may say to yourself. Why bother? It's the same everywhere you go. Yes it is Customer service is nonexistent in the modern world. the reason is the consuming public has become complacent in accepting bad service and even worse follow-up by the retailer after sales. Don't let them bully you. Waste some of your valuable time and let them know how pissed off you are. email, phone, go to the store and rant where other customers can hear, post your concerns on social networking sites and BOYCOTT. The only way corporate Poobahs will get the message is if it hits their profit margin. I'm currently running campaigns slamming BEST BUY, KOODO, and AVENIR retirement communities.
Best Buy: because they sold me a koodo plan that was not what I asked for and refused to refund my money
Koodo: because the plan I got was not as advertised and not what I asked for.
Avenir: because my 90 year old mother is a resident in one of their retirement communities. It is quite costly $3600/mon. The staff are cold and disrespectful, the food is appalling and the level of care is very poor. My mother got really sick and called for my help. When I arrived at her suite there were 3 days worth of suppers on the counter, hardly touched. She was in terrible distress and could hardly move. What happened to the cleaning service? Where was the care giver? What's going on here? I ate some of the diners the staff had brought up from the dining room, cleaned up the mess, put Mother to bed and stayed the night. In the morning she was in severe distress so I called the paramedics and had her taken to the hospital.where she still is some three days later. The funny thing is I got really sick 36hours afterI ate the food she had only nibbled at. The same symptoms that she had complained about. Nausea, Weakness and an inability to even think about nourishment without wanting to vomit. Too much of a coincidence for me. I believe that both of us got food poisoning from the Kitchen. with my strong constitution I recovered quickly. I've suffered food poisoning on many occasions in my 59 years on this planet and it's not a pretty picture. For a 90 year old it must be like death. I emailed the manager and he didn't get it, Thick as a brick. No reassurance that they won't try to poison Mother again. Only a justification for the pending rate increase. I'm MAD. I'm trying to get through to corporate HQ For Avenir Retirement communities and can't find an email address. The phone number has an automated answering system, don't get me started on automated answering systems. that keeps the execs well shielded from answering for their own irresponsibility and negligence. I'm mad. I'm concerned and I'm out for blood. Heaven help those who stand in my way.
Edward Petruik
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