NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Lisa Bares spends the morning looking through old pictures of her sister, Felicia Jurcik.
The prints are a reminder of their times growing up and Felicia's time growing old.
“She was very ill. She was diagnosed with brittle diabetes, which is a diabetic condition where [her] blood sugar is very hard, very difficult to control,” said Bares. “She wasn't able to stay in a home because she required 24-hour care.”
Bares said she checked her sister into Consulate Health Care of Norfolk, where she lived until her death on New Year’s Eve.
When Bares went to pick up Felicia's belongings from the facility the next day, she said she could not find them.
“I said, ‘she was gone less than 24 hours [and] all of her belongings are gone, and nobody knows where they're at,’” Bares said. “Why wasn't I given the opportunity to go to her room to clean her things out?”
Bares said for weeks, she felt like she was getting pushed aside, so she reached out to the News 3 Problem Solvers.
Anchor Erin Miller called the facility and spoke with the administrator at the time.
“Literally three minutes after I hung up the phone with Ms. Miller, I got a phone call and he's like, ‘Oh, I want to reach out to you about the situation with your sister's articles.’ I was like, ‘Wow because we hadn't talked since January,'” Bares said. “I was surprised, but then I kind of chuckled because it took Channel 3 to call for me to get a response back.”
Bares was told she needed to show receipts and documentation of the missing items and when she did, she would receive reimbursement.
She said after work one day, she stopped by the facility and there was an envelope with a money order for $289.
“It wasn't about the material things, it was just about fighting for [Felicia], and for her belongings because I felt like she couldn't,” she said.
Feeling voiceless is a sentiment that many people can relate to as their loved ones get older.
However, there are local organizations and state resources available to families looking for long-term care and support.
The Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is one place to turn for help.
“Our primary role is really trying to help people get the information they need to make good decisions about long-term care,” said Joani Latimer, the state long-term care Ombudsman for Virginia.
Ombudsmen advocate for older individuals, help them with Medicaid plan benefits, and work to mediate any problems they are having, whether it is with staff at a facility or family members.
Each area of Virginia has a local representative.
“Most often, [your local] ombudsman is pretty hands-on. They are really our feet on the ground at the local level,” Latimer said.
Volunteers and staff members help individuals and families understand their rights in a nursing home, hospital, or elsewhere for free.
Latimer’s advice is to have health care conversations early.
Meanwhile, Bares’ advice is, “If you have a loved one that is going into a nursing home, please take pictures of everything that you take in there. Save your receipt if you have to just keep a personal box for them. Family members need to be a voice for the family.”
Several attempts to reach out to Victor Pope, the administrator for Consulate Health Care, went unanswered.
Click here for more information on the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
