Patient Rights vs. public safety

CDC funded page

Not a CDC funded Page

My 72 year old father is refusing to take his medication. He developed epilepsy late in life after having heart problems. He just won't accept the fact that he needs his meds to prevent seizures. He did this about two years ago and crashed his car into a telephone pole with my mom in the car. She was hurt pretty badly. We tried contacting his neurologist but the doctor just calls my dad and has not returned our calls. Is there anything that we can do? Whenever we try to talk to him, he gets angry & blows up at us.

Comments

Unfortunately, it doesn't

Submitted by Jjl on Sun, 2017-04-23 - 10:25

Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like there's much y'all can do. It's unfortunate that he is putting everyone in danger (by getting behind the wheel with uncontrolled epilepsy). The only options you have are to not get in the car if he's driving. This is a hard issue. I'd imagine you can talk to the DMV too. Depends on the state, but they usually have a free period before you can drive or operate machinery again. If he's in breach of this I'd imagine that'd give you more options

consider the DMV but as this

Submitted by Amy Jo on Sun, 2017-04-23 - 13:00

consider the DMV but as this is a major fall out point, do get elder social worker involved. while you could point out that his insurance may not cover liability if he is not taking meds, a social worker would know best ways to get him to work with the health he has or if he won't what the process is. losing independence is not a minor or confined to single issue such as taking meds.

Which issue are you wondering

Submitted by Tadzio on Sun, 2017-04-23 - 16:45

Which issue are you wondering about doing anything? A patient has the right to refuse any treatment, including any medications. In California, any person can notify the DMV of an unsafe driver involving any legitimate concerns with supposedly impunity & partial anonymity to the driver.With my epilepsy, I had just about the opposite problems with both medications and driving. Medicaid providers told me my medications for epilepsy were too expensive, and they told me to get lost under the threat of arrest. Social workers with adult protective services contacted my mother, and then me, over a doctor's complaint that my mother wasn’t driving me to doctors appointments (I was walking to and from the appointments which were less than a mile distant); I filed federal discrimination complaints against the entities, which resolved the problem for a few months only. When my mother became too ill to drive, and was about to leave a skilled nursing facility, I was told I was obligated to drive my mother home and then around the area to future medical appointments (which providers’ complaints led to adult protective services attempting to act with their absurdities again); when I told them I didn’t drive because of epilepsy and told them we both were requesting reasonable accommodations for our disabilities with all medical services, my mother and I were both told we didn’t have any rights involving the delivery and acceptance of each others’ medical services or decisions, despite power of attorney forms, etc. One element was resolved after a federal court suit was filed by a contingency paid lawyer, just before going to trial; State Ombudsmans were more of a problem than help, elderly services did provide another “free” lawyer with some medical providers and Medicare, but not much was ever cleanly resolved, and the free lawyer refused to attend the so far final ALJ hearing with Medicare despite the CFR states he was obligated to attend.The former governor tried to change back to official reinstatement of State practices/laws about relatives being obligated for close relatives’ medical expenses & all related expenses (the old laws of family responsibilities are still on the books, just not followed or enforced mainly because of federal laws), but he failed. How many family members can afford to pay a driver to drive their relatives about whenever & wherever they may wish to go? Services provided by the State with remaining expenses are paid from the estate (soon, again, relatives too?), including those for Medicaid payback for individuals over 55, including those who exhaust Medicare and insurances in long term care facilities/services.A social worker told me that I shouldn’t cook my own food (might be too dangerous for them epileptics like me under prejudice), but SSA wouldn’t cover any added expense, though the State funds it, for costly prepared foods, and they told me just to get my relatives to cook for me. What’s wrong with them relatives not wanting to wait on poor little me hand-and-foot from a few hundred miles away just under State & financial & moral threat?

Which issue are you wondering about doing anything?  A patient has the right to refuse any treatment, including any medications.   In California, any person can notify the DMV of an unsafe driver involving any legitimate concerns with supposedly impunity & partial anonymity to the driver.With my epilepsy, I had just about the opposite problems with both medications and driving.   Medicaid providers told me my medications for epilepsy were too expensive, and they told me to get lost under the threat of arrest.  Social workers with adult protective services contacted my mother, and then me, over a doctor's complaint that my mother wasn’t driving me to doctors appointments (I was walking to and from the appointments which were less than a mile distant);  I filed federal discrimination complaints against the entities, which resolved the problem for a few months only.  When my mother became too ill to drive, and was about to leave a skilled nursing facility, I was told I was obligated to drive my mother home and then around the area to future medical appointments (which providers’ complaints led to adult protective services attempting to act with their absurdities again);  when I told them I didn’t drive because of epilepsy and told them we both were requesting reasonable accommodations for our disabilities with all medical services, my mother and I were both told we didn’t have any rights involving the delivery and acceptance of each others’ medical services or decisions, despite power of attorney forms, etc.  One element was resolved after a federal court suit was filed by a contingency paid lawyer, just before going to trial;  State Ombudsmans were more of a problem than help, elderly services did provide another “free” lawyer with some medical providers and Medicare, but not much was ever cleanly resolved, and the free lawyer refused to attend the so far final ALJ hearing with Medicare despite the CFR states he was obligated to attend.The former governor tried to change back to official reinstatement of State practices/laws about relatives being obligated for close relatives’ medical expenses & all related expenses (the old laws of family responsibilities are still on the books, just not followed or enforced mainly because of federal laws), but he failed.  How many family members can afford to pay a driver to drive their relatives about whenever & wherever they may wish to go?  Services provided by the State with remaining expenses are paid from the estate (soon, again, relatives too?), including those for Medicaid payback for individuals over 55, including those who exhaust Medicare and insurances in long term care facilities/services.A social worker told me that I shouldn’t cook my own food (might be too dangerous for them epileptics like me under prejudice), but SSA wouldn’t cover any added expense, though the State funds it, for costly prepared foods, and they told me just to get my relatives to cook for me.  What’s wrong with them relatives not wanting to wait on poor little me hand-and-foot from a few hundred miles away just under State & financial & moral threat?

Which issue are you wondering about doing anything? A patient has the right to refuse any treatment, including any medications. In California, any person can notify the DMV of an unsafe driver involving any legitimate concerns with supposedly impunity & partial anonymity to the driver.With my epilepsy, I had just about the opposite problems with both medications and driving. Medicaid providers told me my medications for epilepsy were too expensive, and they told me to get lost under the threat of arrest. Social workers with adult protective services contacted my mother, and then me, over a doctor's complaint that my mother wasn’t driving me to doctors appointments (I was walking to and from the appointments which were less than a mile distant); I filed federal discrimination complaints against the entities, which resolved the problem for a few months only. When my mother became too ill to drive, and was about to leave a skilled nursing facility, I was told I was obligated to drive my mother home and then around the area to future medical appointments (which providers’ complaints led to adult protective services attempting to act with their absurdities again); when I told them I didn’t drive because of epilepsy and told them we both were requesting reasonable accommodations for our disabilities with all medical services, my mother and I were both told we didn’t have any rights involving the delivery and acceptance of each others’ medical services or decisions, despite power of attorney forms, etc. One element was resolved after a federal court suit was filed by a contingency paid lawyer, just before going to trial; State Ombudsmans were more of a problem than help, elderly services did provide another “free” lawyer with some medical providers and Medicare, but not much was ever cleanly resolved, and the free lawyer refused to attend the so far final ALJ hearing with Medicare despite the CFR states he was obligated to attend.The former governor tried to change back to official reinstatement of State practices/laws about relatives being obligated for close relatives’ medical expenses & all related expenses (the old laws of family responsibilities are still on the books, just not followed or enforced mainly because of federal laws), but he failed. How many family members can afford to pay a driver to drive their relatives about whenever & wherever they may wish to go? Services provided by the State with remaining expenses are paid from the estate (soon, again, relatives too?), including those for Medicaid payback for individuals over 55, including those who exhaust Medicare and insurances in long term care facilities/services.A social worker told me that I shouldn’t cook my own food (might be too dangerous for them epileptics like me under prejudice), but SSA wouldn’t cover any added expense, though the State funds it, for costly prepared foods, and they told me just to get my relatives to cook for me. What’s wrong with them relatives not wanting to wait on poor little me hand-and-foot from a few hundred miles away just under State & financial & moral threat?