Okay, everyone — repeat after me: Hearthstone can take a flying fling at a rolling doughnut.
Well, we’re back.
Actually, we got back about 0130 hours on Monday morning, but it’s taken a bit of time to peel ourselves off the ceiling — metaphorically speaking.
Moving two little old ladies from one home to another, whilst simultaneously planning and conducting a 100th birthday party is not — I say again my last, not — for the faint of heart.
Nana’s party went off rather nicely. Here’s a picture of the party girl — she’s the one in the blue:
In Nana’s own words: “I look pretty hot for a chick turning 100.”
The Governor of Texas sent a nice little plaque:
As did the Mayor; while President and Mrs. Bush very kindly sent a card.
While Nana was being feted, the rest of us humped all of her gear out to the truck, carried it back into her new home, put it back together and fetched Nana.
The new place is rather nice — we’ll see if it suits Nana.
Now.
I’d like to extend one whopping Liverpool kiss to the upper management of Hearthstone. While the caregivers there were absolute darlings, nothing quite says, “Happy 100th Birthday!” quite like jacking up your rent by four hundred and fifty US dollars per month — five months into your one-year contract.
I’m all for capitalism and all that — so we’ll be taking our hard-earned capital somewhere else.
And if any of my Gentle Readers are considering an assisted living facility for a loved one, I’m going to whole-heartedly suggest that you by-pass Hearthstone or Carestone facilities.
LawDog
Oh my goodness… I hope I’m half as spunky as your Nana at her age! (Well, here’s to hoping I make it to her age, too!)
My congratulations to your Nana for making it to the century mark. She sounds like quite a gal.
Regarding the rent increase….. My mother lived in a retirement community until she passed away in March. After she had a stroke I took over all of her finances. The retirement community raised the rates every July to stay ahead of the cost of living (aka “inflation”). HOWever, they NEVER had an increase like the one your Nana was hit with. Your advice to avoid this place is well founded.
CaribbeanJoe
They didn’t breach the contract/lease by raising the rent?
At the very least, I’d report their asses to whatever state licensing board handles such things, and the BBB.
happy birthday nana, hope i make it to the century too, i’m only 30 years away now, and i hope the new digs are comfortable.
“gunner”
Two miles down the road from me and ya didn’t even wave as you drove past.
I’d have put y’all up for the night to save you the drive back in the dark. Glad you finished the fate accompli. I know it was a tough deal, but it does sound like she had a swell time in spite of all the gerrymandering.
Regards,
Rabbit.
Hi Dog,
I just went to Hearthstone’s website and used their contact form to leave the following message;
“I am told that one of your residents celebrated her 100th birthday in one of your facilities recently. It seems that the Governor of Texas saw fit to award her an official plaque to commemorate the event. The town Mayor also gave her a plaque. President and Mrs. Bush sent a card. All of her caregivers helped celebrate what is a major milestone in a person’s life that most of us will not reach.
What did the Hearthstone Group give her for her birthday? A $450.00 a month increase in her fees for her care in your facility.
My dear Aunt lives in Austin and is approaching the age and level of infirmity that will require her to move to a care home. In view of the level of care you have shown to the woman discussed above, you may rest assured that my Aunt’s care WILL NOT BE ENTRUSTED TO YOU!”
I doubt that they will care much but it made me feel a little better to vent a bit. I might not have left the message but when I read their company slogan the RCOB descended. “Where caring counts.”
AaaaRGH!
A belated Happy Birthday to your Nana.
Max
Congratulations Nana! That is quite the milestone!
I can’t imagine the things she has seen and done. My grandmother passed away in June after fighting alzheimers, diabetes, and other health issues. One thing I regret is not getting some of her stories down on tape before the alzheimers got bad. She had some really amazing things to say.
As for the care facility I can fully understand your frustration and anger LD. Grandma wasn’t rich by any means but she was comfortable. But between the care facility and medications it only took 4 years to run through everything that she and her husband had worked a lifetime for. The family had to go into debt and buy the land from her to keep the ranch intact. She ended up on Medicade. That in my mind is just wrong. Why does it cost so much to care for our elderly? They have given us so much and end up as paupers due to care costs. She was allowed $50 per month from her social security for “personal expenses” ie: clothing, lotions etc. You and I know how far $50 goes nowadays.
I agree with you on the care facility being out of line with an increase like that. To my mind there is no reason for that much of an increase except to take advantage of a little old lady.
Good luck on the move and I hope she likes the new facility.
And LD? Nana is right, she does look pretty hot for a chick turning 100!!
It is unconscionable that they would increase her care costs so dramatically, and this seems like some sort of breach for contract, no?
Yeah, she’s a hot chick, alright. I hope she’s even more happy at the new place.
Happy Birthday! I hope the new home is wonderful.
I’m glad she had a Happy Birthday, and I’m sorry it was spoiled by the Hearthstone people…
You did the right thing, and I hope you let the BBB know about it to!
I’m glad Nana had a great birthday. She looks awfully spry for 100. I have a feeling I won’t be that vivacious at 50…Lol.
I’m glad you care about the aged, but I feel that you cannot care as much for the young. Your review of the movie Stardust sent me to see it, and was hopelessly wrong. It was not in the least like the movie Princess Bride.
What is romantic about a guy who forgets that he is going out to find a ring for his true love and gets sidetracked by a seductive woman and has sex with her instead, as the beginning of a story?
Your lack of discernment on that one, which led me down a slippery path is why I am taking your blog off my blogroll. I don’t want to be misled on things again, or have my visitors be misled either. Sorry, I’m just being honest.
I see that you are insanely popular, and that popularity, once again is no indicator.
OMG! You have been cerimoniously de-linked LD! Gongrats! You have made the big time!
GE, you are such a twit! Get a friggen life you pompous ass.
Happy belated Nana. Rest well knowing those who love you will look after you.
To Gabrielle Eden
Wow…just…wow.
I can only hope and pray that the “slippery slope” LD put you on doesn’t lead you to drug abuse, organized crime and the like. You know a less than spot on movie reveiw can be a dangerous thing.
I suppose you’ve been officially dis-pwned. That’s rather impressive!
Wait. TWO old ladies? Who’s the second one? I’m confused…
You know, I made that flip statement earlier, but I have to say one more thing, having had my own first nasty commenter recently.
Your blog is fantastic and you have never steered me wrong in your recommendation of film or music, two subjects quite dear to my heart. I come here because your posts are often humourous, often profound, and always impeccably composed, whereas my own blog is only so much chattery prattle–yours is a cut above the rest. On days you don’t post, I wonder what you’ll say next time. Therefore, I take umbrage at the idea that your light-hearted recommendation of a film should be met with such furrow-browed boorishness as someone posted earlier. I’m pleased that person will be taking their marbles and going home, leaving us free to enjoy your future posts and subsequent comments sans the burden of tedious, prudish moralizing.
Keep on doing what you do, LD. You totally rock.
Once more, happy Natal Day to Nana and an additional Booya! for it being the century mark.
And as for the $450 rate hike, just boo. I understand needing to increase rent to keep up with inflation but that’s wrong on so many levels its nearly undescribable.
If you had a one year contract, and I don’t know the details here for sure, it seems that they shouldn’t be able to jump the rate up like that. I’m sure you’ve got people to look into it, you are after all a fairly smart LawDog and Nana ain’t no slouch niether.
Lastly, on the Stardust comment, two things…
First, a review is just that, a review by the person and thier opinion about what they reviewed. As it is thier opinion, I can’t see how they can be “wrong” because its thier opinion.
Secondly, why the post was put in this thread instead of the one where the Stardust review was originally is a bit, curious to me. It seems that an email would be more appropriate if you wanted LD’s attention or posting it in the Stardust comments if you wanted your opine of the movie noted.
Putting it here just seems like you wanted your attention from the folks coming to the blog you no longer want to be around…but, I could be wrong..its been one of those weeks…
Ok, now I’m evil, I’m a pompous ass, for one, for my comment, I was supposed to e-mail Lawdog, etc., and I shouldn’t be so upset. Man, I wasted my money and my time.
I went in there expecting a romantic movie similar to the Princess Bride and was met with this boorish thing that was hardly even an imitation, which is a reflection of our poor mores. People, we need to wake up. We are morally obtuse. I know you don’t want to hear it. I am not trying to make you feel bad. But I was disappointed in Lawdog for something totally dissatisfying spiritually and creatively.
I saw Princess Bride with the one guy I was in love with and that seems like a world away. We seem to have lost so much now morally. And I publish my comments because I want feedback from more than just Lawdog.
I am not seeking your accolades here, or your trips to my sphere. I assumed most folks here would dismiss me.
Also, these comments are meant to stretch people. Lawdog gets nothing but pats on the back. It doesn’t hurt him to get some kicks in the butt once in a while.
We all need some correction too. You don’t grow as a person if everyone just says “awww, you’re grrrreat!” I said I was taking him off my blogroll. That’s because I have teens and young folk visiting my blog a lot. I didn’t say I wasn’t going to come to his blog anymore.
Gabrielle Eden-
Hey, someone so opinionated and untalented as to get in a snit over a movie review makes me wonder….are you and Rosie friends?
minniemouse
Hey Gabrielle,
Why don’t you take a flying fling at a rolling donut too?
LawDog:
You rock! Your blog never ceases to amuse and insprire me. Unlike Gabrielle, I have the ability to determine what will and what won’t suit me. Princess Bride? Heck, no! Mint Juleps and pink gorilla stories? Heck, yeah!
gabrielle eden, you have a fundamental misunderstanding.
A review is an opinion. Your opinion may differ.
As for my opinion: Consider yourself dismissed.
Why does everyone but lawdog answer?
Perhaps because he doesn’t care enough about your opinions on his ability to review movies (a subject he makes NO claim to be expert as)?
Not everybody likes the same thing.
If you don’t like someone else’s opinion on a movie, well, maybe you don’t have a perfect concurrance of taste.
After all, She Who Deigns To Live In My Home doesn’t really like The Princess Bride.
But she does happen to love The Boondock Saints and full auto Thompsons.
Two out of three ain’t bad, I’d say!
Dear Lawdog,
as humbly as I possibly can (God knows how humbly that can be) I apologize for coming on like gangbusters on your blog suddenly like I did back in August of ’07. I thought about this sudden attack and realized, especially after reading what I wrote, how it comes across.
I was disappointed, yes, but the way in which I came across was definitely wrong! I hope you can forgive me. In reading some of your stuff (I haven’t read a whole lot just because I have so many blogs to visit, you understand, and one can’t get to them all) I realize that you, a cop write better and more prolifically than I do, who once thought of herself as a writer! Amazing! Life is full of contradictions, or surprises.
I have written a response to your review of the movie Stardust, but I put it on the post where you reviewed the movie – the post you named Choices, Choices.