Another
week, and still looking for Nancy.
Last week we
sent out five thousand flyers to all the residential care facilities recognized
by CA's Dept of Social Services in Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura
counties. This is part of our “bottom-up”
strategy of finding Nancy if she has made it into the care system without being
identified: We’re seeking her from the individual facilities. Thanks, again, to all those who stamped and
stuffed envelopes.
Got back 120
of these as undeliverable and are still culling them and following up.
Also bought
a marketing list of all the MDs and RNs, in a 20 mile radius of the point from where
Nancy went missing emailed flyers with Nancy photo, description, reward info,
and tip line phone number. Kudos to
brother Rex Moody for identifying this opportunity.
And have
been in contact with California’s Medi-Cal Data Analysts to look for women
matching Nancy’s description that have applied for coverage from any
source. The time-delay from initial
billing to showing up in data is remarkably long, but we are seeking help to
find Nancy via this “top-down” strategy.
And, another
“thank you” to Megan Barnes of the Daily Breeze newspaper for a very nice follow-up
article on our continuing efforts to find Nancy! This article is available at by clicking the
following link:
Link to Daily Breeze Update Article
And Megan's piece is also in The Beach Reporter this week... Again, huge thanks, Megan!
Link to The Beach Reporter Update Article
Link to Daily Breeze Update Article
And Megan's piece is also in The Beach Reporter this week... Again, huge thanks, Megan!
Link to The Beach Reporter Update Article
We continue to believe that Nancy is still out there,
receiving care in the “system” and hope that someone will recognize her from
the flyer and call the tip line at: 310-567-6594
Hello. I sent a photo about a week ago. Have you received it?
ReplyDeleteHello Denise!
DeleteNo we have not received your photo!
Please resend to NancyIsMissing@gmail.com
To all the volunteers, Police and medical facilities looking for Nancy, I have some news for you. Today, Lydia went missing from the secured facility that she's been in since her last hospitalization around Easter of this year. When I got the call from the facility, my heart sank to the floor. I had reached out to Nancy's husband in October after reading about her wandering off, saying "stupid" like Lydia says, and seeing the LA Times full-page ad. I had told him to check the psychiatric wards in the area, because although Lydia has FTD (Frontotemporal Degeneration) and was diagnosed in 2014 by the current Chair of theAFTD.org 's Medical Advisory Council,
ReplyDeleteA) most doctors don't know what FTD is,
B) they misdiagnose it as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, Alzheimer's or they think the patient is on drugs or alcohol.
I had gotten a few photos of a potential "Nancy" texted to me at the beginning of December, and because Lydia and Nancy are the same age, I have a background worry about Nancy. I'm sure you can imagine the shock I had when I got the phone call this AM. I called and asked Nancy's husband if he had any advice because Lydia had slipped out of the facility at 7 AM and it was 9 AM--who knows how much ground she could have covered in that time--other than the seizures, aphasia and FTD, Lydia was in pretty good health and walked all day in the facility. Kirk told me to get the LA Sheriff and search dogs involved right away and get the businesses in the area with cameras not to delete their videos. I got our mom, Lydia's medical records, and all the photos of Lydia's clothes we've dropped off to the facility to aid in the description for the police and any volunteers and started driving from Ventura County.
In the car, we called 911 and were connected with the Malibu Sheriff station which then sent me over to the North Hollywood station. The facility staff was there, and one of the officers said they thought they may have found Lydia. The nearby Burbank Police had taken her to the hospital. The facility staff texted the address of the hospital, and we met them there with other members of the staff. Once we got there and told the ER doctor she had FTD, they canceled some of the tests they were thinking of running, but she hadn't eaten yet or had her AM meds. They tested for a UTI, but she had just finished taking antibiotics for the only one she's had at this facility. Her anti-seizure meds were in the correct range.
The ER doctor and staff were fantastic EVEN THOUGH THEY'D NEVER HEARD OF FTD, but if we weren't involved, she would have been in the psychiatric ward of the hospital, which is where she was initially placed. On a happy note, she was transferred back to the facility, and we are all breathing sighs of relief.
Lessons learned:
1. It only takes a second for a confused person to get lost.
2. The Police can be very helpful and the hospitals are trying to do the best they can with limited information from a patient who can't advocate for herself.
3. Ambulatory dementia patients are often misdiagnosed as psychiatric patients.
4. Lydia was found near a dog park from what we've been able to gather. She likes animals and as best we can tell, was saying the name of her beloved cat, repeatedly.
5. When dehydrated, dementia patients are even more confused. They may not be able to let you know they are hot, cold, thirsty, their feet hurt, are wet, need to go to the bathroom, etc. and may become agitated and lash out because we don't understand them and they are angry because we aren't helping they get what they need.
6. Volunteering efforts like what you are doing are amazing and help even when you don't think they are. You are all making a difference!
I'm amazed by all the smart things you are doing and hope Nancy can be returned safely home.
Hoping for happy holidays for all of you,
Lydia's Sister
https://lydiasftdhouse.com/2015/07/16/odyssey-lydias-busy-2015-schedule/
Hello Lydia's Sister, thanks so much for sharing your story and SO VERY glad that Lydia is safe again. Quick action by you and alerting the authorities is critical. And Kirk's advice to get the Sheriff's Dept to dispatch search dogs as soon as possible, even in urban environments, is also key. The advice to quickly contact the police is echoed in the book "In Search of the Alzheimer's Wanderer: A Workbook to Protect Your Loved One" by Mark Warner (2005).
DeleteWe were able to talk this morning with one of the detectives who found her. Really, it was because a good Samaritan who saw her WALKING IN THE STREET on a busy road and getting honked at, and he called the police because of what she was doing and how she was dressed. She got from Oxnard Street to Victory in about 12 minutes which is when the police got the call. I know she's bored with her relatively small environs, but since she can't communicate, she's there for her safety. She was able to get one new complete sentence out in the ER when she said "I can't even think anymore" which she repeated once. What a horrible disease, and fortunately this had a good ending. Please push this out to all your own good Samaritans who are helping to find Nancy, and I hope your efforts pay off soon.
DeleteThanks for the update, Lydia's sister. We're also relying on strangers to help us find Nancy in residential care facilities. Please, everyone, keep communicating out to anyone who visits such facilities to look for Nancy!
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who is a director for skilled nursing facilities (http://www.genesishcc.com) She is going to forward Nancy's information to her facilities, 22 in Los Angeles and Orange County. She agreed that it would probably be helpful to check for Jane Doe applications for SSI or Medi-cal medical coverage. She has also posted to her own Facebook page.
ReplyDeleteTavia
This is very greatly appreciated, Tavia. Having this kind of personal support to find Nancy going out to 22 facilities across two counties is wonderful. And we are looking for Medi-Cal coverage for people who match Nancy's description. Will check on SSI. Please keep the ideas flowing!
ReplyDelete