“I will take care of this,
you no worry about it,” she said as she waved the invoice around. Repeatedly
she stated, “I will take care of this, you no worry”. I wondered if she was
suggesting my friend whom I will call Pearl here, was responsible for the
$1266.75 finders fee?
That would have been in
addition to the $4000 for a month at the Lilac Chateau, a facility
for individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Yet her late husband was only
there 3 weeks. Did she not deserve $1000 back?
It is Xmas eve morning and
Pearl’s husband passed less than 24 hours ago and she has to make decisions in
her state of shock. She had to visit the mortuary to make final arrangements.
Three years ago I was there
myself and know how valuable it is to have another person with you, if even for
moral support. Someone who has a critical ear is even better. I volunteered to
accompany her and was glad she did not reject my offer knowing that doing that
alone is not the best of situations. Fortunately, my greatest fear was not
realized. The staff were professional and there was NO high pressure sales
pitch to “do the right thing for your loved one”.
After a few small errands
and a quick lunch we drove to Lilac Chateau. The staff and the owner who
insisted we sit first so we could “talk” greeted us effusively. There was no
real conversation or exchange. Instead it was a barrage in which she claimed
Pearl’s late husband frequently called her name. That when he asked for her
they said she was shopping and would be coming soon. What did she think she was doing?
Imagine how that felt to
Pearl who had agonized over the decision to place her husband in a facility
when it became too difficult for her to safely cope with the situation. Indeed
some of her friends had been encouraging her to do so for months.
After this disturbing
diatribe, the owner leads us to the garage where the rest of his possessions are in a box.
This was when she started in the “I will take care of it” rant. Of course this
is an entirely new development to Pearl who was expecting a 1 week refund that
would have helped pay for the final arrangements. In addition, she had signed in her state of
distress a paper stating that should hospice be called there would be NO refund
regardless. Later she told me she now understood why the owner kept pushing for
hospice.
I had the foresight to snap
a photo of the document with my phone before she snatched it away for
investigation later. A Google search states this agency’s referrals are free.
This is absolutely
disgraceful. No one is more vulnerable when they have lost a loved one. And in
the first few hours and days, especially. She did NOT need any more grief.
Unfortunately, the less
charitable side of me suspects the whole thing is staged. She knew she was
putting Pearl further off balance with her comments and persisted in this
before she presented the bill, hoping Pearl would pay it in all the confusion.
My instincts upon meeting this woman told be to be guarded and her behavior
certainly confirmed them.
Pearl is not a naïve person.
She is a sophisticated world traveler, a woman with a college degree. Her
husband was a college professor who had written a college level Chemistry
textbook. Imagine how easily such
sharks can manipulate those with less education and experience!
Unfortunately there must be
others who have had such an agonizing experience.
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