Part 3 — Glenda Keeps Notes
Glenda opened her folder and looked at the director. “In 2019, Kimberly asked me, as her father hospice nurse, to sign as a witness on a power of attorney form while he was sedated and could not speak,” she said. “I refused. I wrote it down that same night and gave my note to the hospice social worker.”
Kim stood up. “That is not what happened,” she said sharply. Glenda slid the page across the table. It was dated, signed, and stamped by the hospice office, with a copy of the social worker report stapled behind it.
The director read both and picked up the phone. Kansas law is clear that a person must have capacity to sign a power of attorney, and she called Adult Protective Services before the meeting was over. The facility nurse practitioner examined me that afternoon and found no anxiety at all. The sedative was stopped immediately.
A geriatric physician came the next morning for a full capacity evaluation. I did the crossword in pen while she watched. I named every resident on the wing, the date, and the last four presidents, and I told her what I had for breakfast in March.
One honest nurse with a notebook can undo months of quiet harm.
The Sedgwick County court revoked the power of attorney and declined to appoint a guardian. I named my own agent, my old friend and attorney Mr. Alvarez. The court ordered Kim to repay the $6,500 from the Buick and the proceeds of the furniture. Mark sold the hot tub to cover part of it.
The attorney general elder abuse unit reviewed the case. Kim pleaded to a misdemeanor count of financial exploitation. She received probation and mandatory counseling, and she signed a statement of apology that she asked me to read in private.
Sunflower Gardens reviewed every sedation order in the building. Three other families were contacted. Glenda was promoted to night supervisor, and she accepted on one condition: that all her notes stay open to the residents families.
I returned to my own house on Maple Street, with an in-home aide named Priscilla. The buyer of my china on Marketplace brought it back in a box with tissue paper, and refused payment.
On Sundays, Glenda visits after her shift. We drink tea at the kitchen table and do the crossword in pen. She always gets the last clue wrong on purpose.