Linda D

Review of Lieberman Center for Health an...

My grandmother came here January 2020 for rehab af...

My grandmother came here January 2020 for rehab after a stroke. Due to covid19 they cut off all visitation March 11th (understandably). we got a call last Thursday that my grandmothers health was declining and she was entering into her final hours of life. Originally we were told that two people at a time can come in and give their final goodbyes, however when our family arrived we were all denied access and told that only two people could say goodbyes that day. Then we were advised 2 people a day could come for half an hour. We have a huge family and there s no way that all of us could say our peace at two people a day, so on Saturday we asked if we can put a iPad in her room that is automatically accepts FaceTime calls. originally we were told yes and the nurse set up the iPad in my grandmothers room, at this point my grandmother is moving, opening her eyes and waving at us. A couple hours into having the iPad there, in the middle of a FaceTime call a nurse came in and hung up the phone and put the iPad face down. we were then told that we are strictly prohibited from recording them and no more FaceTime calls would be allowed. We begged them to allow us to talk to her, to consol her, we were playing church hymns, the next day was Easter Sunday and we wanted to FaceTime her mass. She didn t deserve to pass by herself And we never even thought of recording them in the first place.They did not care, they kept saying they didn t want to be recorded and hung up on us. I see all around the world where everyone is showing compassion for those that are in rehab and nursing homes, those that have no contact with their loved ones, yet we experienced the exact opposite in such a cruel and demeaning way. Early on in March, before the covid shut down, I attempted to put a two-way camera in my grandmother s room, where here in Illinois it s allowed to legally do that, however I got so much pushback. What scares me the most is why they fear of being recorded. What exactly are they doing that they don t want us to see? We are now attempting to bring my grandmother home to pass with dignity, surrounded by the ones that love her.