Daisy Face's Soc Wkr counterpart in VA

[TerryJ2]

VA meaning both Virginia, and Veteran's Administration.

A good friend of mine, A, has been dealing w/her husband's alcoholism for yrs. He nearly died last yr when he had intestinal/stomach issues. The next thing was his memory loss and sleepwalking, rearranging the house at night and not knowing he had done it. Then he started getting lost, and had to have A drive him everywhere. Everything is her fault, btw. He is the quintessential gfg. Mean as they come.

So they do an intervention. Five hrs., kids and family from everywhere partipate. A. wanted private care, but one of the daughters (a gfg, of course) chose the VA for detox and he listened to her instead of A. He goes in for 5 days, then expects a pc of paper to be handed to him saying that because he has gone through detox, he's clean now and can drink whatever he wants. (Say what?) NO. At least the dr on staff told him that.
He is discharged w/explicit instructions not to drive.
A. runs errands, and when she gets back, his car is gone from the driveway. Aaaarggh!
Poor A. She forgot to hide the keys. He came back shortly, no alcohol on his breath. (I suspect he got lost a block from home but wouldn't admit it.)

So today, he goes to his first talk therapy session. It's an all-day thing, almost like an RTC, but you go home at night. A gets a phonecall 3 hrs into the session. It's A's husband, who says he wants A to talk to someone, and hands over the phone.
"Hi, this is Jack." Not Dr. J, mind you, first-name basis.
"Your husband says that he doesn't need therapy and he's good to go. He promises never to go to the VFW hall and drink again. So I'm thinking about sending him home."
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhh!
A. kept her cool, and said, "And how many pts have you had tell you this, and how many times have you fallen for it?"
Long story short, "Jack" said, "Well, I guess I'll keep him here for a while."
A. wants to know if "a while" means the rest of the day, the rest of the week, or the entire 21-day treatment program.

I couldn't help but think of DF and our lovely govn't tax dollars, and what kind of training these so-called experts get. I think this is why they are not in private practice.
Thanks for letting me vent, on A's behalf. If I'm steaming about it, I can only imagine she's ready to go nuclear.

[buddy]

That is just unreal. Is he like that only from the alcohol? does he have brain damage from it or from something else?? dementia or ???? Just curious, I dont know enough.

[StepTo2]

YUP. I'm hearing Vet's Admin, too.

You know for regular psych appts, a veteran can go 6 months between appts? That's the ones who GET IN.

[TerryJ2]

Ugh. Well, luckily (or not?) he got in.

Buddy, A. doesn't know if it's brain damage from Alzheimer's or alcoholism or what, but it is permanent. Oh, that's another thing--when he went to detox, she and her husband told the intake officer that he was on anti-seizure meds, the only thing that has helped him for his memory loss. All the scrips were dropped off in their original containers. Did the dr write new scrips? Did the nurses give him the old scrips? Of course not.
He weighs about 100 lbs and will be lucky to make it through 2012. Poor A.

[DaisyFace]

Terry--

What a terrible situation! I really feel for A.

Is private care still an option? It's probably the only way to get come actual "care".

[TerryJ2]

It is, in that he can receive it. Getting him to move forward w/it is another thing. That family is so dysfunctional that they blame A. for too many things. His daughters for yrs said that it was okay for him to drink, because of what he went through in Vietnam. Oh, come on.