Beautiful letter, Katie.  YOU ARE ONE FINE ATTORNEY!

E of the headdress

----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 11:24 PM
Subject: Investigation into Dad's Death


> Johanna,
>
>        I read earlier tonight your posting about your conversation with
> someone at the VA Hospital about the investigation into your dad's death,
and
> I just finished reading Edith's posting which encourages you to
investigate
> your dad's death further and to consider the possiblity that there was
> negligence or wrongdoing somewhere at the VA.  You and your family could
have
> requested an autopsy, tox screens, and blood levels prior to the time your
> father was prepared for burial.  (I assume your father has been buried, or
> possibly cremated, since he died in February).  I assume that the VA, in
its
> own internal investigation, interviewed personnel and possibly performed
some
> tests or other procedures.  There should be the record of this
investigation
> as well as the medical records at the hospital.
>
>         I think you, your mother, and your family, although it is very
> difficult to accept the fact and manner of your father's death, can
> determine, can sense, if there were problems at the VA, or with the
attending
> physician, at the time of your father's death.  You may feel comfortable
> scheduling an appointment with hospital administration and the attending
> physician to answer your questions and explain the investigation.  You may
> want to contact an attorney to discuss the fact and manner of your
father's
> death and/or review the records at the hospital and of the hospital's
> investigation.  Exhuming a body is very expensive as well as emotionally
> harrowing.  The doctors on this list, or your father's attending
physician,
> or a neutral physician you, or your attorney, contacts/hires could
indicate
> for you if an autopsy would be helpful; I would think that the autopsy
would
> only show the fact of the death, which you know, and if your father was
> properly diagnosed as having PD.  I would be much more interested in the
> dosages, and the frequency of those dosages, of medication as given in the
> hospital, and recorded in the chart, and the matching of actual dosages as
> given and recorded with the doctor's orders as written in the chart.  I
would
> also be interested in any blood levels or tox screens of the blood taken
at
> the time of death, but I doubt that any were taken and you can't get them
> know.  I don't know what type of tissue samples would be useful and
available
> at this time.  It might be helpful to have a doctor, with the appropriate
> expertize, particularly of dementia in the last stages of PD and of
> delusions/dementia/personality changes caused by PD medications, review
your
> father's entire course of treatment, including medications prescribed,
prior
> to his  hospitalization as well as after.  If you see a personal injury
> lawyer and that lawyer agrees to take your case, you most likely will have
to
> pay, and most likely pay in advance, for all of this and any other costs
of
> the attorney's investigation into your father's death.
>
>        The manner of your father's death is horrific and bizarre.  I don't
> know if any further investigation, or exhumation of the body, will show
> anything was done wrong or if it will help you and your family accept and
> reach some closure on your father's death.  The purpose, the function, of
the
> legal system is to redress wrongs, but the legal system can't do
everything.
> I don't think the legal system can make you feel better about your
father's
> death.  I don't think that the legal system can help you accept the manner
of
> his death.  If you feel you need to pursue further investigation of your
> father's death, by all means, do so.  I made some suggestions as how you
> might get started.  You may find something wrong, but you may not.  I
assume
> that there is no serious issue here of foul play since you have never
> mentioned that possiblity.  Showing that the doctor/s did something wrong
or
> that the hospital did something wrong will be difficult given your
father's
> behavior and state of mind.  I think that you would have to show that the
> dosages of the medications and/or the continued prescription of the
> medications were wrong or that the level of protection and security
provided
> by the hospital was wrong.
>
>        I was uncomfortable writing this to you, at this time.  I was
> primarily responding to the questions which were raised by Edith.  It is
> difficult to deal with grief over the loss of a loved one under any
> circumstances, and, when things like this happen, we look for the reason,
the
> cause, the explanation.  However,sometimes, we can't get any answers to
our
> questions, and it is heartbreaking as well as frustrating.  Katie
>
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