#grayrights — Public Fediverse posts

What happened to Hulse over the last three years shines a light on the serious flaws in this government system and on the hospital pipeline that thrust Hulse into it.

During the coronavirus pandemic, more hospitals went to court to seek guardianships; 👉it was a way to legally move out patients and free up beds.

Today, the practice quietly continues as an efficient way to discharge elderly patients who cost hospitals money the longer they stay.


🔥“This should scare people to death,” 🔥said Rick Black, the founder of the Center for Estate Administration Reform who has examined thousands of guardianship cases and has seen a rise in hospitals initiating them.

“This is a common practice nationwide, and its adoption is growing.
#guardianship #elderabuse #grayrights #estateadministration

The retired pilot went to the hospital. Then his life went into a tailspin.

A hospital can be liable if a patient is discharged into an unsafe environment.

Because Hulse lived alone and the hospital officials saw no sign that he had family, that put them in a bind when his health didn’t improve.

So they argued in court that he was no longer capable of making his own decisions and needed a guardian — a caretaker with enormous legal power.


When a judge agreed, Hulse lost basic freedoms: 🔸He couldn’t spend his own money or decide where to live. 🔸

The lifelong Republican who had just cast his ballot in the 2020 presidential primary 👉even lost his right to vote. He was quickly moved to a nursing home.

His new guardian, 🔥a woman he had never met, began selling his house and his belongings🔥.

#grayrights #guardianship #elderabuse
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/11/04/florida-guardianship-investigation-safeguards/