Cash for plane tickets
Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:04 pm
I am an attorney (court-appointed) for an elderly woman currently civilly committed at Seattle Hospital in Washington State. She came to Washington against her will at the insistence of her daughter. Her daughter put her in a home, and as my client tried to escape in order to return to California, she was moved to another home. As far as I can tell, she’s been moved to as many as 5 facilities since her arrival in Washington about 7 years ago.
The staff at the hospital tells me she doesn't belong in an in-patient mental health facility, and they support a move back to San Joaquin, California if a suitable place can be found. Her court-appointed GAL also agrees with a move back to Washington. My client’s main issue with her placements here in Washington is that she wants to go HOME.
The problem we have with returning her to California is that she’s out of money. Her daughter spent a fair amount in getting her to Washington – moving truck and storage included. Her former guardian used massive amounts of money for payments to herself, and the multiple homes my client was placed in cost a lot of money. She was also forced to obtain an attorney at her own expense when her daughter filed for a guardianship, and to pay for her guardian’s lawyer as well. The savings she had is gone.
She needs money to pay for the following: (1) two plane tickets from SeaTac to Sacramento (one one-way for my client, and another round trip for the person who accompanies her—she has extreme mobility issues as well as bladder control issues, and will need help on the way down), (2) cost of transportation from the airport to her location and back to the airport for the person accompanying her, (3) one night motel for the person accompanying her, and (4) the first month’s rent in an assisted living facility. Once Medi-Cal kicks in, that should pay for the facility. The estimated travel costs are $700 total (both flights, car rental, and one night hotel), and the estimated cost of the nursing home for the first month is $1,500 based on an estimate I received from the gentleman helping me located a place for her in CA. The total we’re asking for is $2,200. Is this something your organization is able to help with?
The staff at the hospital tells me she doesn't belong in an in-patient mental health facility, and they support a move back to San Joaquin, California if a suitable place can be found. Her court-appointed GAL also agrees with a move back to Washington. My client’s main issue with her placements here in Washington is that she wants to go HOME.
The problem we have with returning her to California is that she’s out of money. Her daughter spent a fair amount in getting her to Washington – moving truck and storage included. Her former guardian used massive amounts of money for payments to herself, and the multiple homes my client was placed in cost a lot of money. She was also forced to obtain an attorney at her own expense when her daughter filed for a guardianship, and to pay for her guardian’s lawyer as well. The savings she had is gone.
She needs money to pay for the following: (1) two plane tickets from SeaTac to Sacramento (one one-way for my client, and another round trip for the person who accompanies her—she has extreme mobility issues as well as bladder control issues, and will need help on the way down), (2) cost of transportation from the airport to her location and back to the airport for the person accompanying her, (3) one night motel for the person accompanying her, and (4) the first month’s rent in an assisted living facility. Once Medi-Cal kicks in, that should pay for the facility. The estimated travel costs are $700 total (both flights, car rental, and one night hotel), and the estimated cost of the nursing home for the first month is $1,500 based on an estimate I received from the gentleman helping me located a place for her in CA. The total we’re asking for is $2,200. Is this something your organization is able to help with?