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There's an interesting little morality play going on in Marin County involving health care and the treatment of the elderly. And yes, it's more interesting than it sounds. Last Thursday, a Marin County judge refused to allow the local sheriff to evict an elderly woman who has spent the past year living in her hospital bed. That woman, Sarah Nome, 82, of San Alsemo, hasn't needed treatment since last January but simply refuses to leave. The hospital she's in, Kaiser Permanante, has been trying for the past year to get rid of her.
The story began two years ago when Nome fell and couldn't get up, breaking her legs. Her legs were set and she was sent to a convalescent home and somewhere along the way, lost the use of her legs. For whatever reason, she was sent to the hospital in 2004 (why she was hospitalized is in dispute, as Nome claims she got lousy care at the home and was kidnapped and the hospital claims she was abusive and sent her to the hospital for psychiatric evaluation). Since Kaiser doesn't pay for convalescent care, she can't get the type of care she needs and she can't go back to the home where she was before due to her lawsuit. And so there she lies, saying that she shouldn’t be forced to leave because she has nowhere else to go and that she's spent enough money on Kaiser over the years to stay where she is. Kaiser argues that she’s taking the bed from people who might need it and that she owes them over a million dollars for her year-long care.
Uplifiting, inspirational, soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture-starring-Julia Roberts-story about a woman taking on evil health care providers?
Err, maybe not.
Image of Sarah Nome from SFGate
Among other things, Kaiser has offered to move Nome to a facility in Livermore but Nome refuses to go because it's too far from where she and her daugher both live. It would also make sense that she just goes home to live with her daughter, but her daughter claims that she can't care for her mother at home because, well, just because. As for going back to her own place, Nome's house has supposedly been damaged in storms and is uninhabitable (surprisingly, the family is suing the insurance company). It also turns out that the family has a lot more money then they're letting on and can afford a bunch of things they are saying they can't afford.
Then there's this fact: you know how in every neighborhood there's always one mean ole crazy lady who all the kids are scared of and the neighbors can't stand because they make everything difficult? That's Nome. She is pretty much disliked by her neighbors, most of whom have either fought or argued with, or been sued by Nome. One neighbor said that Nome would often drive by and upon seeing them and their kids, would give them the one finger salute. Nice. Nome is also a well-known political crank, having run for office several times over the years but never won.
Right now, all of this is at a standstill. The hospital has every legal right to remove her, but won’t because it looks kind of bad to be kicking out some 82 year old woman who can’t walk. Even if the 82 year old woman is bat-s**** crazy.
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This reporter is so crazy, I love the way he tells the stroy it make it so funny.