To: St. Louis County Court Re: Guardianship hearing for Bette Salmonson, Sept. 10, 2013 From: Jane E. Pinney Reasons Rita J. and Timothy C. Bergstedt should not be appointed as guardians of my mother 1. Ms. Bergstedt has abused my mother a. Beginning in 2010, she moved my mother continuously away from the home she had selected for herself, Edgewood Vista. 1. First to Primrose 2. Then to the home on Trinity Road 3. Then back to Edgewood Vista, because neither of the previous places would keep her. 4. Then she moved her to The Franciscan in March 2012 a) This move was very much against my mother’s will. Ms Bergstedt made it without input from anyone in the family. My mother has been extremely miserable ever since. b) She is paranoid, fearful, and said on Memorial Day 2013: “I have never been so depressed in my entire life.” 5. Ms Bergstedt immediately relinquished her apartment at Edgewood Vista, so she could not return. 2. Her current living situation at the Franciscan a. This home is managed by a cousin, Debra DeGrio b. When my mother was first placed there 1 ½ years ago, I inquired about this to the State Ombudsman, Verda Hall. Ms. Hall was very supportive of my desire not to have my mother sentenced to reside at this facility, until she found out I was referring to the one managed by her friend, “Deb” as she called her. c. Soon after, it was evident that Ms. Hall, who was retiring, had divulged this confidential inquiry on my part to Ms. DeGrio and she in turn to Rita Bergstedt. d. Employee morale: is extremely low, and turnover high. I had a nurse on June 20, 2012, tell me that I should be running the place. One of the NAs asked me this year, “How in the world did Debra DeGrio get put in management?” e. Morale of residents: also very low. Whenever I visit there, the residents who still have their mental faculties tell me how miserable they are. If the Ombudsman were doing her job, she would know this. None of the residents tries to hide it. My mother even broke down this May, and usually she is afraid to say anything. f. Condition of my mother’s room: I documented and sent out an email to my siblings after my visit in May of this year regarding the black marks on my mother’s floor, the dust, the missing gifts I have given her, the poor state of repair of her clothing, her chaotic, filthy drawers, wrinkled clothing, and crooked pictures. g. How I have been harassed and prevented from even talking to my mother on the phone while she has been there: 1) Ms. DeGrio has sought to punish me and my mother in turn even more so for my exercising my right to want the best for my mother. These actions on her part included, but were not limited to: a. Emotional abuse of my mother. See documentation from June 22, 2012. b. Confiscating gifts I have given my mother. Sapphire cross and dvd I had made of my life for her. See attached documentation. Many other things, such as Mary Kay cosmetic items have vanished without a trace. c. Reading and withholding my mother’s mail. d. Disconnection of her phone line—May 2013. Mark Pinney witnessed this. e. Placing her out of reach of her phone, so that it is nearly impossible to ever reach her. Ask any one who tried to reach her via phone. Also, leaving her in the lunch room for inordinate amounts of time. f. Having an employee intervene when she is on the phone. I documented this incidence this summer. g. Creating undue paranoia on my mother’s part. Virtually every time I visit my mom, she tells me to be careful, lest someone there overhears. h. Not allowing me to transport my mother to a restaurant or women’s luncheon. See attached documentation. 3. Financial abuse of my mother’s funds by Ms. Bergstedt a. Ms. Bergstedt sent an email out last year, saying that she and her Bergstedt siblings wanted “their” share of sale of my mother’s condo. She said that we could have the option to take it now or wait for it later. She also tried to conceal the existence of that account, until my brother, Randy Pinney, openly asked her what had happened to the funds. b. I asked for an accounting of the funds of my mother’s as spent by Ms. Bergstedt in February 2012. I have not received any reports to this date. c. The money that has sustained my mother most of her life was as a result of my dad’s establishment of a trust fund with First Bank, now U.S. Bank.He did this with the express purpose of protecting my generous mother from having all of her funds pilfered by Ms. Bergstedt. 1) In 1979, she still managed to persuade my mom to give her money to purchase a home in Woodland. She defaulted on this loan and the house went back to the bank. d. Both Rita and her brother, Tim, who has publicly admitted to being highly in debt, should NOT be permitted to manage my mother’s life or assets, as they both seek to keep her in a shared room in a substandard nursing home, waiting for her to die so that they can access her funds. e. And Ms. DeGrio, who was sent to the Franciscan after destroying the morale at Viewcrest, is putting her pride before my mother’s welfare, as it wouldn’t look good for a relative to leave her home. The truth would actually be revealed then. In Summary All three of these individuals DO NOT care about my mother and only want to keep her in the Franciscan to line their own pockets and save face. It is time that MY MOTHER’S happiness and welfare be placed first----high time. I would like to request that an independent guardian be appointed by the court for my mother, and that Ms. Bergstedt and Mr. Bergstedt not be appointed as her guardians. I would also like my mother put in the Benedictine or moved to a quality facility in the southwest metropolitan area, of which there are many. I have offered to care for her myself, if needed or if she desired that.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Sep 2013 12:15:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015