Officials at the Northern Arizona Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in Prescott have restricted the visiting hours of the wife of a World War II veteran with Parkinson's disease because of her "disruptive behavior."
Spokesman Frank Cimorelli says the VA will not discuss the case.
However, 83-year-old Anne Famalaro of Prescott Valley says the restriction came about after she threatened to go to the Joint Commission - which accredits the extended care facility - with complaints that management there had failed to deal with.
Since April 28, Anne has been allowed to see her 92-year-old husband Angelo - whom everyone calls Ang - for only three hours a week. She had been visiting him every day for six to eight hours a day for 10 years. She would arrive shortly after visiting hours began in the morning, feed her husband lunch and then leave after she fed him dinner at night.
Anne says that in late April as she was returning to the VA after leaving to have lunch herself, VA police stopped her and told her that she could not enter the building. Anne says the officer told her that a staff member complained that they had overheard her telling a friend that day that she was going to shoot everyone there.
Asked if she had ever - even in jest - said such a thing, Anne said, "As God is my judge, no."
Anne added that the friend who was with her when she was supposed to have talked about shooting everyone told both the VA police and the VA director that Anne had said no such thing to her.
The friend, who said she did not want to be named in an article about the case, confirmed for The Daily Courier that Anne had said nothing about shooting anyone while she was with her.
Anne said her friend was the only one who came to see Ang that day, so it couldn't have been another friend.
In order to see her husband now, Anne - who has a bad hip and walks with a slight limp - must first go to the VA police building and sign in, then take the sign-in card to the nurses' station on the first floor of the extended care wing where her husband lives. After she shows the card to a nurse there, she can visit her husband for one hour.
Officials there strictly enforce the time limit, as The Daily Courier learned one day recently when a reporter accompanied Anne on her lunchtime visit to feed her husband.
After Anne had shown her pass to a nurse at the desk near her husband's room and had started walking down the hall, another nurse came running after her demanding to see her papers.
"I already showed them," Anne said.
"Well, you're early," the nurse said.
It was five minutes to noon.
According to an April 29 letter to Anne from VA Director Susan Angell that the Courier obtained, Anne can see her husband only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon until 1 p.m. The restriction is for at least three months, but will not automatically expire, the letter says. Anne will have to apply on or after July 28 to Geriatric Extended Care Service Line Manager Robin Larson to have her restriction "reviewed."
Anne calls the VA's restriction cruel. "I know this separation is injurious to (Ang)," she said. "I call it the 'act of cruelty.'"
She said the VA restricted her visiting hours after she made numerous complaints about a staff member wearing the same pair of gloves as he went into and out of several patient rooms and about patients who called for help and were ignored by a particular staff member.
In addition, Anne said, she also complained about the staff's unsanitary handling of her husband's catheter.
When the unsanitary conditions kept occurring, Anne said she told Larson that she would report the conditions she had witnessed to the Joint Commission, which is scheduled to conduct a surprise inspection of the Prescott VA by the end of the year. The Joint Commission is the agency that accredits all VA centers.
On June 2, Larson declined to comment about Anne's charges and referred all questions to Cimorelli.
In an e-mail, Cimorelli said, "We would be happy to provide information related to the reasons we took the actions we did."
Cimorelli directed The Daily Courier to put its request in writing to Angell, stating, "We have lots of information to substantiate our position."
After Angell received the Courier's June 2 request, Cimorelli said the VA didn't have enough time to gather the information and also said some of it wasn't releasable. The Courier agreed to wait until Friday for whatever information was releasable.
On Friday, Cimorelli said the VA would not comment on the Famalaro case directly, except to say that the VA restricts visitation "only in the most serious cases after other remedies have been exhausted."
He declined to say what the "other remedies" were.
Anne also says that a friend of the Famalaro family - who is like family to her husband and who has been feeding Ang his meals for the past month while Anne has been restricted - learned earlier this week from VA officials that she can no longer feed Ang.
Asked about that, Cimorelli said, "Only individuals who have been specifically trained may feed patients." He declined to comment further and did not answer the issue of why the woman had been allowed to feed Ang for the past month or why other friends of the family had been allowed to feed Ang without interference after Anne's visits were restricted.
The friend, who asked that her name not be used said, "I was waiting for him at his regular table (when) they kind of abruptly wheeled him over to the feeding table."
The feeding table is where the nurses place patients for staff assistance who cannot easily feed themselves and have no one to help them.
"One of the dining staff said, 'We don't know what's going on, but we've been instructed to feed Ang last,'" the friend said. "(Ang) was confused about why he was not sitting at his regular spot."
Anne said her husband "dreads" the feeding table.
The friend said that while she has never witnessed bad care at the VA, she's confused about why they won't let her continue feeding Ang. She said she has American Heart Association certification in CPR and first aid.
"Even the VA says they like family there so the veterans will not feel like they're forgotten," she said, adding that she has an especially good relationship with Ang.
"I found ways to make him laugh ... and assist him in eating that was encouraging to his self-esteem and his will to live," the friend said.
Dr. Mitchell Gelber, a Prescott psychologist who works with a number of Yavapai County's skilled nursing facilities - while not commenting directly on Anne's case - said that, in general, "Anytime you change a relationship status dramatically, there's going to be stress."
He said that so long as someone is taking care of the person's needs, they could eventually feel better about the loss of a caregiver.
But he said, "Familiarity is important to people with any kind of medical or psychological problems. Changes are stressful and the more cognitively impaired, the more confusion there is and the more difficult these transitions are."
The couple's niece says she thinks the VA would like nothing more than to "get rid of" Ang so officials there won't have to deal with Anne any more.
"My aunt is his reason to live and he looks forward to her daily visits," said niece Mary Ann Wells, a high school teacher in Somerville, Mass. "She gives him all her attention and love, and he thrives on it. (Now) he does not know what's happening or why."
Two registered nurses currently employed at the extended care facility and one former nurse there say VA officials are isolating the frail World War II veteran from the two people he loves and trusts in retaliation to Anne's complaints.
The nurses asked that their names not be used because they are either looking for work elsewhere or fear retaliation.
The nurses say they, too, have complained to the extended care administration about some of the same things Anne has.
"They're looking to get rid of people who complain," one nurse said.
She and the other nurses agreed that Anne can be difficult to deal with because she is at the facility all of the time and watches over her husband vigilantly.
"But she has a right to be his advocate," the nurse said. "She's intense and a bit overzealous, but I never heard her raise her voice."
One of the women, a former nurse at the facility, recently sent a certified letter to Sen. John McCain describing Ang's treatment as "malicious."
She provided The Daily Courier with a copy of the letter.
"For 10 years this veteran's wife has spent six to eight hours every day of the week scrupulously monitoring his condition and care such that he has never even had a bedsore...," the letter states. "This 8(3)-year-old, strong-willed woman was recently escorted off the premises by the police and punished with limited visitation privileges because of contrived accusations and retaliation for her reporting of unsafe conditions and even abuse of the veteran patients," the nurse went on to say in the letter.
All three nurses - who have a combined total of more than 65 years nursing experience - say that "stories" about Anne swirl through the extended care facility.
Anne, they say, is never referred to at the VA without some type of reference to her son, who was convicted of murdering a woman years ago.
"They're making stories up that she was involved in that murder," one of the nurses said.
"The reference is always, 'Anne Famalaro, the one whose son killed someone,'" another nurse said. She said staff members often pass around among themselves a book written about the murder.
Asked if she would ever be afraid of Anne, the nurse said, "Never, never, never."
The two nurses currently working at the facility said that after the "incident" with Anne happened, one of the charge nurses called staff together and reminded them that Famalaro was the woman whose son had murdered someone.
"Then the nurse went on to say, 'There was an incident yesterday where she threatened to bring a gun and start shooting everybody.' This is how we were told," the nurse said.
"Then staff was told to go to the parking lot in pairs because (Anne) might be lurking in the parking lot."
The second nurse said VA officials told her the same thing: "They said she had a gun and was going to come back and shoot everybody in the building."
Both nurses said they thought it was "silly."
Prescott City Councilman Bob Luzius says he's known Anne for a number of years and could never imagine her hurting anyone.
"She's been very, very instrumental in keeping (Ang) alive," Luzius said. "I've seen her out there taking care of him, bringing things to the nurses' attention. She's very forceful. I would definitely say she's the reason (he's still alive.)"
Today, Anne said, is Ang's 92nd birthday. Because of the VA restrictions, she said, she will not be able to see her husband.
Contact the reporter at tshultz@prescottaz.com
Reader Comments
Posted: Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Article comment by:
Patricia
I know the family, and the history of this woman. She has threatened people with guns before, in the 1970's in Orange County, California. One of these targets was her own son. Her arrest for this is a matter of public record. She can put on a sweet face, but she is a dangerous woman. To take her at face value without doing any investigation into her past is very irresponsible jounalism. Frankly, I am terrified of the woman, so I will just sign this with my middle name.
Posted: Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Article comment by:
Former Prescott V.A. Nurse
I was working on that very unit as a nurse for 6 months last year and had dealings with this patient and his wife. Ann was always impatient and seemed to forget how many other veterans were in need of care there. She expected staff to drop every thing at once when Ang needed something. But then, she was his family and don't we all get a little selfish when we want something done for our loved one? Ann is truly devoted to Ang but I have also witnessed her to be very nosey into other vets business there including asking staff about other patients medical issues which she knows we were not allowed to answer. I have witnessed her try to turn staff against each other too. And she did make me feel uncomfortable when she would try to give me money and gifts for doing my job. I felt like she was tryingto get me to play favoritism toward Ang over other patients. It isn't ethical and I never accepted. I think that Ann has so devoted her life to And and he is really all she has and once he is gone she feels nothing is left for her. It is very sad to see that the V.A. has come to this.
Posted: Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Article comment by:
Tinkerbell
I have had enough with the biased reporting of the Courier, why did it take 17 years for me to finally cancel my subscription today. There is such an enormous "other" side to this story. I am so disappointed in this reporter, her reputation is ruined and she needs to leave town.
Posted: Monday, June 16, 2008
Article comment by:
misimangu
John Doe and others who can't see the facts of this article. This reporter should be commended for a thorough article -- the VA was given a chance to comment and they declined. There was no process. There is NO CASE. It is bogus. Who said bomb or gun? There is no proof. This is all to keep her away from the VA so they don't have to be observed and they don't have to answer her questions and concerns. It is a relief for them to have her gone. She is there vigilant and dedicated -- she sees and knows many things they don't want seen or known I'm sure. This woman has been kind to everyone there and if she has been assertive or whatever people are saying, it is because she is the patient's advocate, caring about the quality of care. This woman has provided food and entertainment to everyone in the extended care facility from time to time. All you first hand observers must know that. And have you seen his face light up and the smile from ear to ear when she appears? Good for the Courier for exposing this story -- it is horrendous and needs to be corrected immediately.
Posted: Monday, June 16, 2008
Article comment by:
John Doe
Wow people. As someone who knows first hand about this situation I can assure you this story lacks ALOT of details. Another thing, is it okay to say the word bomb or gun on any other federal installation? So what would make it okay at a hospital. Her husband is still getting treatment but her dangerous attitude should not be tolerated. This is a very poorly written article, if I was the editor of this paper I would reprimand the author for not being very biased in her writing. Shame on all of you who are bad mouthing the VA without knowing the whole story.
Posted: Monday, June 16, 2008
Article comment by:
Andrea
Send the old man home so he can be with his wife and arrange for a 24 hour nurse to help this devoted couple. Your nurses will no longer have to chase after Anne and ask to see her visiting pass, instead they can use the time it takes to get upset about Anne, looking after others that need them. Seems this case has gotten totally out of hand. The only kind thing you can do for this couple is to let them live together to enjoy each other for the little time they have left to say "I love you." Spend the money for around the clock care at their HOME.
Posted: Monday, June 16, 2008
Article comment by:
riccie
My My My. Aren't we all a bunch of fools. Those who read and believe everything they read, and those that refuse to believe that there is more to the situation, other than what one person reports. Patient confidentiality is a BIG issue here. I dare anyone to travel to all the long term facilites in this community, and then visit the V.A. long term care facility and Compare the quality of care. I guarantee the V.A. facitlity will far surpass ANY of the others,both in patient care, and CLEANLINESS, of the facility. Don't be blinded by the 'frail little old lady'. Open your eyes to the facts of the other side of the story, that cannot be plastered in a newpaper.
Posted: Monday, June 16, 2008
Article comment by:
senditalong
Well said tongue-in-cheek. I know Pete and millions like him. You see Pete has a mental disorder... it's called liberalism.
Posted: Monday, June 16, 2008
Article comment by:
retired nurse
The editor has removed this comment because it violates the Terms of Use Agreement for dCourier.com.
Posted: Monday, June 16, 2008
Article comment by:
superbad421
Do we say bomb on a plane? NO. So perhaps you shouldn't say gun or bomb on federal property. If she was warned about her actions and continued to act up then she should be restricted from visiting. Very, very poorly written article showing only one side and lacking any proof or actual facts.
Posted: Monday, June 16, 2008
Article comment by:
Starla
To Mrs. B, the VA Police are certified ego maniacs and would NOT know how to conduct a valid investigation is you handed it to them on a platter. An outside law inforcement unit needs to do an investagation. Maybe you have not been on the side of a loved one that is in complete care of others. Well, I have been and I too was not liked and someone tried to put rules on me but since my family was a private pay and I had filed so many formal compliants I got my way and not the other way around. I don't care what nursing facility one is in, private, VA, or other, staffing is ALWAYS short handed, the smell is atroucious, the care is medium to poor, most nurses have little to any interpersonal skills and are arogant. When in pain/drugged or discomfort we are NOT easy to get along with and a nurse needs to STOP getting so personally involved, have some compassion, treat that person as they were your own...this IS your job!!!! If you cannot handle it get a welding position, it pays the same and you don't have to deal with people whisc seems to be the problem here...PEOPLE! When we are in the care of strangers and are in pain there is no one except our loved ones that will ease our mental pain.
One more thing...when my dear mother was assigned a Hospice they came to my home and my mom said to the nurse, "OH, thank GOD your here, my daughter is exhuasted and needs help and maybe you can help me get better." the stupid hard core nurse said, "NOPE, thats not what we are here for." I saw my mother give up at that moment and it broke my heart...and I WILL NEVER FORGIVE and this is what kind of people I perceive nurses to be...hard core, numb to compassion and this is what I think is happening at the VA with this old man and woman.
Posted: Sunday, June 15, 2008
Article comment by:
kdeluna
As a Social Worker for years with the elderly in Nursing Homes, I have dealt with many "difficult" spouses/family members. I am sure that Ann can be irritating and difficult to tolerate for that many hours a day, every day. But, you are ALL supposed to be TRAINED professionals who need to deal with the family as well as the patient. How about a CARE PLAN? How about patient rights and responsibilities? What about consulting wiht your behavioral health staff for advice? Call the family member who has YEARS of experience being a Director of Nurses in Nursing facilities. I agree with the advice to re-direct her when she has too much time. Of course she is difficult. She has lots of time and she and her husband have little time together. She is well aware of how the facility and staff work. They are our elders, respect them and their history. Find a way to work it out and get over egos.
Posted: Sunday, June 15, 2008
Article comment by:
What Are You Smoking?
RIGHT- AN OLD LADY HAS "TERRORIZED AND BULLIED" the VA for years? So why has it taken soooooooo long for something to be done about it? Why wait until she was 83? What Are You Smoking?
Posted: Sunday, June 15, 2008
Article comment by:
jaypeeinaz
This is simply a case of this person being a pain in the patoot. From her vantage point, she can see the day in and day out slip ups of VA personnel. She's is no doubt an advocate for her husband, and speaks for him as he can't speak for himself. They are just tired of her being around. I don't believe for one sec. that she said she was going to shoot anybody. Ludicrous!
Posted: Sunday, June 15, 2008
Article comment by:
Mother of Vets
Don't be fooled by this "sweet old lady", she has terrorized and bullied the VA staff for years. It's about time something has been done about her disruptive behavior.
