The Roving Activist’s Blog

My dad, Ricky Dale Bozeman, passed away on Friday, July 7, 2006. This post is dedicated to him because though he was a sweet, shy, yet, funny and loving guy, I feel that his most amazing work was done after he got sick. Sometimes, I’m not sure if he realized that he’d become an example of the positive aspects of independent living.

Popz, and his doctor, Stuart Ferguson

Popz was born in North Carolina, but moved to Colorado after he married my mum, Alice. Though shy when first meeting folks, once he got to know you, his generosity, and sense of humor would shine through. He was a fabulous cook (one of his specialties was homemade pumpkin bread), a great handyman, and he loved cats, dogs, and kids. Popz loved working on cars and motorcycles, and would often fix somebody’s ride for little or nothing.

Though he came from a part of the country that wasn’t particularly diverse, once he came to Colorado, Popz made friends from all backgrounds, races, abilities, and orientations. If he loved you, well, the rest didn’t matter. He was just as proud of me as the rest of the kids, and didn’t mind saying so.

Popz was a TV buff, and had a huge collection of movies. He loved country music, R&B oldies, some Bob Marley stuff, and old school pop. An avid Star Trek fan, he had all the Star Trek novels and movies, as well as other sci-fi stuff.

I loved being with Popz. Sometimes, we’d just sit around doing nothing, and sometimes, we’d go for a ride, and listen to music. Sometimes, we’d have lively debates, and sometimes, I’d just listen. Shopping was always cool because one or both of us would be involved in some rather memorable antics. I loved to watch him carving wooden plaques and other beautiful objects. He’d find an intereting looking piece of wood near his home on the mountains, and I’d watch him transform it into a work of art. He never sold these pieces, but gave them away to family and friends.

Popz loved the outdoors, and back in the day, would often go camping with my mum. He loved the wild beauty of the Colorado mountains–the elk, and deer, and the aspens turning colors in the fall. To Popz, the mountains were his home, and he never imagined himself leaving, but his body had other plans…

In August on 1999, Popz had a massive heart attack. It wasn’t his first, but it was the one that changed everything. Deprived of oxygen to his brain for 11 minutes, Popz suffered global brain damage, and was in a coma for several days. When he regained consciousness, he was transferred to a place called NextCare, and after that,
to Craig Hospital, a rehab center for people with spinal cord and brain injuries. While there, he suffered kidney failure, and it seems that this affected his brain injury.

Something then happened that I won’t forgive Craig Hospital for. Instead of allowing Popz to go home when he got better, they forced my mum to put him in a nursing home.
We knew that it was going to be bad when the next morning, Mum found Popz lying in urine and feces literally up to his neck, and Popz kept saying that lizards were crawling all over him. Well, it wasn’t lizards, but rats, and thankfully, Mum had the presence of mind to take pictures of him lying filthy like that with rat dropping on him, and in his dresser
drawers.

Things only got worse. His clothing was stolen, the nursing home had no sheets or linens, and the food, when Popz got it, was beyond atrocious. At this point, Mum enlisted the help of Atlantis Community, a home health agency which is also an Independent Living Center, and the home of National ADAPT, to get him out of there. That was on day ten of his stay, and the nurses at Atlantis were sure that he would not survive another week if he were left there.

On day 13, I was visiting Popz, and he told me that he was hot and cold at the same time. I told this to the nurses, but they said that nothing was wrong, it was just his brain injury. One nurse then had the gall to ask me to do my dad’s tube feeding. My response
to here was that this was her job. I had neither the training, nor the vision, being almost totally blind, to do this. I stayed with Popz for a few more hours, and the nurses still did nothing, so I called Mum.

Since I left not long after Mum got there, I missed the fireworks that ensued when she spoke to the nurses and saw that Popz was getting worse. She went into orbit, and had a massive diva fit, and took Popz out of that snake pit, to the emergency room right then and there! It turned out that since his catheter had not been changed
the entire time that the was there, Popz was completely blocked, and had to have emergency surgery right in the emergency room. Mum was told that had Popz been allowed to remain in that condition for another day, he would have died. Since the nursing home doctor was still in charge of his case, but would not do anything, Mum fired him, er, rather publicly, and asked Dr. Ferguson, who had been their doctor in the past, and who was my doctor as well, to take over. He graciously did so, and gave Mum some basic training so that he could go home with attendant services.

In the following months, Popz got better, health-wise, but it became apparent that there had been permanent changes in Popz’s personality, and abilities. He screamed, shouted obscenities and slurs, and most of the time, did not know where, or who he was. He was unable to care for himself, so my mum made it her life’s mission to make sure that he received the best care possible–at home.

Over time, he did calm down a bit, and even became lucid at times. We were able to take him shopping, to parties and picnics, and to ADAPT actions. It was during this time that he became the family “poster child” for at-home care.

It all started when the state wanted to cut the reimbursement rate for home health agencies. This was done so that the state could balance its budget, and programs across the board had to take a cut. Unfortunately, because of the cuts, many home health agencies would be forced to close their doors, and the clients would be forced to go, or return to a nursing home. Worse, the policy would would be enacted before the public would be allowed to comment on it. Colorado ADAPT wanted to do something, so I suggested that we do a vigil. A couple of ADAPT chapters had done vigils with varying degrees of success, so we thought that we would be successful, especially if we stuck to our demands. We formed a coalition with several other disability groups, as well as home health agencies. It was decided that we would hold a press conference on July 5th, 2002, then, attend a meeting with the Health Care Policy and Finance (HCPF) director, and if they would not back off the cuts, we would hold a vigil until they did. ADAPT members, including myself decided to stay around the clock.

Of course, on the 5th, the press conference went very well. I gave a number of interviews to the media, and talked about how the cuts would affect those most in need. I spoke of how home health care saves the state money, and used Popz as an example. His care in the nursing home cost the state $625 a day, which didn’t include doctor’s fees, while his care at home cost $72 a day, including nursing visits. Mum and Popz couldn’t be there, but they got some friends to come on their behalf. When the time came for the meeting, it did not go well. I spoke with the other lead organizer of the vigil, and we made the decision–we were staying!

The 7th day of the vigil

Over the next 13 days, we were out on the sidewalk in front of the State Human Services Building. We staged a massive education campaign, and Mum called several state legislaters, who came down to the vigil site to talk with us and offer support. We had so much support from so many people and groups that it was unreal! Finally, Karen Reinertson, the HCPF director, and her staff sat down with us, and at our suggestion, went over their budget and found areas within the budget that could better afford the cuts, and a plan was put into motion to rescind the cuts in attendant services programs.

On day 14, after everything was in writing, we held a press conference, and with Ms. Reinertson present, declared victory. This victory had lasting reprocussions. I testified before the State Medicaid Board, along with Dr. Ferguson, and HCPF director, Reinertson
about the benefits and cost savings of home health care. Once again, I told about Popz, and the hell that he’d gone through in the nursing home, the outrageous expense of horrible treatment, and how well he was doing since he was home, and how much money the state was saving with his being home.

Then, still pumped up after our amazing victory, Colorado ADAPT went to an ADAPT strategey meeting and updated everyone about the vigil, and the continuing successes that we were enjoying as a result of it. Everyone was so excited that one of our Philadelphia folks giddily suggested that we do a march from Philadelphia to Washington, DC to bring public awareness to a piece of legislation that we had written
giving people with disabilities and seniors who were in nursing homes and other institutions the right to receive care in their homes. After some frank discussions, we decided to do it. It would be called the Free Our People March.

After a year of planning, we were coming down to the wire, and the time for the March was near. ADAPT began a campaign that we called Stolen Lives because folks who had been institutionalized often felt that a part of their lives had been stolen. As part of the campaign, Rochester ADAPT created a 150 foot banner with the names, pictures, and stories of people around the country who had been in nursing homes, and other institutions, and who were now living in the community in their own homes and apartments with attendant services. Popz’s picture and story are on that banner, which has now traveled across the nation.

I am emcee of the Stolen Lives rally in Washington, DC. Here, I am telling Popz’s story.

In the months prior to the March, Colorado ADAPT put on several media events. Often, Mum and Popz were there, and she would tell his story. In May, 2003, I was asked by the Greeley Tribune, of Greeley, Colorado, to be a guest columnist for their paper. They wanted me to write a column on issues affecting people with disabilities. Since the March was upcoming, I wrote about independent living, and how it saves the states mony. I wrote about the cost of care for Popz before, and after, and I used some statistics for the state of Colorado that Karen Reinertson, the HCPF director had given me. The story appeared on June 1st, 2003.

Over the months, until the going away party for the marchers, reporters from various newspapers and TV stations in the Denver area met Popz and told his story. During the March, whenever I gave interviews, I talked about Popz. Even after the March, I kept telling his story, sometimes to some high-level folks. I did it because Popz was the first person in my life whose nursing home experience had struck home. I had helped others to get out of nursing homes, but since they were not family, it didn’t hit me as hard. This hit me hard. I saw first-hand what nursing homes do to people. I knew that Popz was happier, and better cared for at home. I saw it for myself.

Popz on the Stolen Lives banner. Day 10 of the Free Our People March, Baltimore, MD

Eventually, Mum and Popz had to move back to the city. Mum’s health was not good, as the breast cancer that she had battled was back, and she needed attendant services, herself. City life didn’t appeal to my folks, so when Mum got better, she and Popz moved to a little spot in the suburbs. His health started going down because whenever he had to go to the hospital, or repite care, he would be neglected, and more health problems would arise.

With Mum’s care, though, he would get better, and Mum decided that he would no longer go to the hospital if he got sick. With Dr. Ferguson’s guidance, he was cared for at home, which is where he wanted to be. In the meantime, I accepted a job in Washington, DC, but called home as often as I could to see how they were doing. 

About a month ago, Popz got really sick, and antiboitics didn’t help. He wanted to see his siblings, and so they came out for a visit. It seemed to cheer him up, and he got a little better, but not for long. A couple of weeks ago, he got pneumonia, and it didn’t respond to any medications. By this time, Popz’s body was worn out, and he was tired of fighting. He began talking about going to see God, and sometimes, he would ask if he was at home.

At 4:00 am, on July 7, 2006, Popz passed away peacefully, with Mum, and Judy, his attendant, at his side. Though I am very sad, I, like Mum, am glad that he is in a better place, and is no longer suffering. He was at home, which is where he wanted to be. He didn’t die alone in some hospital or nursing home. He was able to do some cool stuff in the year or so before he died. He went to see the Grand Canyon, and then, to Las Vegas to to see some of the shows. It was something that he always wanted to do. He then went to Olympia, Washington, to see my sister, Saundra, and my nephew, Logan, whom he loved to pieces. Saundra was able to come to Colorado last year, so at least, she was able to see him while his health was decent.  

I am going to miss Popz. I’ll miss his smile, and his laughter, and his jokes. I still have things to remeber him by. I have pictures, and the beautiful wooden plaque that he made me less than a month before he got sick. I also have countless funny memories, and that will help with the sadness. Of course, Popz wouldn’t want us to be sad, he’d want us to celebrate his life, so rest in peace, Popz. We love you!

This entry was posted on Monday, July 10th, 2006 at 6:21 am and is filed under Just Stuff, Activism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.