Two weeks ago, on Friday night, while going to the bathroom, my brother Stuart fell and broke bones in his foot. Unlike his identical twin at JRC who has been off medication for 28 years and has a paid job, Stuart has taken numerous antipsychotic medications over the years which can weaken bones. Furthermore, due to a lack of an effective behavior plan my brother sometimes kicks the wall which also may have damaged his bones.
After he fell, he refused to go to the hospital. Despite the fact he has autism, intellectual disability and has been declared incompetent by a judge, the staff at the residence honored his decision not to receive any medical attention. The residence never notified my mother nor myself despite we are his legal guardians.
Two days later in the afternoon, my mother called to speak with him. My mother was told he was not available because he was at the doctor's office. We have now been informed that Stuart is likely to have arthritis for life, might require surgery later on, and also might be crippled for life. He is only 45 years old. Sadly, he is at what is considered one of the best agencies in NY, having received the designation as a "Compass Agency," by New York State, for its reportedly excellent service, https://opwdd.ny.gov/opwdd_services_supports/service_providers/compass_initiative/compass/agencies.
Last Sunday, I completed my fifth marathon and now I am thinking my brother will probably never be able to run again at all. New York State considers taking away preferred items as a consequence even for dangerous behaviors, even though it may stop the behavior from reoccurring and therefore not require medications. However, the true human rights abuse is giving medications with toxic side effects as a replacement for effective behavior plans.