Grinding to a halt

Last year on Veterans Day, Jim Gibbs went to the American Legion for breakfast before participating in the annual parade in Jackson. Then he visited area school children in his dress greens, the Army uniform he earned the right to wear while serving his country for three years in the Korean War.

But that was last year.

This year, Gibbs gave up his annual ritual for the first time in years because the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau where he lives has issued a new policy that says it will, among other things, no longer transport motorized scooters in the home's vans for any reason.

No scooter means no dignity for the 68-year-old Gibbs, who paid $2,100 for the 75-pound battery-operated vehicle that he says has allowed him a semblance of independence after losing the use of his left side following a stroke seven years ago.

"To be fair, they told me they could put me in a wheelchair," Gibbs said. "But I don't want to be seen like that, someone pushing me. I was so disappointed. I felt like nothing. This is my only independence and I don't see why I should give that up."

Veterans home officials say there are plenty of reasons for the new policy, chief among them that motorized scooters are not safe to transport.

Acting Veterans Home administrator Bobby Norman said there is no way to safely strap down the scooters, which can't be folded up like wheelchairs. He said that if the home's vans were in an accident, the scooters would become "flying projectiles" that could cause "serious harm" to the residents or staff.

"There's no question scooters give some residents independence," Norman said. "But it's a risk-management issue and that has to outweigh any independence they might provide."

The new policy also calls for trying to keep the number of scooters to about 12 to 15, the number there now. It also calls for requiring new residents who want to use scooters to go through an evaluation to determine the need and potential effect on the resident, he said.

Residents and their families were informed in an Oct. 22 letter written by then-administrator Sam McVay that said "you can get too much of a good thing." McVay, who has since retired because of health reasons, said that some residents can become too reliant on the scooters and it may be a deterrent to getting exercise.

McVay also pointed out in the letter that the home, located at 2400 Veterans Memorial Drive, has no obligation to provide transportation for any events.

Violation of the policy by a resident of the home, McVay wrote, is grounds for discharge.

The letter said a review of other veterans homes in Missouri has found that the Cape Girardeau facility has far more scooters per resident than any other home. The growing number of scooters has added congestion in the hallways, McVay said, and progressively interferes with staff delivery of care to residents. The home has about 148 residents and is a 150-bed facility.

Norman said none of the other residents have complained about the new policy.

"It's an isolated incident and it's more than safety," Norman said. "It's become a traffic problem. Wheelchairs don't go five to seven miles per hour and back over people. That seems to happen a lot."

Norman also stressed that no one is being denied permission to go on outings. Residents can all be provided with wheelchairs for outings. The policy is in alignment with other Missouri's six other veterans homes, Norman said.

"I just can't put our employees or residents in harm's way," he said.

Stan Smith is an associate superintendent with the Missouri Veterans Commission, with responsibility over four veterans homes, including the one in Cape Girardeau. He said that home administrators can dictate use of buses as they deem appropriate.

Residents with grievances can go through a process after filing a complaint with the home, Smith said. If no satisfaction is received, then the matter could go before the Missouri Veterans Commission in Jefferson City, Mo.

"What we try to do with motorized scooters is be as accommodating as possible," Smith said. "There is no blanket policy across the state, but we have some regulatory guidelines. We want to help them maintain their independence, but also make sure they are safe."

Gibbs said it is affecting his everyday life.

In addition to disrupting his Veterans Day routine, Gibbs has all but stopped taking trips. He used to take three or four trips a week to places like Wal-Mart, bingo night, and for picnics and gambling.

"I just don't want to, not without my scooter," he said.

Gibbs' daughter, Dianna Elefson -- herself a former Air Force sergeant -- called the decision ridiculous.

"It doesn't make sense," she said. "There are alternatives. They could have a trailer hitch to haul the scooters. There are options. There are relatively inexpensive safety straps. But their minds are just made up. One of their goals is to make sure he's as independent as he can be, but they're really not allowing that."

Elefson said the one time her father went on a trip without his scooter, it was to Casino Aztar in Caruthersville, Mo. It was a less-than-pleasant experience.

"They wheeled him up to a card table and he sat there for a couple of hours. He couldn't even change tables," she said. "They've taken his independence away and it's affected him."

Norman said there is no trailer that he knows of that accommodates 12 scooters at a time, and it wouldn't be fair to allow only a few with scooters to go.

But Elefson said that there is rarely a time when all of the residents with scooters would want to go on a trip.

"But it's also a liability issue," Norman said in response to Elefson's remark. "We would be liable for anything that would happen to those trailers. We've thought about this and just feel it's the best way to handle it."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137