Donna Beck Henkel
Jul 2025
i want to report an abusive situation at Michael House, the memory care unit of Mother of Perpetual Help in St. Louis. On 7/11/25, my aunt Mae Olivastro fell due to a broken femur. It is unclear exactly when the break occurred, but surgeon believes it was around 7/9/25. The nurse, Pamela Wisnewski, filed an incident report stating "Staff was nearby, reported resident was witnessed ambulating started shaking, threw herself on the floor. No apparent injuries." As POA, I was not alerted, instead my brother was called & told there was no injury. He went to facility the next day & noted my aunt's leg was turned at a 45 degree angle & she had a large hematoma on her hip. He had her sent to hospital where it was determined she had broken her femur at the neck. When I called that day to get more information for the hospital about the incident, another Michael House nurse, Vidya Boodram, stated "I have other patients to deal with. I have another job besides this one & I am tired. I'll have to call you back another time." When no call came, I called her supervisor, Ms. Wisnewski. She claimed that my aunt had "thrown herself on the ground" several times that week. Yet, we were never told & no one investigated why she was falling. It fits with her femur being broken & not being able to put weight on that leg. A couple days later, Ms. Wisnewski called to ask how my aunt was doing. I told her she had to have hip replacement surgery. She acted surprised & said, "well, at least she lived through the surgery"! This is clearly inattention to a critical medical situation. My aunt fell to the ground because she couldn't stand with a broken femur. No one bothered to notice her leg being at an unnatural 45 degree angle or the large protrusion at her hip. The incredible lack of empathy exhibited by Ms. Boodram and, subsequently, by Ms. Wisnewski is appalling for a medical professional dealing with the elderly.
