- Report: #300261
Complaint Review: Ileen Byers/Country Lane Home - North Branch Michigan
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Ileen Byers/Country Lane Home
3990 Five Lakes Rd North Branch, 48421 Michigan, U.S.A.
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Ileen Byers/Country Lane Home AFC home North Branch Michigan
Well im not sure if anyone that I intended will get to read this, but here goes:
Country Lane is a 19 bed, Licensed AFC home in Lapeer County, North Branch Michigan. The owners and sole pro's are Ileen and Wyman Byers. In September of 2007 a report was filed to the state of michigan licensing board on the health, safety, and sanitary conditions of the home. After the investigation was finished Mrs. Byers was substantiated on 19 violations of licensing code.
When employees were questioned on the reason for the conditions they explained to the consultant that Mrs. Byers was never in the home, she wouldn't buy groceries, or cleaning supplies, and that three times in the last year she had left the state on vacation without informing the employees that she was gone (for over a week at a time). Not only was she gone out of state, but she was unreachable by cell phone, and she didn't leave any employees or the manager any funds to do laundry or purchase supplies or groceries. Many times the employees had to purchase food items out of their own monies to feed the 19 clients.
When Mrs. Byers was questioned she claimed that she had "cancer" and was just to sick to take care of the home the right way and she was under the assumption that the five employees were taking care of everything (mind you without any funds)
As for Mrs. Byers "cancer" hmmmmmm, why doesn't she have an Oncologist?? No chemo, or radiation therapy? Your so sick that you cannot take care of the clients but yet you can go on two week vacations to disney world. Sounds funny to me!!
Instead of closing the home on the deplorable conditions, the licensing board allowed her to "clean up" her act and gave her 30 days to "fix" the problems, under the assumption that she did indeed (cough, cough) have cancer. Mind you, this woman already has other substantiated violations in the 20 years that she has been running this home. Oh yes right AND she has prior rights violations as well.
Well, needless to say she fixed the problems to the leastmost and got by on the skin of her teeth.
Weeeeelll, in November of 2007 employees in the home found that many of the transaction recordings in resident fund records had been changed. This was purely by accident, as an employee had given a client 10.00 to go to the movies and while recording another transaction found that someone had changed the 10.00 to 18.00. While looking through all of the past years transactions the employees noticed that someone had been changing many of them, turning two's into three's, adding a one in front of a two ect... Employees were able to prove this because they had been keeping a seperate ledger since May of 2007.
Once the employees started to investigate how many numbers had been changed they were shocked as it had added up to thousands of dollars in added ones and such. Well, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. The only person that had control of the money was Mrs. Byers, and the only person in the home allowed to do the running total on the fund sheets was Mrs. Byers as well.
The employees didn't know what to do, so they called the sheriffs department and reported it. They then contacted Recipient Rights, Licensing, and Adult Protective Services. The sheriffs dept turned the investigation over to the other three agencies with instructions that it would be pending weather they believed that any wrongdoing had occured. Well, Licensing and APS wanted an investigation immediatly while the Rights Officer wanted to "just wait" untill it was convienient for her to get out to the home (she proposed over a week later- even though by law rights must investigate a claim within 24 hours). At any rate all three agencies came out to the home the next day and started by interviewing all of the employees.
The employees made copies and highlighted all of the descrepancies as well as provided the ledger that they had been keeping for the last year. All gave the same story and answered all questions.
Well guess what?? Its been over two months since the report and nothing has been done by the three agencies. They havent even interviewed any of the clients. Instead they had the nerve to tell the employees that they think that they are "ganging up" on poor ol' Mrs. Byers; and that according to what they see each of the changed transactions have a different type of one or two added to them. They admit that there are tons of changed numbers, but by golly they cant figure out if each of them are done by the same person.
So, needless to say 19 clients that have had thousands of dollars taken from them, who never get to go anywhere (as there is only a 1981 dodge van that fits only 7 passengers), who live in filthy conditions, and who are never allowed to spend any of there whopping 47.00 a month are just SOL because the three agencies that claim they are there to protect them have done nothing.
This is just ridiculous. Oh wait theres more. One of the employees that decided to help the clients had a convienient "Rights Report" submitted against her just shortly after she reported the owner. Now, all three of the agencies are saying that "well if that employee committed a violation than all of the employees must be lying".
**If you have no idea what a rights violation is let me fill you in: Its that you have been accused and found guilty of violating a mentally impared persons rights (either abuse or neglect) Now you can be found guilty of this and never know about it. The rights officer does not have to tell you that you have been accused, they dont have to interview you or ask for your side of the story, they dont have to tell you if you have been found guilty, and you are denied a copy of the report, or the chance to file a grievence. No due process is employed, and she can use hearsay and rumors to substantiate the claim; and all of this is done solely at her discresion. So basically if a mentally impared client with the iq of a one year old accused you of "being mean", she would find you guilty of abuse (if you dont believe me look up the procedures on michigan.gov or call the local rights officer at CMH)**
Anyway there are many, many more things that were found wrong. The manager admitted that she had given hundreds of receipts to Mrs. Byers because Mrs. Byers had asked her to bring them in and she could claim them under buisness expenses on her taxes. Mrs. Byers had also been violating the Fair Labor Standards Act on her live in staff and there is a lawsuit pending now that adds up to the tens of thousands of dollars. I cannot possibly put down everything that is wrong at that home.
Anyway, hopefully the police will allow another report to be filed and they can investigate the situation. They are trained to do such things, while the other three agencies apparently have no idea what they are doing.
I ask that anyone that has a family member at that home seriously consider moving them. There are so many things that are covered up and wrong at that home. Guardians are never informed of these findings at all.
Anonymous
somewhere in michigan, Michigan
U.S.A.
Country Lane is a 19 bed, Licensed AFC home in Lapeer County, North Branch Michigan. The owners and sole pro's are Ileen and Wyman Byers. In September of 2007 a report was filed to the state of michigan licensing board on the health, safety, and sanitary conditions of the home. After the investigation was finished Mrs. Byers was substantiated on 19 violations of licensing code.
When employees were questioned on the reason for the conditions they explained to the consultant that Mrs. Byers was never in the home, she wouldn't buy groceries, or cleaning supplies, and that three times in the last year she had left the state on vacation without informing the employees that she was gone (for over a week at a time). Not only was she gone out of state, but she was unreachable by cell phone, and she didn't leave any employees or the manager any funds to do laundry or purchase supplies or groceries. Many times the employees had to purchase food items out of their own monies to feed the 19 clients.
When Mrs. Byers was questioned she claimed that she had "cancer" and was just to sick to take care of the home the right way and she was under the assumption that the five employees were taking care of everything (mind you without any funds)
As for Mrs. Byers "cancer" hmmmmmm, why doesn't she have an Oncologist?? No chemo, or radiation therapy? Your so sick that you cannot take care of the clients but yet you can go on two week vacations to disney world. Sounds funny to me!!
Instead of closing the home on the deplorable conditions, the licensing board allowed her to "clean up" her act and gave her 30 days to "fix" the problems, under the assumption that she did indeed (cough, cough) have cancer. Mind you, this woman already has other substantiated violations in the 20 years that she has been running this home. Oh yes right AND she has prior rights violations as well.
Well, needless to say she fixed the problems to the leastmost and got by on the skin of her teeth.
Weeeeelll, in November of 2007 employees in the home found that many of the transaction recordings in resident fund records had been changed. This was purely by accident, as an employee had given a client 10.00 to go to the movies and while recording another transaction found that someone had changed the 10.00 to 18.00. While looking through all of the past years transactions the employees noticed that someone had been changing many of them, turning two's into three's, adding a one in front of a two ect... Employees were able to prove this because they had been keeping a seperate ledger since May of 2007.
Once the employees started to investigate how many numbers had been changed they were shocked as it had added up to thousands of dollars in added ones and such. Well, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. The only person that had control of the money was Mrs. Byers, and the only person in the home allowed to do the running total on the fund sheets was Mrs. Byers as well.
The employees didn't know what to do, so they called the sheriffs department and reported it. They then contacted Recipient Rights, Licensing, and Adult Protective Services. The sheriffs dept turned the investigation over to the other three agencies with instructions that it would be pending weather they believed that any wrongdoing had occured. Well, Licensing and APS wanted an investigation immediatly while the Rights Officer wanted to "just wait" untill it was convienient for her to get out to the home (she proposed over a week later- even though by law rights must investigate a claim within 24 hours). At any rate all three agencies came out to the home the next day and started by interviewing all of the employees.
The employees made copies and highlighted all of the descrepancies as well as provided the ledger that they had been keeping for the last year. All gave the same story and answered all questions.
Well guess what?? Its been over two months since the report and nothing has been done by the three agencies. They havent even interviewed any of the clients. Instead they had the nerve to tell the employees that they think that they are "ganging up" on poor ol' Mrs. Byers; and that according to what they see each of the changed transactions have a different type of one or two added to them. They admit that there are tons of changed numbers, but by golly they cant figure out if each of them are done by the same person.
So, needless to say 19 clients that have had thousands of dollars taken from them, who never get to go anywhere (as there is only a 1981 dodge van that fits only 7 passengers), who live in filthy conditions, and who are never allowed to spend any of there whopping 47.00 a month are just SOL because the three agencies that claim they are there to protect them have done nothing.
This is just ridiculous. Oh wait theres more. One of the employees that decided to help the clients had a convienient "Rights Report" submitted against her just shortly after she reported the owner. Now, all three of the agencies are saying that "well if that employee committed a violation than all of the employees must be lying".
**If you have no idea what a rights violation is let me fill you in: Its that you have been accused and found guilty of violating a mentally impared persons rights (either abuse or neglect) Now you can be found guilty of this and never know about it. The rights officer does not have to tell you that you have been accused, they dont have to interview you or ask for your side of the story, they dont have to tell you if you have been found guilty, and you are denied a copy of the report, or the chance to file a grievence. No due process is employed, and she can use hearsay and rumors to substantiate the claim; and all of this is done solely at her discresion. So basically if a mentally impared client with the iq of a one year old accused you of "being mean", she would find you guilty of abuse (if you dont believe me look up the procedures on michigan.gov or call the local rights officer at CMH)**
Anyway there are many, many more things that were found wrong. The manager admitted that she had given hundreds of receipts to Mrs. Byers because Mrs. Byers had asked her to bring them in and she could claim them under buisness expenses on her taxes. Mrs. Byers had also been violating the Fair Labor Standards Act on her live in staff and there is a lawsuit pending now that adds up to the tens of thousands of dollars. I cannot possibly put down everything that is wrong at that home.
Anyway, hopefully the police will allow another report to be filed and they can investigate the situation. They are trained to do such things, while the other three agencies apparently have no idea what they are doing.
I ask that anyone that has a family member at that home seriously consider moving them. There are so many things that are covered up and wrong at that home. Guardians are never informed of these findings at all.
Anonymous
somewhere in michigan, Michigan
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Anonymous
columbiaville,Michigan,
It is you whom are misinformed
#2Author of original report
Mon, May 06, 2013
I do know exactly what I am talking about as I worked for Mrs. Byers. Funny.....I don't have a clue who you are; therefore in two years you made exactly 0 appearances at the home.
As an update to this report:
Mrs. Byers was finally shut down (yaaaaaaay). After the initial run down with the state of michigan, adult protective services and the health department Mrs. Byers was given a provisionary license for 6 months at a time; the state agreed that the only person that could have stolen tens of thousands of dollars from the clients was Mrs. Byers and she was ordered to return the money to the clients. She didn't learn from her poor treatment of the clients and received two other reports that were filed with the state of michigan. The second report was her final and she is finally done. The clients are now in different homes where they are fed, and not stolen from.
Mrs. Byers also lost a lawsuit with two of the employees for failing to pay them for the work they performed (a nice hefty sum indeed).
If anyone is wondering about the reports with the state, you can go onto michigan.gov and look the reports up yourself. They are all there, and if they are too old, then you can request ten years worth of reports online and have them mailed to you via the FOIA.
It's a darn shame what she was able to get away with for so long. These men lived in filthy, nasty conditions and received no money or decent food. All meals were the same, and only stuff that was on clearance from aldi's or save a lot (heck, she even bought tons of deer carrots and apples and made us feed them to the clients instead of normal produce).
You need to quit thinking that she is a "godly christian" and realize that she only uses that as a cover for her misdeeds.
tori_byers
Mount Morris,Michigan,
I'm the grand daughter!
#3Consumer Comment
Mon, May 06, 2013
This is all completely retarded and ignorant!
First of all, my grandma did have cancer and I don't appreciate you infering she didn't! My grandma loved them guys like they were her own, she did everything she could for them. She almost lost her house to keep on running this business but nobody says anything about that do they?
It completely boggles my mind how you can say anything when you clearly don't know the situation at all! Yeah, my grandma would go on vacations, but they wouldn't be for two weeks at a time. Yes, maybe a week at a time but she wouldn't ever leave without buying things that the guys needed. There was always food in the house, and the van that they had held 12 people, not 9. In order for all of them to go somewhere, my grandma would drive the van and my grandpa would drive the truck and it's a 5 seater.
~Thanks~
