![]() “Fans see him at a Red Wings game waving to people and think he must be doing great, but he’s not.” “This is the first time we have let people in to see the struggles he has every day,” his wife, Irina Konstantinov, told The Associated Press earlier this month. Due to the high costs of such care and changes to a Michigan law, he might be moved to an institution where restraints or medication would be necessary to keep him safe. Next week, Konstantinov is in danger of losing the round-the-clock care that has enabled him to remain home. Although he seems to comprehend questions, his answers are limited to a few words and aren't always easy to understand. Now 55, he needs help walking, eating, drinking and brushing his teeth, and a caregiver stays awake while he sleeps in case he needs to walk to the bathroom. Since suffering severe brain damage when his drunken limousine driver crashed while Konstantinov was a celebrating the first of the Red Wings' back-to-back championships in the late 1990s, the former NHL great and Red Army team captain has had to rebuild his life. That's about as good as it gets for him these days. The onetime Soviet and Detroit Red Wings star plays so often that he goes through a pack per week, wearing out cards with the hands that once made him one of the world's best defensemen.ĭuring a recent visit to the Konstantinovs' suburban Detroit condominium, he handily defeated his longtime nurse, Pam Demanuel, and smiled. (AP) - Vladimir Konstantinov has traded hockey sticks for an Uno deck. On Thursday, Adam Carlson, a Vice President with MHA, sent a memo to the members of the State Legislature, asking for immediate legislative action to resolve the crisis.WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. "We know there are at least 18,000 who are affected by this - and they're affected because the home care that they need to stay in their homes is being taken away from them."Ĭargill said there is bipartisan support in both the state House and Senate for bills that would amend the no fault law - but Republican leaders need to approve scheduling a hearing for them.Ĭargill said he's pleased the Michigan Health and Hospital Association has decided to add its voice to those calling for the law to be amended. "It's a terrible situation for the families and the patients that are having to go through this," Cargill said. He said Acadia is not alone: 96 companies that care for car crash survivors have already discharged their patients or gone out of business entirely. Essentially, that means it is providing nearly half of the care for free.Īcadia officials said they may need to discharge all their patients soon, including Konstantin, unless the law is fixed.īarry Cargill is CEO of the Michigan Home Care and Hospice Association. Konstantinov's agency, Acadia, said the fee cuts have caused a $1.5 million shortfall in revenue for Konstantinov and the 30 other crash survivors it cares for. The no-fault law cuts payments to home care and other care providers for crash survivors by nearly half. Konstantinov has a severe brain injury that requires round-the-clock care for all of his daily needs and to keep him safe. ![]() The former Red Wings star, catastrophically injured in a car crash just six days after his team's 1997 Stanley Cup win, could lose his 24/7 home care soon. Vladimir Konstantinov's fame is not protecting him from the impact of Michigan's auto no-fault law.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |