Opinion ID: 2160038
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Harry Jordan

Text: In his testimony, Mr. Jordan reported that he visited Ms. Orshansky in her New York apartment on February 1. He found Ms. Orshansky in a wheelchair, clean and with her hair brushed, and very calm though physically frail. When Mr. Jordan spoke with her, Ms. Orshansky was very confused and thought she was still in Washington, D.C. She did not understand who he was or what was going on. Ms. Orshansky was attended by a woman whom the family had retained as a full-time, live-in aide. Mr. Jordan was informed that this woman was not a nurse or dietitian but had prior experience living with and caring for another elderly woman. Mr. Jordan inspected the apartment and found it to be furnished rather sparsely with a sofa, a few chairs, two day beds, and what have you. Mr. Jordan also glanced in the refrigerator and saw that there was food. In the course of his visit, he spoke at great length with Ms. Pollack. She explained to him that she had brought Ms. Orshansky to New York because she was unhappy with the care her aunt was receiving in the Hospital. She was taking Ms. Orshansky to doctors in New York for an ulcer on her foot, an eye problem and other reasons, and she believed that her aunt now was receiving the care she needed. Mr. Jordan voiced a concern that Ms. Orshansky did not have a full-sized bed with rails to prevent her from falling, and Ms. Pollack told him that a hospital bed was being purchased. She also told Mr. Jordan that family members had been visiting with Ms. Orshansky now that she was in New York. Mr. Jordan did not see any other relatives of Ms. Orshansky during his visit. Based on these observations, Mr. Jordan expressed the opinion that Ms. Orshansky was not getting the care that she deserves, simply given the fact that the lady has the wherewithal to be given anything she wanted. And, he stated, I don't think it's going to get any better. I think it's going to get worse. Mr. Jordan did not explain this prediction. He discounted the fact that relatives might have good intentions, would like to come by and see her, because I think in the long run it's not the best thing for Mollie Orshansky. Mr. Jordan expressed concern that the live-in aide hired by the family lacked the medical skills he thought necessary to respond to an emergency such as a heart attack or an asthma attack. [4] He believed that Ms. Orshansky needed professional medical care around the clock. Instead of being taken to see doctors, he thought that what she really needs is to be in a facility where the doctors are there where they can come to her. Mr. Jordan opined that Ms. Orshansky should be returned to Washington and either put back in her well furnished apartment, where healthcare professionals could attend to her, or else put in a nursing home. Because Jane Pollack was responsible for Ms. Orshansky's removal to New York, he did not consider her to be a proper candidate for the positions of guardian or conservator. Conceding that he was not a medical expert by any stretch of the imagination, Mr. Jordan did not explain his qualifications for offering his opinions about Ms. Orshansky's medical needs. No medical or other expert evaluation of Ms. Orshansky's needs or appropriate placement was offered in evidence at the hearing. On the question of the need for a conservator, Mr. Jordan testified that he had determined that the bulk of Ms. Orshansky's assets, including her account at Merrill Lynch, were held in a revocable trust of which she was the sole beneficiary. [5] Ms. Orshansky had created the trust in 1981. She and her sister, Rose Orshansky, were the co-trustees and each had authority to write checks on the Merrill Lynch account. Mr. Jordan learned that Merrill Lynch had lifted its freeze on the account, apparently at the behest of counsel for Rose Orshansky or Jane Pollack. Mr. Jordan had not discussed the account with Rose Orshansky, but Merrill Lynch had advised him that no extraordinary checks had been written on it. He acknowledged that he had no reason to think that Rose Orshansky was misappropriating or mismanaging trust funds. Nonetheless, Mr. Jordan recommended appointment of a conservator to prevent the improper diversion of Ms. Orshansky's assets. His principal concern was that Ms. Pollack had told him that approximately $90,000 in the Merrill Lynch account belonged to Rose Orshansky as her share of the proceeds from the sale of jointly owned property. Mr. Jordan also noted that Rose Orshansky and numerous other relatives were residual beneficiaries of the trust. More generally, Mr. Jordan expressed the view that this is one of these unfortunate situations where you have somebody who has plenty of money and obviously it can be some temptations at time [sic].