Friend of Virginia Pritchett Denise Lillian Tighe was born January 24th, 1926 in Geneva Switzerland. She immigrated to the USA in the 1950’s to marry a doctor from New York, USA. She managed a French bank on Wall Street for many years. Denise loved New York, loved the USA and was a world traveler. She enjoyed five star restaurants. One day Denise became ill from a curable bladder infection. Bladder infections are totally curable but make elderly people sick physically and mentally. This condition is curable with an antibiotic. Adult Protective Services found Denise was living alone and started keeping tabs on her for little reason. Within three weeks, Adult Protective Services arranged for Denise to be hauled to a nursing home against her will, a place she never wanted to go. She was cruelly held in the air by local police as neighbors watched her scream, “I don’t want to go.” She could have paid for twenty-four-hour home help until the day she died because she was wealthy. Denise’s friend, Virginia Pritchett, would spend the next two years until Denise’s death fighting the state of Texas over her friend’s cruel treatment by ‘the state.” Denise would spend two years in a state recommended nursing home where her money was divided between a nursing home she detested, cruel guardian attorneys (one who wanted to kill her pet cats there was nothing wrong with) and neglectful guardians. Her money became divided between state workers and agencies who refused her visitation rights, even from her only sister Susanne Foley. She was found once by her friend Virginia Pritchett after she was taken to a hospital not expected to live. Her only sister had not even been called in regard to her health… Read More
On March 30, 2023, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing, “Guardianship and its Alternatives: Protection and Empowerment.” Importantly, this hearing featured one victim witness, Dr. Tina Paone, who spoke about her family’s traumatic, unresolved guardianship nightmare. Her testimony resonated for the many victims that listened to her, as we know too well that guardianship cases are never resolved when there is an estate with money. As she said, “On paper, the current system appears well-intentioned. That’s not how it plays out. On behalf of my family, and so many others, I beg you to please implement meaningful reform.” At this same hearing, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) proposed a bill titled the Guardianship Bill of Rights Act, which would create a national council charged with promoting less restrictive arrangements for people living under, or being considered for, court-ordered guardianship—thereby leading to fewer guardianships. As I described in “Guardianship Destroyed My Family,” published last year on Mad in America, I have seen in my own life the damage and exploitation that can be wreaked by court-appointed guardians. In an effort to advocate and enact change, I belong to Victims and Families Harmed by Guardianship, a national human rights coalition that functions as a consortium of state coalitions on the quest for reform. This is critical work. Most victims cannot report the exploitation they are experiencing because they are silenced by gag orders, chemical restraint, or threats of retaliation. So, it is up to us—those of us who can speak out—to use our voices for those who cannot. Hopefully, we will be heard. Some background: Britney Spears is not alone For many people, the considerable harms of guardianship only came to the fore with the story of Britney Spears, whose… Read More
