7B
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2017
Clinic falsely told dozens they had Alzheimer’s, suits say
Referrals
By JOHN SEEWER
Associated Press
TOLEDO, Ohio — Shawn
Blazsek knew a string of con-
cussions from high school
football and boxing was catch-
ing up with him. He would go
days without sleeping and was
forgetting how to tie his shoes.
Still, at age 33, he was stunned
when told he had Alzheimer’s
disease.
He started planning out
who would take care of his
four kids if something hap-
pened to his wife, and thought
about how hard it would be for
them when he could no lon-
ger recognize his family. So he
stuffed fistfuls of sleeping pills
into a bottle and wrote himself
a note, vowing to swallow all
of them when he wasn’t able
to remember the names of his
children.
That day never came. Nine
months later, he learned that
the memory-loss center direc-
tor who diagnosed him didn’t
have a medical or psychology
license needed to do so. Then
another test confirmed he did
not have Alzheimer’s.
AP Photo/Paul Sancya
AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Kay Taynor holds a photo of her late husband, Gary, in Toledo, Ohio. Taynor was diag-
nosed with Alzheimer’s on her second visit to clinic director Sherry-Ann Jenkins and then
referred five or six friends and family members to her office, including her husband of 48
years. All were told they had the disease, she said, but her husband, Gary, took it hardest.
Lawsuits
People suing
He is one of more than 50
people suing the now-closed
clinic’s former director and its
owner, saying they, too, were
told they had Alzheimer’s
or another form of demen-
tia. Most now know it’s not
true, while a few are awaiting
confirmation.
Some say they spent
months undergoing treatment
while planning out their final
years. Some quit their jobs,
sold possessions or took one
last special trip. One killed
himself.
Blazsek crammed years
of fatherly advice into a mat-
ter of months, showing his son
how to check the oil on a car
and teaching his wife about the
household finances.
“I was preparing her to be a
single mom,” he said.
The couple figured he had
no more than 10 years to live
and even less time before his
memory was gone.
“Here I am, thinking I’m
going to be a widow at 43.
What am I going to do?” said
his wife, Jennifer. “Who’s
Jetta Frase/The Blade
Former clinic director Sherry-Ann Jenkins in her home in
Ottawa Hills, Ohio, in 2001. Dozens of patients are suing
Jenkins of the memory-loss clinic, accusing her of false-
ly telling them they had Alzheimer’s disease when in fact
they did not. Most of them spent months believing they
had the mind-robbing disease, some quit their jobs, sold
possessions, took one last special trip and one became
so depressed he killed himself.
going to teach my boys how
to shave? Who’s going to play
ball with them?”
No charges yet
So far, the case has yet to
result in any charges against
Sherry-Ann Jenkins, who
opened the Toledo Clinic Cog-
nitive Center in early 2015
through the Toledo Clinic, a
multi-specialty medical center
with more than 150 doctors.
Attorneys on both sides
would not say whether there
is a criminal investigation,
although court records indi-
cate the Ohio Medical Board
has talked with some of the
patients.
Join Our Team!
M ANAGER
The lawsuits say that Jen-
kins, who has a doctorate
degree in physiological sci-
ence, wasn’t authorized to
order medical tests and that
her husband, a licensed doctor
who is a partner in the Toledo
Clinic, signed off on the tests
and was sometimes listed as
the referring physician on bill-
ing even though he did not see
any of the patients.
An attorney for the couple
would not answer questions
about the cognitive clinic,
which abruptly shut down after
about a year in early 2016. Jen-
kins and her husband did not
respond to messages seeking
comment.
In court filings responding
to the lawsuits, each of which
seeks more than $1 million in
damages, their attorney did not
dispute that Jenkins was unli-
censed but denied most of the
other allegations.
The former patients have
sued the Toledo Clinic, as
well, saying it should have
known Jenkins lacked the
training and credentials to treat
and diagnose patients. Michael
D’Eramo, chief adminis-
trative officer of the Toledo
Clinic, said he could not
comment.
Shawn Blazsek in his home
in Toledo, Ohio. Blazsek
was stunned after being
told he had Alzheimer’s
disease. Nine months later,
he learned that the memo-
ry-loss center director who
diagnosed him didn’t have
a medical or psychology
license needed to do so.
Then another test con-
firmed he did not have Alz-
heimer’s.
Some describe her as com-
passionate and easy to talk
with, saying she ended ther-
apy sessions by telling them to
give her a hug. At her sugges-
tion, a few patients appeared
in articles touting the ben-
efits of her holistic treat-
ments, which included mem-
ory games and daily doses of
coconut oil. But they also say
she fought hard against med-
ication and getting a second
opinion.
Nearly all of those diag-
nosed by Jenkins began seeing
her after suffering traumatic
brain injuries or worsening
cognitive issue. Some, like
Blazsek, are continuing treat-
ment with other doctors.
Attorney David Zoll, who
is representing those suing
Jenkins, said that it’s not
clear how many patients she
saw and that others might not
know they were misdiagnosed
with Alzheimer’s. More than
30 people added their names
to the lawsuits late last month.
He said he believes she
was motivated by greed, say-
ing several patients were over-
billed. The cognitive clinic
grew rapidly, he noted.
“Many times she would
see the first person and have
them bring in their whole
family,” Zoll said. “And many
times she would diagnose the
whole family.”
Kay Taynor was diagnosed
with Alzheimer’s on her sec-
ond visit to Jenkins and then
referred five or six friends and
family members to her office,
including her husband of 48
years. All were told they had
the disease, she said, but her
husband, Gary, took it hardest.
“He’s got a smile that just
lights up the room, and I never
saw it again,” she said. “He just
sunk in his chair. To me, he
never stood up again. He was
never tall again. He gave up.”
Gary fell into depression,
spending his final weeks sit-
ting in a chair with his hands in
his lap until he went into their
garage and shot himself in the
head, she said. An autopsy did
not show any signs of Alzhei-
mer’s, she said.
Don Tanner said he, too, felt
like taking his own life.
He was sent to the clinic for
therapy in February 2015 after
suffering a severe brain injury
in a fall. The trauma of healing
while dealing with the devas-
tating diagnosis of Alzheimer’s
became unbearable.
“She gave me a death sen-
tence,” said Tanner, who told
his wife he wanted to jump off
a bridge and then thought about
wandering off into the marsh
behind their home with his gun.
He had seen firsthand how
Alzheimer’s gradually erodes
someone while caring for his
dad. He spent many days shav-
ing and dressing his father, who
died only months before Tan-
ner’s own diagnosis.
“It was just cemented in my
mind that I wasn’t going to put
my family through that,” he
said.
His wife enlisted their
daughters and friends to stay
with him while she was at
work, fearing what she’d find
when she returned. “If he had
a bad day, I didn’t know where
that would send him,” said his
wife, Monica. It wasn’t until
last summer — after the clinic
had closed — that a new doc-
tor told him there was no way
he had Alzheimer’s.
“God must have been on
my side, because I didn’t go
out there and get that damn
gun,” Tanner said. “But man I
thought of it. Something kept
telling me it’s not there yet.”
Join Our Team!
H ELP U S I MPROVE O UR C USTOMER S ERVICE
The Damly Astorman ms seekmng a leader to dmrect our
cmrculatmon sales and delmvery operatmons.
We are lookmng for someone who ms passmonate
about customer servmce and wmllmng to learn our
busmness. Leadershmp skmlls are necessary to
oversee both staff and mndependent contractors.
Sales skmlls are a plus.
To get the job done, you’ll have
a front offi ce staff of four to
work wmth along wmth a solmd
crew mn the mamlroom and mn our
corporate offi ce for dmstrmbutmon
and marketmng support. All we
need ms a person ready to lead
and dmrect them to success.
If you belmeve you are that
person, drop off your resume
and cover letter at:
The Daily Astorian is looking for a full-time Customer Service
professional. If you take pride in helping people one caring interaction
at a time, you’re hired! Working in our Circulation Department,
you will lead three other teammates with the mission of meeting
our subscribers’ needs. Whether it’s answering a question, solving
a problem, fi nding information or making a delivery, you are the
principal liaison between our customers, our independent contractors
and Astoria’s media leader.
To be our Customer Service
Specialist, you must be highly
organized, an excellent
communicator and someone who
leads by example. In return, we’ll
pay you a competitive salary and
provide a full package of benefi ts,
including insurance and paid
time off . Usual hours are Monday
through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, with
occasional other hours to ensure
excellent service to our customers.
Interested? Stop by our offi ce at:
The Daily Astorian
949 Exchange Street
Astoria, OR 97103
or e-mail hr@eomediagroup.com
Your source for
SPORTS
We care about prep sports on the North Coast
Check out The Daily Astorian every day for the latest in scores,
game reports, photos and comments from coaches and athletes
Go online at www.dailyastorian.com for video and audio interviews
949 Exchange Street
Astoria, OR 97103
or e-mail
hr@eomediagroup.com