Resident appeals discharge from Highchase LLC over diabetes management and incontinence

A resident of Highchase LLC appealed a Sept. 29 notice of discharge at an administrative hearing on Oct. 16, 2025, after the facility said it could not meet her needs for diabetes management and bowel incontinence. Hearing Officer (Department of Public Health) reviewed written exhibits and heard testimony from the facility owner, staff, subcontracted community health workers and nurses before leaving the record open for more documentation.

The appeal concerns Doreen Stockweather, who was admitted to Highchase on Aug. 12, 2025, and was issued a notice of discharge that the facility says is based on repeated hospitalizations for very high blood sugar, ongoing fecal incontinence and gait problems. Huldent Vogel, owner of Highchase LLC, testified that staff had repeatedly found Stockweather with dangerously high glucose and that “her sugar level was in her 600 mark,” and that the facility’s staff were not trained to provide the level of monitoring the owner said Stockweather needs.

Why it matters: The hearing determines whether Highchase’s notice of discharge — and its placement decision for an older adult with chronic diabetes and incontinence — is appropriate under state discharge rules. The Department’s decision could affect Stockweather’s placement, the facility’s obligations for residents with complex care needs, and how similar residential care homes manage transfers to higher-level facilities.

Testimony and evidence

Vogel said Stockweather had been repeatedly admitted to hospital shortly after coming to Highchase and that staff were unable to perform the repeated finger-stick glucose monitoring required by the hospital-prescribed sliding-scale insulin regimen. “She was… sent to hospital because it is a medical emergency. She was admitted there, stabilized, and she was sent back,” Vogel said, explaining the facility’s view that Stockweather requires a higher level of care than the residential care home provides.

Floor manager Tracy Ellison described attempts to teach Stockweather how to use a glucometer. Ellison testified that Stockweather struggled with the lancet device, at one point causing the lancet to eject into the medication area, and said staff had to assist repeatedly. Ellison also described multiple episodes in which staff found feces on the floor or in common areas and said an outsourced laundry service collected linens only weekly, creating infection-control and resident-safety concerns for Highchase.

Two subcontractors from InterCommunity Health Center, Rachel White and Karen Nieves, told the hearing they assessed Stockweather at Vandermond Place on Oct. 3 and reported differing accounts: Stockweather denied multiple incidents of incontinence and said she had refused certain briefs, while facility staff at Highchase described multiple incontinence episodes. White and Nieves said Stockweather told them she had been diabetic for about 30 years and that she had difficulty testing her glucose at times because of equipment problems and other barriers.

Nursing staff at Vandermond Place and a licensed registered nurse, Laura Limacher, testified that, at that facility, nurses were performing finger-stick glucose testing and providing diabetes education; occupational and physical therapists were working on toileting schedules, hygiene assistance and mobility. Lucy Harrington, a social work staffer associated with the receiving facility’s therapy team, said therapists recommended hourly toileting checks and adaptive equipment to address Stockweather’s inability to sense when she needs to defecate.

Points of disagreement

Witnesses gave differing accounts of frequency and circumstances of falls and incontinence. White and Nieves reported that Stockweather told them she had experienced fewer incidents than Highchase documented; Highchase staff said incontinence occurred multiple times, including in the medication area and hallway. Stockweather acknowledged multiple hospital trips since her August admission but said she was uncertain how many times she had been formally admitted.

Financial and policy context

Vogel also cited nonpayment challenges and said the facility had received only one partial payment; he told the hearing that discharging Stockweather would result in a financial loss for the facility. The hearing officer noted that the notice of discharge before the tribunal did not list nonpayment as a ground for discharge and asked Highchase to provide the facility’s written incontinence policy and the resident’s signed acknowledgment.

Directions and next steps

The hearing officer left the record open for Highchase to submit incident reports (falls and incontinence), the facility policy on incontinence and any signed acknowledgments from Stockweather. The facility agreed to provide the materials by Oct. 22, 2025. The officer said a written decision would be issued within 20 days after the record closes.

The hearing record includes the facility’s notice of discharge dated Sept. 29, 2025; Stockweather’s appeal dated Oct. 9, 2025; and the hearing notice dated Oct. 10, 2025. No final determination was made at the session.

Stockweather’s account

Stockweather denied that she could not manage at Highchase and said she could do her testing with supervision; she also said the glucometer she owned had been compromised by bed bugs before admission. She told the hearing she did not want to return to homelessness and preferred to remain in the Manchester area to be near a friend, but that she would return to a nursing facility if necessary.

What remains unresolved

The Department’s decision will turn on whether the facility’s documentation supports its claim that Highchase cannot meet Stockweather’s medical and hygiene needs and whether alternative placements or supports are available. The record will be reconsidered after Highchase submits the requested incident reports and policy documents by Oct. 22.

Ending

The hearing record was left open for the requested documents; the Department of Public Health will issue a written decision after reviewing the additional materials.