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I have learned that when someone truly incredibly dies, someone you love so deeply, you want to tell everyone about her. As her sister of 56 years, I want you to know my sister, Juliet Yellman. She died right here in Sacramento, from abuse and neglect. She died because of the Department of Developmental Services. Juliet was an incredible person in my life. And incredible listener, champion, best aunt ever. But she was born with cognitive challenges, so she needed the scaffolding California State Law ensures throught Lanterman Act. Juliet had the best sense of humor of any person I have ever met. And she was interested in everyone and everyting. After 5 years of very serious worry and documeted complaints (that DDS never addressed) the abysmall quality of care took her life. You see, Juliet had a very clear IPP that laid out what she needed to be healthy. DDS purports to have a program called Independent Living Skills Support. Juliet was in their care 24 hours a day, according to her IPP. She was diagnosed in 2020 with malnoutrition, and this persisted because the caregivers would not make her meals. The caregivers would not reliably get her to dialysis. The caregivers sat outside her room, in her apartment, and watched TV. So, when they failed to get her to dialysis on Monday, June 9th, they literally sat outside her room when she had a cardiac arrest on Tuesday afternoon.

My sister suffered an inexusable amount because of a state program that is a scam. Juliet was many things that were incredible, but she was afraid of the people in charge of her care. They had threatened her before not to complain about the services they provided. She believed that if she raised concerns, she would lose what services she did have.

I complained. And state employees filed a restraining order against me. This is how they prevented me from seeing my sister and knowing how much danger she was in. everage humane care.

I ask all those in California, and those in charge of government to make the necessary changes to the Department of Developmental Services so that good people, like Juliet, are not tortued alive until they die a horrible death. You already knew it was happening:

https://information.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2021-107.pdf

Where is the action?

DDS claims to support 450,000 developmentally delayed persons in California. However, use your common sense. Do you know anyone in their programs? If you ask DDS to provide a list of clients they serve, they cannot do this. So, the number 450,000 is suspicious. What is their insentive to keep their clients alive?

What does this organization do? Who are their top adminsitrators? How much do they get paid? How much are caregivers paid?

This pyramid scheme, that includes 21 Regional Centers across the state, creates the most dangerous and unsafe conditions for persons with developmental disabilites who are scared to speak up and who do not have a voice or choice in the matter. My sister died at 56 years old. She had Type II diabetes that was completely manageable had her IPP been followerd. She dies blind, broken, and in incredible pain, and alone. Although she had the best health care in the world through UC Davis, UC Davis could not make up for the daily neglect she expeirnenced. The missed doctors appointments and missed dialysis. The DDS, the failure to ensure that Juliet’s IPP was followed and to provide very basic services led to Juliet losing her sight, her mobility, and her life.

My sister was a star. Any person who got to know her, who learned to listen to her stories, understood what an incredible heart and mind she had. She did not deserve to be tortured alive. She did not deserve to be treated as she was. She did not deserve the pain and suffering she had to endure in this state funded program.

I uge the good people of California to engage in this issue. There are so many terrible things that seem to be happening in our world right now. This is local. This is happening in our own communities and directly using our tax money. Following the deep grief and shock of losing Juliet, my sister, in this terrible way, I am just beginnint to be able to write and speak about it. and I am happy to come to your place of worship, your community center, your home to explain what I know and to spread the word.

My prayer for others is that the way this government agency works, you will never need to rely on their services. They way they function without oversight or training is a death sentence to their clients and people with developmental disabilities.

Thank you,

Jennifer Quynn, Ph.D.

Sacramento, CA 95820

jenny@zoeval.com