I only give the overall experience one, because the Cook was awesome to my father, and they don't have a 'zero' rating.
The staff was okay, but the Social Worker, was anything but social or professional.
She made my father paranoid about what was happening to his house and possessions. She contacted his friends and made unprofessional demands of them. She made false accusations about me. She contacted me and demanded I bring his movable assets to Hospice, including his wallet, checkbook, credit cards, and car keys. She told my father she wanted to call the cops on me, for what I am not sure. I lived in another state and could not nor did not do anything with his assets.
Beyond being unprofessional, she addled my father and slandered me to his friends and the Home care agency she discharged him to.
I believe charges should be brought against her for making the last 3 weeks of his life full of paranoia and fear and estranging him from his family. Shame on someone in such a delicate and important position.
I do not recommend the Hospice House or Respite. This is a critical review about the Hospice House.
I have no criticism of the in-home care portion of this hospice. I felt they did a good job over past year and especially appreciated the visiting nurse who my mother liked.
My mother's death was a terrible experience at Hospice House. I regret ever allowing her to go there. The staff were discourteous and nasty. They showed no empathy or compassion. They were defensive and lacked honest communication skills. There was no transparency and they all seemed to cover for one another in cult-like manner. They were condescending towards worried family members and secretive. My mother went there for respite, looking forward to it even, and through their neglect, ended up dying a week later after a fall there. She was frail and non ambulatory, so I don’t know what she was doing up. I never got a straight answer. They lacked honesty and transparency and covered up the truth. She was so drugged up she never got to say goodbye to loved ones. She died in pain and fear. After her 5 day respite a family member pleaded with them to keep her through the weekend for medical observation purposes, because she had declined so rapidly there. The doctor refused. She was dumped on an elderly family member over the weekend in far worse shape than she was when she went to respite. She was in terrible pain, could not swallow, could not eat or drink or take her medication, her pain was too great to change her diaper, and she was confused. They provided no backup help nor did they provide pain medications or instruction as to how deal with her increased pain. She screamed and moaned and begged for mercy for almost 3 days until a visiting nurse got them to take her back. She was then kept in a coma on morphine until she died 3 days later. She was in an agitated state and moaning in pain while on IV morphine. She never got to say her goodbyes to her loved ones. Also, Nursing staff seemed to lack cultural sensitivity to those with different religions or beliefs.
My mother had a terrible death there and I regret ever trusting them or believing in their philosophy. I should have called 911 as she would have had a better outcome and more caring death at hospital. I was naive to put my faith and trust in this hospice. Please do your research and homework before you send any frail elderly person here. Never leave a loved one there without an advocate attending to them at all times. I cannot bring my mother back or stop the pain and suffering she endured. I truly hope I can save one person from going through what my mother went through.