VITAS Healthcare

caregiver4years

This 24/7 caregiver of years had an excellent, in-home experience under trying circumstances with a difficult death of a beloved, blind mother dying of heart failure. Nurses and aids were smart, generous with their time, very compassionate (understood tears) and helpful (even while under pressure with staff stretched thin as they handled COVID). My mother being a non-COVID patient was given full attention and corporate did a good job of scheduling. When I called with emergencies at night, VITAS operators always answered quickly, helped me get her as comfortable as possible and always sent a nurse to the home as follow-up. Nurses also did some hard, gross care that eased her (care others would probably have ignored as I was ignorant of the need). One nurse came on duty early to help the day she died, just to support me. Another aid soothed her agitation with, who would have thought, foot messages which calmed her. VITAS’ advice was also invaluable from “sleep whenever you are not bedside” to a booklet with advice to “talk about these things with your loved one while you can” to “this is how to administer medicines” to dressing and making her body beautiful, “but you do not need to see the body actually removed from the room” which really helped in the grieving process. Care was all at home. As a caregiver, taking daily notes was vital as it improved the teams ability to help. I cannot discuss a facility. But our family’s experience with the local VITAS’ team was not just good - it was superb. They took good care of my mother and also cared for me. I am sorry you are looking into Hospice. I know how hard it it. But you can love to the very end and be faithful to take care of your loved one to the last breath. VITAS will help you succeed in the goal to let your loved one die as comfortable as possible as he or she wishes (not in a hospital) but in their own bed.

DDANO

A professional salesman (MaryAnn) signed us up with guarantees if we had problems she would assist. No response to over 15 messages/calls. Turnover of nurses (mostly inexperienced) leads to no consistency for quality client care. We had approximately 8 Nurses in a year. Took the MD almost 5 months before meeting our hospice loved one and family but constantly wanted to progress to Narcotics prior to need. The MD & RN's did not know the history or current diagnosis although they meet weekly to discuss the plan of care of which the family is not invited to attend. Signed up with Vitas because they allegedly have Respiratory Therapist( RT) on staff. RT came once & maybe called twice in the past year for a COPD client. THEY DID NOT FOLLOW THE DISCUSSED AND AGREED UPON PLAN OF CARE. The last few days the care and medication administration was extremely aggressive making everyone in the family very uncomfortable. Bottom line....... a horrible experience for a most beloved person. I would rate a zero if possible and highly recommend using a different hospice agency.

Loving Wife206802

VITAS Healthcare has an area for hospice inside the hospital, and it's very nice and really homey. I liked them a lot. It's a beautiful place with hardwood and inviting family areas.

NurseBettyNICU

The care my Mom received from VITAS was superb, amazing. The nurses and aides were like angels. I do not have enough great things to say about the compassion and gentle care they showed my Mom and the rest of the family. Mom passed away a few weeks ago, but the people from VITAS just stopped by the house and gave us a "Memory Bear," a stuffed teddy bear made from her favorite shawl. She wore it all the time. What a thoughtful gift! I keep it in the family room with us as a reminder that Mom's stil with us ... in our hearts and minds. If your reading this, then you're probably thinking a loved one may need hospice; and I am sorry for your pain. Our decision to choose hospice was not easy, but I am so grateful we chose VITAS. My family and I will have the memory of Mom's peaceful and gentle passing for the rest of our lives. From someone who has been in your shoes, I would highly recommend you choose VITAS.

goldie74

My father suffered for years with congestive heart failure. In and out of the hospital, the swelling, the difficulty breathing; it was horrible. Eventually, Dad didn't want to go to the hospital anymore. My Mom (83 years old) insisted she could care for him at home, but my sister and I could see that it was too much for her. My sister and I helped where and when we could, but we both work and have families of our own. We interviewed a few different hospice companies to determine who was going to best care for Dad. During the interviews, Vitas seemed the most compassionate to our situation and did not pressure us to decide. They answered all our questions and offered several options for Dad. In the end, we chose Vitas, and I am glad we did. Vitas helped keep Dad comfortable at home with Mom. Our nurses and aides from Vitas were awesome. They were always so warm and caring. They were there for Dad, but I sometimes thought they did more for Mom. Dad would light up when they visited, and they made it possible for Mom and Dad to be together for the last few months of his life. Dad passed last month, but Vitas just checked in with Mom today to make sure she is doing OK. What great people! My only regret is that we fought Dad early on and did not get Vitas involved sooner. If you find yourself here researching hospices, I highly recommend Vitas. I honestly believe you cannot go wrong with entrusting them with the care of your loved one.

Momofmy3

VITAS cared for my mother. She was suffering horribly with COPD and was in and out of the hospital. Their staff was so caring. The personalized care she received from the nurses and aides was phenomenal. Although mom's gone now, the people at VITAS still check in with me and the family to make sure we're OK. No one likes to talk much about hospice, but if you need a recommendation ... VITAS is wonderful.