VITAS Healthcare - Immokalee

My experience with this Hospice Company was not good. My Sissy was at her end stage of Pancreatic Cancer and the hospice nurse thought she would let her know she don’t have long and maybe any day, this upset her and she did live more than any day. The medication was always two or three days late. I wouldn’t tell anyone to use Vistas Hospice never.

I gave this place a 1 star because it did not give the option for 0 stars... Our family was going through the hardest time anyone can go through with having a family member nearing their last days. My uncle was discharged for palliative care at home. I live in Miami and he lives in Naples with his sister (my aunt) and her husband both elderly also. As soon as I heard about his prognosis, I took time off work to help with the arrangements and with his care since my aunt and uncle are limited to what they can do. My aunt heard about Vitas and arranged for them to come and evaluate him for palliative care at home. Our experience with Vitas was the most challenging experience. Their communication was horrible from the beginning. First we waited for his bed to arrive and when it arrived it was broken. The toilet arrived 4 days later when he already could not stand or walk. WE washed and bathed him. Second, on the first day my uncle was administered a suppository since he had not had a bowel movement since discharged for palliative care. He was at home for 5 days with their nursing care and still no bowel movement and no more treatment. Per the nurse he as fine. I am knowledgeable of patient care and noticed his abdomen was a bit distended. When the nurse was advised, she shrugged it off and blamed it on his inappitence. He was also prescribed pills when he had difficulty swallowing. His treatment for pain management was also UNDER dosed. We had to be on top of the nurses to change him and apply the medication to his bed sores to say the least. ONE nurse out of the 3 that cared for him really fought to increase his pain meds and properly and with compassion, cared for my beloved uncle. Thank you to Armando Alvarez from our family. On the third day they didn’t have a nurse to send and left us alone to care for him and gave instructions on the phone on how to give the medications. That’s professional huh? Then on the 5th day 1 hour before her shift ended, the nurse that cares for him from 8a-8p said that was it, that they were not coming anymore because he was "Stable"...excuse me? "Stable" I called immediately and spoke to the supervisor (she had also come to care for my uncle at one point and this lady showed no empathy to my family.) When I asked why all she could say was that’s policy...I was livid, policy!! I said why we couldn’t get heads up sooner to find other accommodations. They literally left us high and dry with no other options at the moment. Then insisting him to be transferred to their hospice facility.....YEA RIGHT!! AFTER WHAT WE HAVE WITNESSED we would not be able to forgive ourselves I refused to send him to that place. With the grace of God, I checked with his insurance and he was able to change services 1 time. So a dear friend of mine recommended Avow. Let me tell you the experience from them was top notch from the evaluation from the nurse to his last day on earth. They treated him as if he was their own with compassion and dignity. Not only for him but also with us. IF YOU LOVE YOUR FAMILY MEMBER PLEASE DO NOT HAVE THEM BE CARED FOR BY VITAS. THE NUSES ARE THERE TO COLLECT A CHECK AND GO HOME. YOU SHOULD BE ASAMED AND SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN.