Genesis Hospice and Palliative Care

Very nice there. People definitely care and its always quiet and clean.

I do not recommend this hospice facility based on my interactions with the staff at this facility. Two tips if you have a loved one leaving the hospital for hospice care, especially if you are the healthcare power of attorney: 1. Have the hospital tell you each medication that will be ordered when they leave the hospital for hospice (the hospital failed to order 2 medications we thought would continue); 2. Make sure someone is at the hospice facility when your loved one arrives to verify their status and make sure no medications are changed without good reason. My family member left the hospital alert and able to have full conversations. According to her chart notes, she arrived still speaking and complaining of shortness of breath (No family/friends were there when she arrived). I was her health care power of attorney. I called at night, hours after she was supposed to have arrived because no one called us from this hospice facility as we were told they would. The nurse I spoke to explained they have been too busy with check-ins. She also told me my family member was completely sedated and not speaking, which alarmed me since it was a drastic change in her status. She had exhibited signs of pain, so the nurse practitioner had changed her medication to a similar pain medicine and a different, stronger class of anxiety medication (Versed), which is also used to sedate patients in surgery. No effort was given to inform me and receive my consent to change her medication at the time or after the fact. The next morning, I drove to the facility and requested that her medication be changed back to the hospital orders (what she had been taking successfully for weeks) because of the drastic change in her status. It took 10 minutes to get the nurse to agree to call the nurse practitioner, then another 40 minutes to actually make the call. The nurse practitioner refused to change anything and refused to talk to me on the phone. Another 10 minutes of pleading with the nurse got her to call back. Again the nurse practitioner refused to talk to me, but the head of nursing was going to drive from Newark to talk with me. Two hours later, she arrived. After hearing the same explanation for the third or fourth time of how her condition could have worsened, she agreed to call the nurse practitioner and request the Versed be changed to make sure it wasn’t overly sedating my family member. They still refused to change back the anxiety medication, but agreed to lower the dose. This was how I stressfully spent the last 4 hours visiting with my loved one – fighting with the staff to do what they should have done immediately upon my request that a 5 minute phone call could have covered. The culture of this facility needs a drastic change – right now it seems no one is allowed to question the treatment ordered by the nurse practitioner and the nurses are too afraid or unwilling to do what they are supposed to do. If you just want your relative sedated and comfortable, I’m sure they will do that for you

They have the greatest staff and I want to thank them all with the care they gave my wife you will always be in our thoughts and prayers for the work you do may you and your family's have long and happy lives God bless and thank you