Hospice of the Western Reserve

I would strongly encourage anyone considering this hospice agency to look elsewhere. Our experience has been one of repeated negligence, poor assessment, and a lack of urgency. Over the course of our time with this agency, there have been multiple instances where serious concerns were either dismissed or handled inadequately. The final straw occurred when my father’s legs became extremely swollen, discolored, painful, and developed multiple open, oozing sores. I repeatedly expressed my concern that he had developed an infection. Both the hospice nurse and the nurse practitioner told us the sores were not infected and instructed us to simply wrap his legs with ACE bandages. I trusted my instincts instead of accepting that assessment and took my father to the emergency room. The hospital diagnosed him with a skin infection and immediately began treating it with IV antibiotics. Had I simply followed the hospice agency’s recommendations, his condition could have continued to worsen before he received appropriate medical care, or even could have become fatal. This was not an isolated incident. Throughout our experience, communication was inconsistent, assessments were often superficial, and I frequently felt that legitimate medical concerns were minimized rather than investigated. Hospice should provide compassionate, attentive, and knowledgeable care during one of the most difficult times a family can face. Unfortunately, that was not our experience. Our family lost confidence in this agency’s ability to recognize and respond to serious medical issues, and I cannot recommend them to anyone.

I am deeply disappointed and heartbroken by the treatment my family has received from Hospice of Western Reserve. After my father was discharged from the hospital with a very limited life expectancy, we were told he could not return to the hospice services he had previously been receiving. This decision has left us scrambling to find a new agency during one of the most vulnerable and devastating times of our lives. The idea of my father having to meet new faces and build relationships with unfamiliar people in his final days is beyond upsetting. It feels as though the compassion and commitment we were led to believe Hospice of Western Reserve stands for were completely absent in this situation. Instead of providing comfort and continuity, this decision has added unnecessary stress and heartbreak to an already unbearable time. Families in situations like ours deserve better—much better. I truly hope this agency takes a hard look at their policies and considers the human impact of their decisions. No family should have to go through what we are experiencing right now. I wish I could give 0 stars! Very hurt and disappointed!

Pro I thought it was better than the hospital for a place where people need to be watched. The nurses were super nice and kind. The are cameras in the room, so security seemed good. My dad was given a bath immediately after he was recieved there. I asked a nurse to check my dad's diaper and she did (faster than the Equlid Hospital. Also, the nurse filed my dad's nails. Food looked good and water was available. Beautiful rooms with fish tanks and a person comes in to play a grand piano for clients. Con I asked them to go to a website to play my dad's own music and they said, "only if the files are played on my dad's own cellphone", which gave me the impression they don't know what a website is, gave me low confidence in their aptitude. Again, they are nice people though.