GOOD SHEPHERD HOME CARE

D

DOUG JOHNSON

Good Sheapherd Hospice in Vernal helped my family care for my Dad during the last days of his life. They were very professional and caring. They helped us feel equipped to help our father stay at home and be comfortable untill his passing. They answered calls quickly and kindly. We would like to especially thank Misty and Ashley, we could not have honored our dads final desires without your assistance. You will see other reviews on this site that are not the same experience. I suggest you look at the age of the reviews they were many years ago. Things have changed in my opinion. Thank you for your kindness, Jennifer Johnson and the family of George

B

Becky Solomon

My mother was in the hospital, when I arrived, (I Live in Cedar city Utah) after a phone call from my dad. The doctor suggested we put her on hospice. So without checking into hospice companies, my dad chose this one. (I have been a hospice aide for 24 years so I know what I’m talking about) The nurse and the social worker came (From the company) in to the hospital and talk to me and my dad, I told them before I take her home, The oxygen needs to be at her house before I take her home for her comfort, granted the doctor ordered 15 Liters. But still they promised they would have it there. And the doctor agreed this is the only way she can go home. Around 2 PM, the gold cross ambulance arrived in her room to take her home. We got her upstairs into her bedroom, and to my disbelieve there was no oxygen. The nurse from this company showed up and made some phone calls and said it wouldn’t be here until 5 PM they had some trouble in Roosevelt and could not get it here till then. So Proceeded to ask her why wasn’t this in place or why we weren’t told about this why she was still in the hospital getting the care she needs. She explained there is nothing she can do about it, very rude. My mother was unable to breathe and very uncomfortable and struggling and crying. So the nurse suggested morphine, I told her no , My mom had a bad reaction to morphine and suggested something else she can use. I walked out of the room to talk to my dad about what’s going on, and come back to my moms room and the nurse has given her one ML of morphine after being told not to. I got very angry with her and asked her to leave. She did come back couple hours later,, And had my dad sign some paperwork, my mom was gone an hour later. My mother was only 76 years old and according to the doctors she would had two or three weeks left, if she would’ve had that oxygen, my mother just want to comfort and instead she got a nurse from hell. Please do not get this company They’re just out for the money and do not care about anybody. My mom suffered, and nobody should ever have to go through this again.

D

Duwayne Anderson

Two weeks ago I learned my Dad had just been put into hospice when my sister (who lives with Mom and Dad) called and ask me to come help with his care. I'm from Oregon, so the tip to Vernal took a little more than 24 hours. When I arrived I found that hospice was visiting Dad just once a day and that was the only time they were providing palliative care; in particular, they were rotating him just once every 24 hours to avoid bed sores. The night I arrived my sister and I spoke with one of the nurses from Good Shepherd who agreed that neither my sister nor my mother (in her mid 80s) could reasonably be expected to rotate dad, and that since hospice includes palliative care, and palliative care involves prevention of bed sores, hospice should provide additional visits from nurses assistants to aid in bed rotations. She also said that the nurses at Good Shepherd should provide additional training support. The next day, I was watching over my dad when an RN from Good Shepherd arrived at the house. She went downstairs and was in the process of rotating Dad when I came down. I mentioned the conversation from the night before and asked if additional visits were being scheduled to aid with the palliative care we had spoken of. In a single curt statement, the nurse said "No," and then proceeded to lecture me about hospice not being "24 hour" care. I pointed out that additional visits during the day by a nurses assistant hardly qualifies as "24 hour care" and that, furthermore, Medicare stipulates palliative care for terminal patients, and that avoidance of bed soars via rotations is clearly a part of palliative care -- and, since Good Shepherd is taking the money from Medicare, they should provide the services. With that, the nurse stopped mid procedure, leaving Dad halfway rotated and still leaning up against one of the bed arm rails. Without speaking another word to me, she walked out of the room. I followed and listened to her call the office and tell the manager that she was leaving the house because the people at the residence were being "belligerent." Then she went in and told my mother she was leaving. I pleaded with her to finish rotating rotating Dad, or at least to tell me how to do it. She ignored me -- refused even to look at me, got in her car and drove off. I went back to Dad (who was unconscious) and did my best (having been refused by the RN as to how to actually do the procedure) to rotate Dad and get his bare skin off the bed rails. Then I went down to the Good Shepherd office and discussed the situation with the office manager. The office manager was professional and courteous, but firm in refusing to provide any palliative care other than a single visit per day. I explained that my sister and mother could not rotate Dad (these are two elderly women who are not nearly big enough, or strong enough). The office manager suggested that I find another agency that would send out a nurses assistant more often for the necessary palliative care, and pay them extra, but that Good Shepherd would not be providing additional help. As I left the office manager I got a frantic call from my sister who was in the process of having a nervous breakdown. The RN who had stormed out of the house had called her at work and proceeded (over the course of about 10 minutes) to yell, scream and threaten. My sister was in tears, saying that Good Shepherd was going to refuse to give *any* additional care and was threatening to come, collect their equipment, dump Dad on the floor, and leave. The office manager assured me the threats would not happen, and she assured me that we'd have a different RN call on Dad the next day. There was, however, no apology and certainly no offer to proved full palliative care. A family with a loved one in hospice shouldn't have to worry about unprofessional and unethical treatment. I had enough to worry about, caring for Dad, without also having to help my sister from having a nervous breakdown.

A

Annette Mackey

On my dad’s final day of life, my brother asked the nurse why the nurse couldn’t come more than once a day. His questions made her angry and she totally lost her temper. She stormed out, leaving my dad practically hanging out of the bed. She called my sister at work and berated her and told her that no one would ever come and help my dad again. She said she was a RN, so I would have thought she knew how to behave in a professional manner, but she certainly did not. She put a patient in immediate danger and insulted the family for wanting better care.

K

Kelly Laursen

I have used Good Shepard for my family members in the past, the staff that came to my house were wonderful. Recently I have been helping care for an elderly gentleman. Last night an RN ( she made it very clear she is an RN ) walks into the mans house and was uncaring and just plain rude. I was appalled by her behavior. The RN has no business working in the healthcare.