back in 1991, when my mother was suffering from terminal breast cancer, she decided to try hospice care. however, after having had hospice care for only two days, she insisted on leaving. she was grateful to come back home. instead of hospice, she decided to purchase a hospital bed, which we set it up in our den, and we had home health aides periodically come to the home to assist with her care. it was the best decision for her. she was very comfortable at home and felt at peace there. when she required extra care, she went to bethesda naval hospital for treatments and doctor care. what i remember of the hospice facility where my mother stayed is that it was very crowded. there were many people waiting for private rooms and the beds were very close to one another. it was very noisy and discomforting to hear people in pain nearby. they only privacy that was afforded was the curtain that encircled the bed. of course, this is just one chapter. there are so many out there ~ i think the quality of the care is highly dependent on the staff at each local hospice. my mother would have never even considered hospice in the first place unless it had a stellar reputation. i think the best way to gauge the level of care is to visit the local hospice nearest you. there are many wonderful, caring health workers out there who provide great service. and im sure some facilities are better than others.

I work for a hospice. I can honestly say that it really does depend on the company. The company I work for is all about patient care. Talk with the nurses and see if you like them.

Yes. My mother was in hospice care, but in the home. Absolutely. I can't imagine how those people deal with so much heartbreak day in and day out. The hospice care nurses and caregivers were some of the most caring people I have ever met. I just can't believe how wonderful they were. No complaints at all.

Yes, for my father. A few years ago my father developed Alzheimer's and, as we were a young family, there was talk about Hospice for him. We went to all of the places in our area for a tour and although some facilities were aduquate, they seemed to be so imposing and yet, lifeless. Some we saw were also dirty with care-workers that I didnt think were very trust-worthy at all and others had a history of patient abuse and neglect. The said the staff involved in these "rare" cases were terminated but with a history like that it was not a chance we were willing to take. We couldnt go through with it as a family. The very idea that my own father would be condemed to stare at these walls for the rest of his life completely put me off the idea and yet I still worried for those that were there and seemingly had no choice. That is when my idea came to me for a day-centre. The day-cntre itself would be open 5 days a week and because we had our own trained care workers and medical staff in the building with us, we were able to check on the persons medical background and offer them and their own Hospice care homes the best advice we could. We opened up our day centre too all elderly and mentally ill people for 5 days a week ( 9-6pm ) so they would be able to ... basicly have fun. We offer painint and clay-working classes, as well as cooking and our own little libery. We serve meals, tea and play games like bingo and cards so basicly, these people could have a warm, nurturing enviroment where they could interact and meet new people on a day to day basis. And because we had medical staff with us, we could contct social-services if any signs of neglect did appear, or even contact the hospice's themselves to demand why their members had not shown up that day and to offer them help if needed. I dont want to make myself out to be a saint here. I did what anyone is able to do if they care enough. I did 4 years ago when this project started and I still do now. My father has since passed away but because of him, this happened. He has a lot to be proud of.

I haven't but if the need ever arose, I would hope that my loved one would be fortunate enough to be cared for by someone as special as a certain friend of mine:)

During the last few months of her life my mom did. Nothing is perfect, of course, but the facility at which she stayed was a good one..the people there were very caring and kind and took good care of her. She didn't really notice one way or the other..she was in another world by then. :(

My father had lung cancer and received Hospice Care the last 6 weeks of his life. He did not stay at a facility; he preferred to be at home. The staff that were assigned to his case were very professional and caring. They visited 3 times a week and were available 24/7 if we needed them. They not only cared for my father but also offered supoort and counseling services for our entire family. I am completely satisfied with and eternally grateful for the services they provided.

Yes, for my grandmother. I was happy with them but me & my mom decided we wanted to care for her by ourselves. It was hard but I felt like she deserved her familys care instead of a strangers. Believe it or not, they still send us cards. Of course you're part of hospice, you're classy

My grandfather was in hospice care at the local hospital for about a week before he passed away. He wanted to live to be 90 and he wanted to die at home...he suffered with cancer for quite awhile before he left us. We tried to take care of him in his home, we all took turns going and staying the night but it ended up being too much. I was 100% against him going into hospice, he wanted to die at home and I wanted him to have what he wanted...but once he was in the care of hospice and I saw the love and care they gave him I knew tht there was no way we could have done that for him - sure we loved him, but we were not capable of giving him that kind of attention and care! There was too much stress and bad feelings between his children and their step mom to make that possible! I was very thankful for hospice and am very thankful for the people that can surround themselves with death every day yet walk into a room with a cheerful smile on their face and tone to their words as they talked to him and us lovingly and compassionately! I was there when he passed and it was the most peaceful I saw him in a very long time and although a part of my heart broke when he took that last breath, another part of me rejoiced b/c he lived to be 90 like he wanted (he died just a few days after that 90th birthday), he received excellent care in hospice and I was blessed to have him for as long as I did! Oh and it helped to know where he was going ;-)

they are awesome and I can not say enough about their caring and helpful ways. They were there with me and my mom when she was dying of cancer.