Agape
Hospice Care

he social worker was very helpful to me and supportive and Sasha was to I really thank you and everyone. From Ruby Harris daughter Ricca Ricks Thanks

anyone that needs hospice.

express how grateful I am.

elp. My heart is at ease with my mother's passing because it was as peaceful as one could hope for a loved one. She was treated with the respect, love, and dignity she deserved. Lee was our case manager and she took care of my mother as if she was caring for her own. Words absolutely will not do justice to how amazing she was. She walked me through everything each visit and also helped me to understand what to expect. Brittany was my mother's CNA and the absolute sweetest to my mother each and every visit. The support staff was exceptional, as well. Although we did not need as much of their services, it was comforting to know they were available, if we needed them. I feel grateful that they offer these services for people may be going through this excruciatingly difficult time alone.

out of our control.. The one minor problem was quickly and properly resolved. All their people were helpful, friendly and a pleasure to work with. If I am ever in need of Hospice care I will use them again. I can honestly recommend them to anyone needing their service.

ain (Mr. Kenton) for all he did.

the hospital, this is exactly what should have happened. That was not the case. While the equipment arrived on time, there were no supplies (wipes, pads, diapers for incontinence, gloves, etc) and no medications. My dad arrived at 1, and it took 3 hours for the intake nurse to arrive. She had absolutely nothing with her except a notebook. No supplies or medications to care for my father. She didn’t even have his admission paperwork, stating it was in the car. So we had to start from the beginning and explain to her his diagnosis, his hospital stay and his medications. Regarding medications, they didn't even have the "emergency kit" provided to hospice patients to provide comfort. She had to frantically call it in to the pharmacy to “hopefully” get it that night (it finally came around 10pm, so all that time there were no medications to help with discomfort). She found some diapers in her car, but they were too small. “We’ll just have to make them work.” Before she left, she said she would try to have someone come out the next day, but couldn’t promise. If we were told that we needed to have initial supplies available, we would have done so. But being able to find appropriate supplies specifically for a person with bedridden incontinence after 5pm is difficult. The intake nurse put the blame on the hospital representative, saying that she created false expectations. But numerous people in this field have advised us that their intake and care was shockingly poor. Luckily after the first meeting we contacted another hospice company. They were immediately different in every way - concerned, responsive, and most importantly caring. We agreed to have them come out the next day to discuss taking over his care. The following day, an Agape nurse did come to meet with us. She brought some supplies, but not everything. In retrospect, this visit could have been the most devastating part of their care. She examined my father, and talked about how they would set up a care schedule for the next several weeks, that she had to leave, but would follow up next week and maybe an aide would stop by tomorrow. She created an expectation that my father would be with us for several more weeks. 2 hours later, the new hospice company stopped by. My fathers condition was the exactly the same as when the Agape nurse was there. They took the time to thoroughly examine my father, and told us that his death was imminent. The nurse from the new hospice company never left his bedside after she arrived, and my father passed away less than 12 hours later. This compassionate and truthful care allowed for us to say our final goodbyes and spend those critical hours at his bedside. It was a gift that could have been robbed from us by the Agape team who didn’t have the time, knowledge, or fortitude to give us an accurate assessment. As far as the supplies, they didn't arrive until 5 days after care was set to begin. I can't imagine this is an anomaly. Especially since a supervisor called the day supplies arrived to ensure that the nursing staff had been out. Which begs the question - what if they had not been out yet? Is a 5 day delay a common occurrence? I have never been so disappointed in a company. To be in the business of caring for people at the end of life, they should be exceptional. They should be caring, competent, and truthful. They were none of these things. They made an excruciatingly painful experience even worse by their incompetence.