One visit and done. Duke Home Health is not interested in the welfare of the patient. After an initial assessment by a gum chewing open mouthed unprofessional nurse, I got one visit by a male nurse who was definitely not working for me. He was not concerned with the reason I needed a home health nurse after a hospital stay. This nurse wanted to send me to a nursing home. He was not interested in my correct meds but only interested in his own viewpoint rather than my doctor's prescriptions. When Duke's nurse started talking about what he would say in a "court of law", I became concerned that he was not concerned with my health concerns, but in kicking me out of my house. I immediately fired this Home Health group and treated myself with much better care. You can do much better than this group. If you want to stay in your home, do not contract this agency. read more

The nurse case manager was pleasant and responded to messages. Yet, she never remembered the actual statements expressed regarding my mother's care. The medication management appeared extremely regimented. It seems that the NPs uphold anti-psychotic drug use for the elderly with dementia. It stuns me that they do not consider the lack of research data on the elderly population with dementia. Most data do not advocate the use of these type of drugs due to the "risk of increased mortality". Maybe they do not care? To complicate the situation, the dose of drugs do not take into account my mother's size and weight. Basically, she is considered pediatric size. It seems that the drug dosing is made for the typical adult. Long story short, the NPs and Medical Director will not respond to the current drug challenges. It is unfortunate that there are drug alternatives, but the medical staff will not think "out of the box". I have made several phone calls to Hospice staff with no response. Do they care? Probably not. Last, the CNA is competent. That is the only positive thing I can recall at the present moment,. read more

Duke Hock Hospice is a shining example of how compassionate professional medical care should be delivered. As odd as it may sound it is a joyful place where those we hold close in our hearts. along with their families, spend their final days being attended to by caring professional nurses aides, nurses, nurse practioners physicians and social workers. Any request or question we had was promptly responded to and properly handled with care and concern. We have formed bonds and friendships, visited in each others rooms, shared hugs and laughs and tears not only with our family, but with everyone from the nurses aides to the physicians as well as other families who are on the same uncharted journey as we are. When one hears the word hospice it is immediately associated with death and the dying process. But hospice, at least as we experienced at Duke Hock Hospice is also about living and and loving and sharing deeply with strangers who become friends and in a unique way a new family at least for a few days or weeks. I have a feeling some of these bonds will last past our immediate time at Hock. Hock Hospice at Duke is a unique place for dying and living. When the time comes for you and your family to use hospice services, choose Hock. If your experience is like ours has been it will be remembered with fond memories as you say goodby to your loved one. Disclosure: I have no affiliation with Duke University or Hock Hospice. These comments were unsolicited. read more

I received a call from the schelduler attempting to schedule my appointment. Unfortunately I was in one room and my phone was in another room. Being disabled I cannot physically carry to many things at 1 time so I decide to leave the phone in the room until I get back in the room and if I miss a call I can always return the call when I get myself settled. Once I gotten back in my room I looked and saw I had about 4 missed calls. 3 friends checking in on me and Duke home care. I immediately contacted the Duke Home Care back. The scheduler told me that since she couldn't reach me she reached out to my emergency contact person to leave a message since I hadn't set up voice-mail on my phone. I immediately asked the scheduler why would she contact my emergency contact concerning an appointment that's not an emergency. She told me their policy is to reach out to anyone that's in your file to leave a message when you are trying to set up a new appointment. Okay I told the scheduler however please only use my emergency contact for just that emergency only. I'm disabled you have to give me time to get to the phone I always call back! The scheduler then told me that my sister who is NOT my emergency contact did call back and canceled my appointment and reschedule. I didn''t understand why this scheduler didn't see anything wrong with this picture. Not only did she not see anything wrong but her supervisor I guess who reviewed this issue sent me some apologetic letter talking about they did stress verifying information and they are giving schedulers more training. All of that is fine and dandy but I feel like the moment she the scheduler was on the phone call with my sister who called in thinking it was her appointment not mine and her appointment she was canceling not mine because the scheduler NEVER VERIFIED name, date of birth,address, phone number I feel my HIPPA RIGHTS were violated because no matter how much I love my sister her name is NOT on any of my medical records for any discussions to be talked to or with concerning me. For her to be able to cancel and rebook a appointment for me in my records through the scheduler is appalling. Then the scheduler says we'll your sister called back in and she just rescheduled you for Oct. 3 as if it was nothing. At this point I don't want to use Duke Home Care I feel they have shared my information and acted as if it was ok to do so because it was only with my sister. Well it wasn't ok to so. I did not give you the right to! Even when the scheduler contacted my emergency contact person she said she was trying to reach Ms. McMillan. Because my sister who is my emergency contact person knows I will answer my calls and goes to doctors appointments she thought it was the Ms. McMillan that WILL NOT answer her calls and WILL NOT go to doctor's appointments so she passed the message on to that Ms. McMillan. If the scheduler was going to contact an emergency contact she should have at least said the correct person so the correct person could have returned the call. Since she didn't do her job well she started a whole chain of bad events that lead to my HIPPA rights being violated. read more

My family's experience with Duke Hospice was abysmal. During the 1 week of hospice care for my dying father, we were neglected, phone calls were not returned, supplies not ordered, assigned nurses switched out with no phone call or explanation, he was overmedicated, medication records were not updated, and more. We will NEVER use them again, and have warned everyone we know against them. Details follow: Thursday, the day my dad was discharged, an intake nurse came and went over everything with us. We were told over and over, orally and in writing, with big red signs to hang on the wall, to "Call Hospice First," as they were available 24/7. She also told us the name of his assigned regular nurse, and that she, as well as the social worker, chaplain, and a nurse's aid, would call to schedule a time to come out. Friday: both the social worker and the chaplain called to schedule appointments for the following Monday. We had no other contact with Duke. Saturday AM: I found that my mother had been waiting 1.5 hours for a return call from a nurse, as my Dad was clearly in distress. Upon calling them again, I was told they didn't know what had happened with the answering service, but now that the office was open a nurse would call back "right away." How does 24/7 care mean only when the office is open? Twenty minutes later, almost 2 hours from the original call, a nurse finally called back. That nurse prescribed a muscle relaxer for him, but did not discuss medical interactions with his other meds. We picked up the prescription and gave him the prescribed dose. Sunday AM: That morning my father was so out of it my mother thought he had slipped into a coma. Our own deacon and priest came out to provide comfort and last rights. In addition, a friend was able to explain to us the various medications in the "comfort box" that had arrived, and how to use them if necessary. No one from Duke Hospice ever did, or even offered, though the instructions on the box say they will. Monday AM: With the muscle relaxer worn off, my dad was lucid again. He had simply been overmedicated by the muscle relaxer in combination with his other meds, as we discerned ourselves. The social worker came to visit. She was shocked my dad's assigned nurse had not yet been in contact. She called her, only to find out a different nurse had been assigned. The social worker called the new nurse, who informed her he wasn't planning to visit until that Thursday, a full week after my dad's discharge. Fortunately, the social worker insisted he come out that day. When he did arrive, he agreed the muscle relaxer had knocked my dad out the previous day. However, he did not seem to have the current list of my dad's medications, and contradicted the advice of the intake nurse we had seen the previous Thursday regarding some of them. He also told us we could dissolve certain of his meds in water if my dad couldn't swallow them. That NEVER worked. Monday PM: A nurse's aid showed up with supplies we had been asking for for 4 days. For the first time, she worked with us and taught us how best to care for my dad. We had been floundering for four days, with little or no help. She was a godsend, however late. Tuesday AM: When dissolving one of his meds in water had still not worked, we were finally told by a hospice nurse on the phone that he could get that med in a liquid form. How is it that he had never been given that option before? Wednesday AM: We again called about his medications, as he was weaker and less responsive and we had trouble getting them into him. It took a nurse over an hour to call us back. At this point we were so exhausted with the round the clock care we were providing ourselves, with little training or experience, that we hired an outside nursing service to come spend the night with him. They were fantastic. Thursday AM: My dad was again in distress. We called hospice 4-5 times between 8:30 and 9:50 AM, clearly panicked. When a nurse finally called back at 9:50, we were told his regular nurse, who we had just seen that Monday, was on vacation (recall he had only originally planned to see my dad that day, so how he was on vacation was a mystery), and they would try to get another nurse to come by 2 PM. We told her that might be too late. She said they would "do their best" but we would have to wait to hear from the nurse directly. My dad died at 11:05 AM. The hospice nurse finally arrived around 12:30. She pronounced him dead per my sister's report. I don't remember her even touching him, much less looking for a pulse or helping to care for him. After she left, my sisters and I bathed and dressed my father before the funeral home directors arrived. Friday AM: Benita Pope with Duke hospice called to inquire about our disappointment. Not a good time, as we were in grief and preparing for a funeral. When we finally spoke, she assured me she would follow up. Still waiting for that call, almost 3 months later. Not surprised . . . read more

I know it may be strange to some, reviewing a Hospice organization on Yelp but I felt like I should give credit where credit is due. So here it goes... I will preface this with the fact that I worked in the healthcare world for a few years and it is true, most hospice workers are saints. I have also seen many hospice organizations turn away from true patient care and gear themselves towards the money racket of it all, declining in staffing and patient care. Duke Hospice is a gem in the hospice world, a true cadillac of services in patient care. Unfortunately, and fortunately, I have had the experience recently of getting to know Duke Hospice on a more personal level with my grandfather who is dying of cancer. Once he was given the notice that his health was poor enough to qualify him for hospice care, I immediately began feeling anxious, wondering who the company would be. We, as a family had a choice but was recommended by Duke to use their hospice program. From day 1, the nurse who comes out to see him has been WONDERFUL. Wonderful doesn't even quite give enough praises. She gave us all expectations, told us that from this point forward, his care was in her hands and there would be no need for doctor or hospital visits as she had it all taken care of. As his health has declined more, she has been there more. She has a CNA come everyday now and she comes every other day. She made sure to walk the entire family through all of his care, showing us how to administer meds, what to do in case of an emergency, showing compassion and empathy every step of the way. Now that my grandfather has moved to palliative care, it is more about keeping him comfortable rather than treating his illness. She truly helps him and the family physically, emotionally, and spiritually, even discussing his passing plan of what to expect in the coming days. I have always said that I hate being experienced and knowledgeable on something like cancer. I hate that I have to know about something like hospice and how the nurses care for patients, and I hate that I have to know about a passing plan and what to expect at a loved one's death, but I am completely grateful for Duke Hospice and I know that they have made my grandfather, as well as our family's experience in something so horrific, somewhat dignified for him, even as he is dying. Duke Hospice, you are saints. Angels sent from heaven. Cancer, I hate you. read more

I have used Duke HomeCare & Hospice twice and would never use them again. Both times, I had to be hospitalized (once for planned surgery and once for emergency shoulder surgery). Unfortunately, once in the hospital, patients have no choice regarding home care providers. I will be working with Duke to try to change this practice, especially since patients should have a say in their home care. The first time, I had a bad experience with the nurses who were sent to my home. I had to have abdominal shots for 14 days. I went through about three nurses before I finally felt semi-comfortable with someone doing the shots. The first nurses who came over either had body piercings or tattoos. Not very comforting for someone who needed painful abdominal shots. In addition, the first several nurses were not very skillful in administering the shots, which made them unnecessarily painful. It did not seem as though they really cared. My second experience with Duke HomeCare & Hospice occurred recently, after the shoulder surgery. My physician required me to wear my sling for six weeks and not to drive during this timeframe a well. He also did a prescription for both physical and occupational therapy. I was assigned home health aides, a physical therapist, and an occupational therapist. The physical therapist, Robin, who acted as the case manager, wanted to discharge me after the second visit! In addition, she came two days prior to the appointed day. She denied that she had made the earlier appointment, basically lying about it. The next appointment was for the following week. When I called to confirm the appointment, since I had not heard from Robin and based on my previous experience with her, she told me that the appointment had been cancelled! She also had her manager contact my physician and tell him that PT was not necessary. This was outrageous, not to mention unethical and unprofessional. Not only did I need PT to strengthen my core, Duke HomeCare had no business going behind my back to my physician, especially when he had provided the prescription for PT. If I had not contacted Robin, I would not have known that she was not intending to show up for the appointment. In other words, cancelling without notifying the patient! The occupational therapist, Kati Soleil, was average as a therapist. In fact, the last time she was here, I had to ask her about specific assisted range of motion exercises (that were supposed to be part of the therapy). I even showed her the physician's recommended progression of exercises and had to go over them with her! She finally produced a sheet of the exercises that I should have already been doing. I do not believe it is the patient who needs to be concerned about specific exercises and the order of them for rehabilitating the shoulder. In addition, the previous week, Kati wanted to start talking about a discharge process. I told her that I would be happy to start the process the following week. She also told me that she would add a session to help me with showering, so that I could do it by myself without worrying about a fall. The next time I saw Kati, she brought with her a manager from Duke HomeCare with the papers for the discharge, even though she was capable of giving me the papers herself. This was a complete surprise to me, especially since we had already agreed to have the conversation. Also, I do not believe it is ethical to have someone from Duke HomeCare show up at the patient's home without telling the patient. In any case, Kati decided not to show up for the second appointment that week and Duke HomeCare simply cancelled the remaining week and a half of appointments. Finally, although I was supposed to continue with a home health aide to help with the showering, Duke HomeCare cancelled the home health aide without telling me as well! According to the Duke HomeCare and Hospice list of rights that patients are given when they begin care, patients 'have the right to receive care and services that are adequate and appropriate." According to the company's Resource Guide, the Code of Ethical behavior "serves to inform staff members as to what are acceptable guidelines for ethical conduct for people representing Duke Home Health. We will treat all patients with respect and courtesy." It is evident from my experience that I was not treated with respect and courtesy, nor was I given all the care and services that were appropriate and that were prescribed by my physician. Appointments were cancelled with notifying me, a home health aide was abruptly stopped without notifying me, the occupational therapist brought someone new into my home without notifying me, the occupational therapist did not do all of the required exercises for rehabilitating my shoulder, and Duke HomeCare did not complete the required program of rehabilitation. Duke HomeCare did not meet its contractual obligations. I will be requesting an investigation of this company from the appropriate federal agency. read more

This is an update on my previous review. The next day after Duke Hospice wanted to dismiss my dad because he no longer qualified for hospice services, my dad died at home of cardiac arrest. I called 911 because I had long ago lost faith in calling Duke Hospice. However, the Durham Police Department called hospice, and after several hours, two women whom I had never met arrived at the house. I am not sure what their role was. At first, I thought they were chaplains, but they never offered to pray with me or spoke to me about my spiritual life. They did not offer to help with the funeral service, but a chaplain from the Durham Police Department did, and he served as our chaplain at the funeral. Neither the chaplain, the social worker, nor the nurse who actually met my father when he was alive, none of them called us the day my father died or in the following days. We buried my father the day after Christmas. Now, today January 15th, 25 days after my father passed away, Duke Hospice tasked an intern with calling us to express their concern for our grief! She says they have a support group and that we can reach out to them anytime. All this means is that they have not closed my father's account, and probably, they are still getting money from Medicaid. I think this shoddy group is guilty of Medicaid fraud, and I intend to report them. Please, save yourself some heartaches and never, never hire Duke Hospice. read more

Duke is a large hospital system with busy staff that do the best they can for their patients.

It has taken me almost 6 months to write this because I have been so upset and angry about the entire situation with the death of my spouse. I am using Yelp because it is the only avenue I have for evaluation. My spouse entered into hospice which was upsetting to start with. We had a visit with the nurse and the social worker and I made it known then, even though I was a CRNA with Duke Hospital and my partner was a Program Director for one of the schools in the nursing school at Duke, I did not want to be alone making the decisions on giving meds and ordering equipment for comfort like a suction machine. I had to do all of what I did not want to do. The weather was bad and icey that night so i was told the nurse couldn't get to me. Funny, everyone else came to the house. I had to do all of the physical care in the last hours and decide about the medicines and suction my partner with our youngest daughter holding her hands. All of her family was there but it was left up to me. I was robed of those last moments to spend with the love of my life. When she passed, I wasn't sure I had given her enough pain medicine and her family was upset and has blamed me from that moment on that I did not give her enough medicine and then I gave her too much. It was the worst the experience in my life and her family is still very angry and blames me for her death. I will never understand why Hospice staff are not essential employees. I am an essential employee and when it is bad weather, I still go to work. At Duke! The funeral home was able to get there and transport her! When I got a bill, I called and spoke with a supervisor about how I felt and I NEVER received a response. I can not recommend this Hospice group based on this experience. They put me in a terrible situation because of this which has really delayed my healing. read more

Duke Hospice is a wonderful organization. From the first phone call to the very end of my Dad's life. My Dad was in a poorly ran nursing home and Duke Hospice was extremely professional, supportive and provided excellent care for him. The care my Dad received was more than I could have ever hoped for. I don't know what we would have done without them. The nurse came a least once a week and sometimes two or three times. Twice a week the CNAs came to provide basic care. The Doctor would keep us posted on any changes that occurred..They also provided a volunteer once a week to read to my Dad to give us a needed break. They were absolutely wonderful...God Bless all of you. read more

I am sorry to say my experience with Duke hospice was totally different than the first review. We put my husband in hospice on September 24 and he died on October 20. During that one month a nurse came 3 or 4 times for about 30 minutes each visit. No CNA ever come for assistance. I hired a nurse for the last 4 days. When I needed them the most on two occasions I waited at least 30 minutes for a call back from a nurse. I believe the nurse on call at night should be able to call back almost immediately. During the final evening of his life my husband was in great pain. I called hospice at 8pm and was told to give him .025 of morphine and again in two hours. After one hour and it wasn't working I was told to give me another dose. The nurse promised to call me back in two hours but she never did. The morphine wasn't helping so when I called again I was told KB (who was wonderful) would come from Durham (45 minutes away). He arrive at 2 a.m and increased the morphine to .050 every hour. He stayed for more than one hour to be sure it was working. My husband died at 9a.m. that morning. Hospice was great about sending supplies, more than we could ever use. They also had a clergyman, a social worker and a veteran come to honor his service which was all very nice but we needed nursing help and guidance. KB was here twice during that month and his help and compassion was invaluable. I will always be grateful to him. He represents what I thought hospice would be. I am sorry to post this report but I think it is necessary for people to know about our experience. Carol Anagnos read more