If you are looking at Yelp for guidance about choosing a hospice, you probably are desperately searching while feeling the pressure of the clock ticking. Even though we had the recommendation of our mother's independent living facility, that's how it felt for our family. So, with nothing more than a 10-minute visit from a nurse who acted more as a salesperson, we signed on to Good Shepherd for at-home "care." In retrospect, of all of the regrets I've had in life, this decision tops my list. One of the main reasons we chose the path of hospice at all was because he told us that, instead of needing to call 911 and having our mother end up in the ER, we would be able to pick up the phone and have instant access to a nurse with answers. Instant often turned out to be 35-40 minutes, with callbacks from overworked, beleaguered on-call staff. When we reached out to the nurse/salesperson by email--twice--with concerns, he did not respond. When the nurse we were assigned called to schedule an initial visit, her very first words were that she had 7 other appointments at our mom's independent living facility before she could get to us. The implicit message: get in line. When we met her, she seemed exhausted, not particularly engaged or warm but competent and knowledgeable. As it turned out, she would be the highlight of our experience with GS Hospice. My sister met with a social worker and instructed her about a matter to avoid if she spoke with me. The social worker called me to "check in" and immediately raised the very issue that my sister told her to avoid. It happens that another family at our mom's independent living facility and whose own mother was also in GS Hospice care had the same social worker. Before we said a word, they described the social worker this way: "She's 12," referring to her emotional age and maturity. The social worker cheerfully called my sister later to check in, oblivious to her mistake. When my sister reminded her, the social worker burst into tears. It gets worse: When we brought these and other concerns to the CEO of the hospice, he was dismissive and defensive, suggesting that these criticisms were clouded by grief. In other words, people who are grieving aren't capable of making rational observations, a condescending and, in this case, self-serving response. GS Hospice provides the services of a grief counselor for the family. Ours called me twice. Each time, I told her I was not interested in grief counseling but the second time, I offered to provide feedback about the experience our family was having with the Hospice and revealed to her that we were planning to take our concerns to the board. The next day, the CEO wrote to my brother trying to dissuade us from contacting the board. Clearly, this counselor went to her boss and disclosed a conversation which should have been held confidential by the standards of every mental health profession. We elevated our concerns to the board. We told them we were not interested in condolences or apologies and had no interest in litigation--that our goal was simply to make sure other families did not endure the same experience. Initially, we received what seemed to be an appropriate reply that suggested they would investigate. We offered the board to call us with any questions. They never did. Instead, we received a carefully crafted reply clearly written by their lawyers absolving themselves of any responsibility. Initially, our assumption with their staff was that they had plenty of caring, compassionate, professionals and that we had simply drawn the short straw. GS Hospice is a large organization but we had naively assumed that as a nonprofit with a long history, they would be patient and family centered. Instead, they turned out to be more like their hedge-fund owned competitors: understaffed, relying on inexperienced practitioners, and responding to concerns from a legal rather than ethical perspective. No large organization is going to have a perfect staff but when leadership is lacking, the problems become systemic and the agency becomes dysfunctional, the outcome for us with GS Hospice. It cost us profoundly in the care of our mother and compounded a family crisis that comes with such a profound loss. read more

I knew some people who had used Good Shepard for their family member's home-based hospice care and they all praised the organization and expressed gratitude. So when my husband needed hospice care, I turned to Good Shepard. I expected that as a non-profit organization that their resources would be fully focused on caring for the patient and the family. My son (who took intermittent family leave) and I provided all the hands on care for my husband under the guidance of the hospice nurses. My husband told me that talking to his hospice nurse and her oversight made him feel less anxious. And he was very relieved that his pain/discomfort was managed so well. He had an assigned primary nurse M-F and weekend nurses visited as needed. We had frequent visits in the last few weeks. All our calls when things were difficult in the night were managed quickly and well. I highly recommend Good Shepard to other patients and families. read more

Extraordinary, supportive care in the home. Got us a hospital bed & a transport chair. Wonderful nurse! Brought great peace of mind. And you didn't feel that, in their wish to " not prolong suffering," they were "expediting" the process - which I know is done by some hospice care providers. read more

STAY AWAY!! Their social worker, Eleanor M. (at the time), older than my husband, asked within a few minutes of entering our home: "So, what are you going to do with your body?" My husband kept his composure, saying, "I'm being cremated." Then this horrible woman literally chirped happily, "I have a list of cheap crematoriums!!" I found my husband on the bed crying the next day. When I told the management, they said that they had to ask the question. I said, "What do you think, I'm going to throw him in the back yard?" And, even if that is true, they could have asked me--not making a suffering, dying man cry. One of their nurses (Carmen: first thing she said to us upon introduction: "I'm a very good nurse."), counting oxycodone on our table, dropped some pills on the floor and freaked out. I said, "What is the matter?" She said that if my dog ate one of the pills that she would die. My husband and my dog dying? I never looked at her again in the eyes. Even worse, when my husband went downhill suddenly NO ONE CAME!! It was near Christmas, but who cares? They should have staff on call. I called on Friday afternoon and even after yelling at the top of my voice to the owner, no one came until 2 a.m. on Sunday. These places are not overseen by anyone. I made a complaint, but nothing was done, and it is interesting that shortly after these incidences they changed their name. They took my review down, which is interesting. Also, my husband was able to get into a hospice HOUSE for the last 1 1/2 days of his life. SHAME ON THEM for putting up (most likely) reviews from their friends and all the HELL they put us through and that they only post reviews here and do not let reviews open on other platforms at all. read more

We had been doing unofficial hospice/palliative care on our own. When it became too painful to continue as this, Good Shepherd came into our home and provided superb clinical and emotional support. It was so peaceful for my mom and us, even at this time of incredible sadness and pain. The needs of my mom and our's were so well taken care of by the kindness, compassion and skill of the team, from the nurses (primary and after-hours) our social worker and and the reception staff. We felt very wrapped in care. Thank you. read more

When you take excellent care of your employees they take exceptional care of the clients. Good Shepherd Community Care treats every employee with respect and care. The care provided by the team is unmatched. No other hospice could compare to the heart of this company read more

Five stars does not do this place justice. They are all angels here. Unbelievable care. The food is good, the attention to detail is very strong, communication skills are great, the facility itself is very nice. Its all just a warm, caring, peaceful environment. I can't say enough about this establishment and the people who work and volunteer there. I promise -- you won't be sorry. read more