My mom passed away at Transitions. Everyone we worked with was kind and compassionate. Volunteers…read morecame in with a dog, to sing, and one even offered a Reiki session, which was something my mom had offered to others years ago. My mom's passing was gentle and peaceful. The staff was kind and respectful.

What I've come to understand about hospice orgs is that they seem to attract nurses who may be…read moreburned out from other jobs. This results in transactional care, checking off boxes to comply with Medicare but a lack of genuine compassion for the patient. (hospice enrollment recommendations below) Hospice affords more normal hours than working at a hospital. However, the trade off is probably that the nurses may have to drive 100 miles a day all over the county to serve patients. It's a crap shoot when it comes to the nurse case manager (weekly nurse) you get based on when you enroll in hospice care. And it's a crap shoot for the nurses too, who gets assigned to them. (see #4 below) Transitions was recommended to me by someone I trusted. I didn't know what I didn't know but my initial instinct during the first transaction with the intake nurse seemed off to me. She didn't listen, was not paying attention to what I said (about my Mom's care needs) and not educating us on how we should be looking at the whole hospice experience, especially medication management. We lasted a month and a half before I went to another company. The whole point of hospice is having continuity of care. The nurse case manager kept scheduling other nurses to come in her place which consequently caused us to have to orient a new nurse almost every week. Recommendations for Hospice Enrollment and Ongoing Management 1) Trust your instincts if your first interactions with the hospice org aren't stellar. Unless your family member is very close to death you probably have time to interview another company. 2) How medication is administration is explained and distributed (by mail or pharmacy pick up) is critical. 3) Understand that the first several intake people who call or visit may not be the regular providers you will be seeing. They have to check boxes for Medicare so they may only be marginally helpful. 4) The Clinical Manager who manages schedules and nurse performance is THE most critical role in the process. This person MUST be a great problem-solver, compassionate, caring, understanding and a good listener. Spend time up front describing your loved one's personality, likes and dislikes to hopefully get the best match possible nurse case manager (weekly nurse). 5) Once you get through the initial process, if you don't like the hospice care you're getting it's fairly easy to transition to another company (assuming you have POA for your loved one). 6) Make sure your POA and Healthcare POA are updated. If you had documents drafted years ago, they may not be specific enough for today's requirements. 7) If you have a life alert system you can give the hospice company number to the life alert system company so 9-1-1 won't get called in an emergency. 8) LPN's have more authority with medications than RN's but Medicare requires RN's to visit at least once every other week. 9) Hospice nurses understand that the closer to the end of life someone is, the less interested in eating they will be. Also, people at the end of life will sleep more. So keep track of eating and sleeping because the nurses will be most interested in that in addition to pain management. 10) Document changes in health in advance of nurse visits even if it's jotting small notes on a calendar because over time all the days blend together.

Quality Care - Compassionate Caregivers - High integrity company…read more We used Homewerks for one of our family members and can personally attest to the high quality care and compassion provided by Paula and her team. Similarly, we have referred them to many of our friends and business colleagues who consistently give Paula and her team rave reviews. Paula started the company after caring for one of her own family members so she approaches each case at Homewerks with the understanding and personal experience of what it means to have someone warm, competent and trustworthy at the person's side. While we are supporters of the quality care provided by Homewerks, we also cannot say enough about Paula and Tom as individuals - high quality people with unquestionable integrity.

I have immeasurable gratitude for the team at HomeWerks. 24-Hour in home care for my Mother, who's…read moremental health was progressively deteriorating from dementia, was accompanied by a lot of challenges as well as several emergencies. However, Paula and her team stepped up 7-days a week & at all hours of the days/nights. The caregivers always communicated with me and treated my mother with dignity & respect, even in the most difficult of circumstances. And, when I needed medical guidance, along with some personal support, Paula rose to the occasion often speaking with me late at night and on weekends and she always placed a follow up call to see how things were going- - even after my mom made the transition to full time memory care. If you are looking to find an extended family for your loved one/s, look no more. Have the utmost confidence in choosing HomeWerks

This place is disgusting. I was welcomed here by stained sheets and a cockroach on the ceiling…read more The staff is rude and unpleasant. I would say 25% are nice. I suffered an anaphylactic reaction while I was here. 6 nursing professionals stood there and did nothing. I had a breathing machine right beside my bad which was never used. I was never given a shot of epinephrine. I had to call 911 myself, despite the fact that I could hardly speak. When my roommate told the nurse's aide that, she said, "Why?". The staff enjoys standing outside patient rooms talking about how much they hate their jobs. This morning I have been waiting headache medicine for 2.5 hours. I can't wait to get out of here.

One female doctor and theNurses were Great, except for one; CNA were good but spread too thin, some…read morebecame invisible at night, PT/OT were good. There food was terrible, forget it if you have special needs like IBS etc, I lost 20 lbs. in one month. If your love one needs care Do Not Put them HERE.

I believe this will be a good fit for my dad. I was discouraged at first, but the administrator…read morejumped right in and did everything to help me.

The facility is grossly understaffed and lacks motivation to provide quality care to its patients…read more Please avoid this facility if possible.

I have been working as a registered nurse for Home Instead for 5 years, and I can genuinely say…read morethat this has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I have worked in hospital and outpatient settings, but Home Instead stands out because of its heart-centered approach to caregiving. The training and resources provided have been excellent. Whether it's new developments in dementia care or fall prevention strategies, we're always learning and improving. As a nurse, that kind of ongoing professional support is invaluable. If you're a family looking for compassionate, reliable care for a loved one, or a healthcare professional looking for a fulfilling career path, I wholeheartedly recommend Home Instead. They've created something truly special.

I feel it is my duty to let the public know that the Home Instead Senior Care service in Durham is…read morethe worst service to use!! We used this service to have help caring for our mother who had dementia. We assumed Home Instead would use strict protocols in this time of Covid-19 especially since the people they serve are all elderly and vulnerable. The care giver came into my mother's home not wearing a mask - 2 days later we were told the caregiver had tested positive with Covid. Our mother got covid as a result and died 3 weeks later. Please if you cherish your loved one DO NOT use this place - they do not enforce any safety guidelines to their employees at all!!!!

This home flat out stole from my grandmother and was physically abused by both Med Techs and Aids…read more When we initially toured the place a few months ago the management sold a complete, blatant LIE. We were told that residents would be given one-on-one care and attention, like hair brushing, etc. Yeah, right... Aids don't even talk to residents, let alone stimulate them. Let's start with the fact that no one wears a name tag so that they cannot be identified by patients. They assume that everyone is suffering from dementia and can no longer read. They have ZERO CARE for any patient. Pain medication isn't administered when it should be, med techs have horrible attitudes and sit in the beauty parlor talking to one another rather than paying attention to family members asking medication to be administered (took over an hour for someone to come, and we were met with a literal "what do you want?"), food is taken away from residents when they don't eat, rather than coaxing attempts to help them eat. My grandmother's diamond and emerald ring was stole right off her finger, and when we were shocked and asked where it was we were told "oh, well because the residents are demented they often give their things away." The ring was tight on her finger and she would have never, ever, taken it off. We know that a med tech stole it right off her person. The attitude of everyone working there disgusts me. Since residents are mostly demented they treat them like absolute garbage. It's true abuse, and we will be riding a complaint all the way to the county and beyond. My grandmother's hospice nurse came the day after she was removed and was shocked at how much her demeanor Do not send your loved one here. It is a true hell hole and should be shut down. Disgusting.

a family member of a resident at Seasons At Southpoint writes..."Please share with your staff...The…read morehospital was very impressed and happy with the med report which was sent with the paramedics [from Seasons At Southpoint]. Having [written down] the times that the meds had been given was so helpful. They [the hospital] loved that format. Loved the fact that the DNR was sent so they had it for her charts. The doctor was very pleased with the care plan to introduce one med and reduce another. Thanks, Robin Barbour"