If you are looking at Yelp for guidance about choosing a hospice, you probably are desperately…read moresearching 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.

I knew some people who had used Good Shepard for their family member's home-based hospice care and…read morethey 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.

Very rude front desk staff. Arrived early for a tour and was summarily dismisses by front desk…read morestaff because I did not have the pint of contact. For a purportedly high end location in Chestnut Hill, the attitude was surprisingly hostile.

I was looking for a senior living facility for my aunt in and around Boston. She loves the City and…read morehas many activities. From the moment we walked into Waterstone we knew we were in a special place. The staff are beyond wonderful! Kind and helpful- they went above and beyond. My aunt selected Waterstone at the Circle and the staff made the job of moving in so much easier!!! Any issue, they were there to help. They helped with hanging all the art and with understanding appliances and getting rides to appointments scheduled. The food is better than most restaurants! And the servers are all helpful. I must say that I feel very good about my aunt moving to a place where the entire team is so caring!

Dr. Cheng is an excellent healer. I have been treated by him since 1995 for so many conditions…read more His knowledge and skills are unsurpassed in the field. He explains things in a comprehensive manner so that one can take the lessons to daily living once you leave the office. We are fortunate to have Dr. Cheng in our community.

Dr cheng is the very best ! He's brilliant and kind and conservative in his treatment . He has your…read morebest interest in mind . He will do everything for you to avoid surgery if that's the direction other docs have recommended . As an orthopedic surgeon in China , he has more knowledge about the human body than just an acupuncturist would have . I was referred to him by my acupuncturist when I had a medical crisis . She said he was the best in the field and highly respected by his peers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston . I attribute my recovery from the care I recover from dr Cheng and highly recommend him .

Dr Fallon was thorough and he had a good bedside manner. I was sorry to see him leave to work with…read morethe homeless. If I could have him back as a doctor I would

Dr Fallon is the best doctor I have had in my adult life. I have been going to see him since 2001…read more(I was 26) and he is still my main doctor. Doctor Fallon is a really, really caring person and is a very, very good doctor! His office staff are nice helpful... esp. when your sick and need to see him pronto! During doctor visits and physicals Dr Fallon spends a lot of time talking to you and listening....yes, listening to his patients! haha...no matter how packed his office is everyone gets his 100% attention even when the waiting room is jammed during cold/flu season! It's worth any wait...just in case you were wondering. I don't think he is taking any new patients at this time but since I might be moving back to the west coast soon... I just wanted everyone to know!

I received the worst customer service I've experienced in ages, despite being a customer for many…read moreyears. I spoke to an arrogant, aggressive man who raised his voice in a rude lecture when I asked about the senior discount that is listed in the email they sent me.

Absolutely terrible service and a waste of time. Don't bother making an appointment because they…read morewill not go through with it and ignore you and all your calls. Plus super overpriced for a mass medical card nowadays.