My grandmother, recently died alone at the Loretto Home in Rutland, Vermont, despite the fact she…read morewas under Bayada Hospice care and family members had been allowed to visit two weeks prior when it was determined that she was "actively dying." During that time, we took all COVID-19 precautions. My sister Linda and her best friend Denise (who has elder-care experience and always visited together) fed her and soothed her with their daily visits. My son sat by her bedside and listened to her reminiscing with stories of long ago. She had a very sound and clear mind, but her body was worn out after 100 years. A staff member at the Loretto Home had told my grandmother and me that they were an assisted living home and did not have the experience or time to meet Nanny's level of care. She went on to say they were short-staffed, and they didn't have the time to hand feed her or assist her with getting dressed. She also said nanny's needs took time away from other residents. Can you imagine hearing your grandmother say that to you when she is in the greatest need of her life. It broke my heart, but she was so afraid of being moved to an unfamiliar place that she demanded that I not say anything. She said she would pay if there were a complaint and she needed so much help. There was NO call button in her room and at this time she was unable to get up unaided to use the commode. She would sit there having to go until someone walked by (she was the last room in the hallway). We wanted to move her to a more appropriate facility, and we brought this up to Erin and others but our requests feel on deaf ears. Often, the home would bring her meals intended for someone in much better condition (i.e.: meatloaf, sandwiches, etc.; things she couldn't possibly eat). She preferred chicken soup, with bread and butter (soaked in the soup), vanilla pudding, and milkshakes. She couldn't even pick up her own water glass to take a sip. So, Linda and Denise devoted hours a day to help keep her hydrated and fed. Upon their arrival, Nanny would often claim that she was starving! The girls would feed her, and she would eat and eat spoonful after spoonful. Her mini refrigerator was full of covered plates that hadn't been touched Unfortunately, the administrator at the Loretto Home (and a staff member or two) got upset with my sister for being overly doting and somewhat emotional. They didn't appreciate that Linda would ask for soup or milkshakes. I think it was the administrator that found this request over the top. One day when my sister went in, Nanny said she was starving and wanted her special meal. A hospice nurse heard the request and, on her way, out of the building told the staff that Nanny wanted soup. That was at 1:00 p.m. In preparation for her lunch, nanny asked for her teeth that had all of the sudden "disappeared." They were always kept soaking by the sink, but they were nowhere to be found. The girls searched everywhere including Nanny's mouth and her bed. They were not in that room. She was very upset, and Linda tried to call the nurse's line several times, but they did not answer (it is my experience that they answer 99% of the time). My sister and Denise were very upset and asked an aid (who was down the hall) to help them look for the "missing" teeth. With Nanny not being fed, and her teeth missing, the girls overstayed their -one-hour time limitation. They were told not to leave the room so they felt trapped. It was said later on that Nanny's teeth were found in her bed. Her teeth had to be removed by staff as she could no longer take out her own teeth as the fit was quite tight. Why would the staff put them in her bed? It is my firm belief that this was set up by the administrator to give her a reason to terminate visitation. She knew that Linda and Denise would be worried that Nanny was hungry and so the teeth were purposely removed from the room and the request for soup was refused. Sure enough, Erin came down to Nanny's room and escorted my sister & Denise out of the building with no explanation and we were notified 30 minutes later that our family was banned from coming to the home (inside or out) and Nanny was no longer available to talk to us when we phoned. Her claim was that my grandmother had rallied and was no longer "actively dying" yet hospice continued to treat her as their patient, and she had a patch on her neck used at the end of life to dry secretions in the lungs. I asked that it be removed as she was so dehydrated that her eyes were glued shut and required lots of warm compresses and eye drops to allow her to open them. When we would call and ask to talk with her on speaker, the staff would say they were afraid of "getting in trouble by their boss" and you could hear the panic in their voices. Since I live out of state, I wasn't able to be there in person on a day-to-day basis. I played a big part throughout my Nanny's life. To be continued below.

(Continued from Lisa D's earlier review.. Yelp has a maximum word limit. ) Once she took a…read moreturn for the worst (as witness firsthand when I saw her on June 18- th 20th) I called daily, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. In response to the situation to our family being banned, I contacted Erin's boss and she contacted the executive director. We had a Zoom meeting with Erin and despite the fact that it was determined (and put in writing) that we could go in once a week (Tuesday-Thursday) for one hour, Erin made sure that was not a reality as she claimed my grandmother was not up for visitors. We will never know if that was true or not as we were never allowed to talk to her again. It was also stated that once she was "actively dying" we could visit.  I called the administrator at Loretto Home Wednesday morning, July 22nd, @ 10:30 a.m. and had to leave a voice message. I asked to have the phone put to nanny's ear so I could hear her voice.  I have determined from the staff that this was before they began giving my nanny the heavy-duty pain medication (morphine) every 2-hours, that would ultimately take her life. The administrator waited until after Nanny became unresponsive to return my call. She returned my call at 4 p.m. She was overly polite and supportive which raised red flags that something wasn't right as this woman is typically cold, unfriendly and uncaring. She said nanny was sleeping and she would have her staff call me when she woke up so we could chat. I politely thanked her, and she said," No problem; it's my absolute pleasure! "She made sure we would never hear Nanny's voice again.  I called to check on her the next day and was given a benign update, "She's quiet and sleeping." The shock of all shockers was not even being notified of her death; she died on July 23, 2020, at 8:30 p.m. Sadly, the family only learned of my grandmother's passing when my sister Laura (from VA) called to check on her on Friday. An empathetic staff member was quiet and hesitantly said, "I'm so sorry that you weren't notified. Your grandmother passed away yesterday evening." Imagine finding out we lost our grandmother this way. Ironically, Bayada Hospice called to ask me if I needed any help with bereavement. WHAT?? They, too, had never even called to say she died. The hospice nurse was contacted after her death, so even they were not with my dying grandmother. Bayada had called me at least 10 times in the past month and suddenly...nothing. We are broken-hearted by the loss of my grandmother and my family is disgruntled and shocked by this unprofessional behaviors and actions. No one should ever die alone! I consider this horrific, and the coldness and lack of empathy speaks volumes about this organization and its chief administrator. Pure evil is the only way to describe this.  My grandmother had a POA, her best friend's and first cousin's daughter. My sisters and I did not know this side of the family, so they were basically strangers to us. In January this woman turned over the POA (as a result of failing health) to her personal attorney who never reached out to our family. She too, liked to control everything in my nanny's life. She did not like that nanny's doctor called me personally to talk (as advised by my nanny), or the fact that hospice, as a result of nanny's request, called me on a daily basis for the first few weeks. When we talked, she would say, "Why are they calling YOU?" She seemed upset that Nanny wanted her family to be involved. And if you're wondering why my grandmother had her as her POA, my grandmother and my mother were not close and nanny's choice to get a POA was a result of that riff.  It appears that the POA allowed his client to act as the gate keeper . She joined forces with Erin which ultimately led to my grandmother dying alone, in a room without any family by her side to comfort her.  This woman is also the executor which again leaves us puzzled as to why her and her attorney did not appear to have my grandmother's best interest in mind. This woman was not able to visit my grandmother and never heard her pleas for food and water. "I'm starving and I am so thirsty". She will never know the true situation as she was too busy "being in charge". Hard to believe my grandmother considered this woman her friend.  It is a shame that such great and caring staff are intimidated by this administrator. Most seemed as heartbroken as we are and were uncomfortable to be put in a very difficult position. They were/are so afraid of losing their jobs yet struggle following protocols as directed by Erin that they know is cruel and unreasonable.  I am afraid to name the amazing staff that helped us so much as I know there will be payback on their end. I know they are mourning nanny's passing as they were very close to her as she had lived there for the past seven years.

My loved one has been living at Rutland Healthcare and has received consistently good care and we…read morehave had great communication with the staff.

I'm having to be present far too often to feel comfortable my family member is ok. I get frequent…read moreassurances that simple, reasonable requests are actually simple. But with an uncanny frequency I'm hearing that each request requires "activities," some department that seems to exist only as a voice on an answering machine, to do something impossible. Recently, when an endless stream of announcements of winners of some contest were being yelled into the PA system, staff told me they couldn't request the volume ne kept to a reasonable level bc that was management. Ridiculous! So I made a call to fix a problem mgmt was causing for all employees, families & visitors bc staff leadership couldn't find their way thru to pick up a phone. I'm not impressed by management policy nor nursing leadership on the floor, although most front line staff are personable & caring. I've only witnessed a few CNAs being less than respectful.

Bayada began working with my grandmother at the Loretto Home, in June of 2020, in Rutland, VT. Her…read moredoctor and I decided that hospice was necessary as a way to give Nanny the support she needed as she lived in an assisted living home that didn't offer the level of care my grandmother needed at this time. They were in contact with me daily (sometimes more than once). They assured me that I would be notified when she was "actively dying" as I had to travel 300 miles to get to her. A diagnosis of an "actively dying" patient allows family members to go into Assisted Living homes during Covid-19. Despite having a built a trusting relationship with them (director, social worker, and nurses) they never notified our family when my grandmother was "actively dying" and ultimately, she died alone without Bayada or any family members present. They never called me/us when she died. We learned she died when we called the Loretto Home (which we did several times daily) to check in on her. They did call to offer bereavement services yet never let us know she had passed. I consider this very unprofessional and unorganized. Hospice services are intended to make the patient comfortable and support family members. We felt many things, supported was not one of them.

From the owner: BAYADA Home Health Care in Rutland, VT provides the short-term care you or your loved one needs due…read moreto a health condition, or following a hospital stay for illness, injury, or surgery. Our multidisciplinary team of clinicians can manage a wide variety of needs, diagnoses, and chronic conditions. Our typical care consists of approximately one-hour visits with a specially trained nurse, physical, occupational, or speech therapist, all in the comfort of your home.