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.

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.

If I could give zero stars, I would. The nursing home in Dedham basically keeps the patients fed…read moreand clothed. Beyond that, forget it. The patients are slumped over in their wheelchairs in front of a TV. You ask for something, and the response 90% of the time is "I'm busy". The place serves as a hospital only when in it's in their best interests. In a nutshell, it's one big corporation. Horrible.

my friend told me i was in th best rehab in the country. it must have changed since she was there…read more my friends sent me flowers. they were beautiful but not one had a name on it when it was delivered.i had no idea who they were from.iasked and asked for help finding who had sent the flowere but no one cared to help me.it still bothers me. the aides were cranky. they seemed over worked and under paid. actually the aides that were men seemed less tired and they were not cranky at all

The building was so run down and uncared for. All we saw were a lot of bodies parked up against…read morethe TV -- outside area had no cover. No one was out there but if they were they would burn to death. It looked awful. Just awful and SO expensive! $17k a month take your LO to rot like a vegetable. Please. Just shout this place down.

I read these midling reviews here and on google maps, but this was the best place/option at the…read moretime for my father when he was released. This facility will literally will put your loved one at risk. My father was rushed to the ER after I found him slumped over in a chair. His room was next to the nursing station. I asked the nurse simple questions like has a doctor made his rounds today and seen my father and did he eat his breakfast. The nurse would not answer these questions directly, forcing me to ask them repeatedly until she admitted she did not know the answers and would have to get back to me. I then asked for assistance for my father. Two people came to check on my father including the doctor. It was not until the 3RD person came in and they took his vitals. It was a dire situation and he desperately needed O2. Thankfully they relented and called the ambulance. During this difficult time, the nurse who I asked the simple questions reported me to the administration. Jeremy, some sort of nursing supervisor, entered my room (while my father was in distress) and accused me of threatening behavior, which he could not articulate. He then threatened to call the POLICE to have my arrested. LOL Guys, these guys are unprofessional clowns. If you have a loved one who you care about, do not send them here. If you have someone you are trying to get rid of or possibly punish, this is your place.

My Dad was placed under their care for a month in December of 2023 and they were very…read moreaccommodating. The facility was clean and the meals served were delicious. The staff and nurses were very helpful and kind. The staff truly cares about the residents. I am very grateful for their care for my Dad and would recommend Sudbury Pines to family and friends.

My mom has been a long term resident here for years and I can't even begin to tell you how grateful…read moreI am for the caring staff and administration! They have annual picnics and Christmas parties- the staff really do care about the residents and I couldn't be happier with the care they provide. My mom has been wheelchair bound with dementia for years and she has no skin issues- which is a pretty amazing accomplishment . The nursing, kitchen, rehab and housekeeping staff as well as administration really puts their all into the patients, and I am a tough customer being an RN. This is a great facility.

My brother is at pine knoll nursing home. The five stars is for Ronnie. He is my brother's…read morecaregiver. I met Ronnie and I can see why my brother is happy with him. He is very attentive and caring. My brother is blind so he needs extra care. There's another woman named Mary, she gave us access to the outdoor patio which was really helpful for us so he could get some exercise. I appreciate the staff keeping an eye on my brother even though they are not used to dealing with blind people. They always make sure to keep him clean and as well as his room. Thank you very much for all you're doing for him

For the good part...the first few months of a family member's stay, this place was acceptable. it's…read morevery clean, tidy and kept up. The grounds are meticulously cared for. The housekeeping staff does a great job and are very friendly. Especially Trish. She's very pleasant and social. Always striking up a conversation with our family member. She kept our family members private room clean at all times. The activities team, Valerie and Stacey go out of their way to make sure residents participate and have a good time. They also are very friendly and personable.I was very impressed with them. Chris the maintenance guy is very prompt when something needs attention. Also a very nice guy. Bob, the project manager, I believe, also very caring and understanding. One time He went out of his way to bring our family member to an eye appointment when transport and family members couldn't. Now the not so good. I won't name any names, but will mention their title. The nursing coordinator was fairly nice for first few months. But when our family member left his medical appointment in Boston (not a good choice to do) before his transport arrived, she turned not so nice. It's understandable of her concern and her duty to be sure residents are always safe. But we feel he was being continuously penalized for his wrong doing. The day after this incident (he went missing for several hours) she put him in a cramped room Way down the other end of the hall. She said it was for his safety sake because his private room was too small for him..that made no sense because the room they transferred him to, had 2 beds, one not being used, and just about the same size as his private room. Also, she would not allow him to venture out for a day with his sister, who did it weekly Up until this incident. She claimed he was an escape risk. He spent his Father's Day in the facility. This was his first Father's Day without his daughter, who had passed a few months earlier. His sister planned on a family day for him at her home, to help him from the pain of not having his daughter on this special day. This shows NO COMPASSION.also, She would not allow him to use transport for his medical appointments, even tho a family member would be meeting him when transport would arrive at the appointment. This is something that has been done since his admission here. A few times she raised her voice at his sister, when discussing certain matters. This is very unprofessional. The social worker is extremely condescending. She lacks people skills. And shows no empathy. I've dealt with many social workers, With my profession, so I am familiar with thier roles and the manners they should have. This one lacks manners. If she hadn't continued telling us and our family member that "he is his own person and can make his own decisions", he probably wouldn't have decided to leave his appointment before transport came and got lost in Boston! There have been several disagreements between her and our family members sister. She had an obvious dislike for his sister. one one of his final days there, Our family member's sister was sitting on the spare bed going through her phone while the doctor was behind curtains, tending to his wounds. he came from behind the curtain to discuss his condition, when all of a sudden He started saying she was unethical in recording him! She told him she was not recording him and was just checking her messages while she was waiting. she showed him her phone. He left our family member, without covering his wound and went to get the nursing coordinator, who then came into the room and scolded his sister, like a child. somehow the social worker became involved and refused to hear the whole story. His wound was not properly dressed until later that day. The next couple of days, our family member kept complaining of pain around his wound and was not feeling well in general. He asked to be transported to the closest hospital. I'm not sure who, but he was told he was fine and that he didn't need to go. 2 days later, his sister went to visit him and immediately saw that he had a fever and looked very I'll. He needed to go to an emergency room. She took him there herself. But before being able to leave the building, the nurse coordinator stepped in and made things difficult, wasting the time he should have been at the hospital. At the emergency room, it was determined he had a seriously bad infection, his wound was a stage 3 wound (stage 4 is the worst) and he could have died if he was not seen when he was. Needless to say, we removed him from Pine Knoll.

Our dad spent about six months at this nursing home, and our family is truly grateful for the care…read morehe received. The facility was always very clean, which gave us additional peace of mind. From the very beginning, the staff were attentive, kind, and genuinely caring. One of our biggest concerns was the language barrier, but the team went above and beyond to make sure he was comfortable and understood. They showed so much patience and compassion in the way they communicated with him and cared for his needs. We appreciate the warmth and respect they showed him every day, and we're very thankful for everything they did.

My mom has been in good and awful rehab facilities, and this is the very best. She has nurses and…read morePTs and other caregivers visiting her many times of the day and night. They all know her and are on top of what meds she takes and what type of support she needs. I've had lengthy discussions with her nurses, who are easy to find and extremely knowledgeable about her. The food is good, she has opportunities for socialization at meal times, and when she presses the nurse call button a nurse responds right away. Honestly, I don't know what more I could ask for.

This is a long review but hope that it will provide some balanced info as you consider your…read moreoptions. Our loved one was a long-time resident of Goddard House (GH). They entered as an alert and mobile resident. GH promises "you can age in place" but our loved one was forced out as they required more care in spite of the fact that fellow residents were wheel chair restricted and required all sorts of care. Our family was willing to provide 24/7 private care but still we were told we had to leave. GH is a non-profit with volunteer board that is supposed to oversee the organization. There are no terms of office for these trustees; they serve year after year, including the board chair who hired a for-profit management company, SLR which brought tensions. SLR yanked long-standing, resident-focused policies such as financial rent assistance if family paid in full for three years. Policy is gone. However, the board chair requested the admission of at least one resident with full financial assistance at the outset because this person was a friend of hers. There were four changes of Executive Director in the time we were there and at least as much as head chef in the kitchen and head of resident care/nursing. I do not believe there is an R.N. on staff. The facility is outdated. Several bathroom resident falls occurred due to outdated bathroom design. Apartment bathrooms are being updated now as residents vacate but it does not help families whose loved ones fell. Additionally, carpets on 2nd and 3rd floors are original to construction! Yet, the board sits on a hefty quasi-endowment and does nothing. Lastly, the organization was slow to respond to a gastrointestinal virus that initiated in their kitchen and spread throughout the community. Goddard is terrific for a resident who is independent, mobile and requires little care. Brookline is a great location because of its proximity to academic medicine, but if your loved one requires additional care as they age, you may need to leave GH or you might be one of the fortunate ones to be allowed to stay.

I came to visit my mother. She likes all The interesting activities and generous care. It's very…read moreprofessional establishment and I like the chicken coop in the back.

Carmel Terrace Assisted Living's tag line is "The difference is love." The residents are treated…read morelike gold. The building is immaculate. It is all based on the needs of each individual. While it is owned by the Carmelites, all Faiths are welcome. Great care, wonderful programs. If you are looking for a caring place for yourself or a loved one in the Framingham area , check out Carmel Terrace. And by the way, you'd be very impressed with how they have handled the pandemic!

Incredible service from start to finish. The staff was wonderful and always helpful. The setting…read morewas lovely. I can't say enough about this place.