Hospice of North Alabama, LLC

Gramma Giraffe

Everyone we have come in contact with at Hospice of North Alabama have each been absolutely wonderful, caring, and loving people. Their care of my husband is exemplary. We just cannot say enough about these dedicated people and the help and care they so willingly give. We regularly get visits from nurses, a nurse practitioner, social worker and a chaplain if desired. We truly feel like they are part of our family!

CONCERNED CLIENT

We used Hospice of North Alabama. My mom had a massive stroke and was in Crestwood Hospital. Crestwood Hospital seems to push this particular Hospice Company. But Let me say Carissa is certainly a salesperson or the front man for this company and she is really good at her Job! My mom was in the hospital for 4 weeks and 2 days before we finally brought her home with hospice. She was up and down each week. She finally lost her ability to swallow without aspirating into her lungs. I brought her home on a Tuesday night. A gentlemen showed up from hospice that night. I was told that my nurse that they would be using had the Flu. They sent a nurse the very next morning she came out did all the vitals and checked my mom. My mom was alert and was doing great at this point. She asked me for a " RED FOLDER" that obviously contained information that I needed to now about. I told her the guy that came by the night before was supposed to have given it to her for her to give to us that morning. This Folder Contained all the information that I was supposed to keep up with mothers condition over the next days with and all the information about all the drugs that were to be administered and all the signs I was to look for or recognize so I would know what was going on with my mom. I NEVER RECEIVED THIS RED FOLDER AND I WAS WINGING IT WITH MY MOTHER THE WHOLE TIME. THE NURSES THAT CAME WHEN THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO COME WERE VERY NICE AND MY MOM LOVED THE TECH. OR THE LADY THAT CAME TO BATH HER AND WASHED HER HAIR, SHE WAS GREAT!! WHAT I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IS THAT WE HAD 3-DIFFERENT NURSES AND THAT I NEVER RECIEVED THIS FOLDER THAT CONTAINED THE INFORMATION THAT I NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO NOTICE THE CONDITIONS AND CHANGES TO KEEP UP WITH IN MY MOTHER. THE FOLLOWING MONDAY THEY SHOWED UP AND MOTHER WAS STILL DOING WELL. IT LIGHTLY SNOWED ON THE NEXT DAY AND OF COURSE THEY ONLY COME EVERY OTHER DAY UNLESS YOU NEED THEM. WELL BY LUNCH TIME ON WEDNESDAY THE SNOW AND ICE HAD CLEARED AWAY AND MY MOM HAD TAKEN A TURN FOR THE WORSE ON THE TUESDAY AND WAS QUITE AND NOT TALKING OR TAKING ANY FLUIDS. HOSPICE DID NOT SHOW UP ON WEDNESDAY LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE. I CALLED AND THE NURSE SAID SHE WOULD BE OUT THE NEXT DAY WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN THURSDAY. NOW I WENT WITHOUT A HOSPICE NURSE FROM MONDAY AND NOBODY SHOWED UP ON THURSDAY AS WELL. I CALLED AT 5'OCLOCK ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND ASKED WHY NO ONE SHOWED UP AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD BE THERE FIRST THING FRIDAY MORNING. I TOLD THEM NO THAT I NEEDED THEM NOW AND SOMEONE WAS SUPPOSED TO COME BY ON WEDNESDAY AND DIDNT COME AND SAID THEY WOULD BE THERE THURSDAY DEFINATELY. THE NURSE TOLD ME SHE WOULD NOT BE COMING AND TOLD ME I COULD CALL THE NURSE ON CALL. MY MOM WAS NOT BREATHING RIGHT OR TALKING AND SHE HAD EMPTIED HER BOWELS OUT 3 TIMES ON WEDNESDAY. IF I HAD THAT RED FOLDER OR SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME SHE WAS ALREADY SHUTTING DOWN. BUT I DIDNOT KNOW THIS AT THE TIME BECAUSE NO ONE CAME BY TO CHECK ON HER!!! FINALLLY THE NURSE ON CALL SHOWS UP AT ABOUT 7:20 AFTER CALLING HER AT FIVE OCLOCK. SHE COMES IN AND TAKES HER VITALS AND SAYS OH! SHES STARTING HER DEATH RATTLE AND SHES GETTING VERY CLOSE!!! I HAD TO LEAVE AND GO TO THE PHARMACY AS IT WAS ABOUT TO CLOSE AS I GOT THERE TO GET THE EYE DROPS TO HELP RELEAVE THE CONGESTION IN THE BACK OF THE THROAT TO HELP WITH THIS DEATH RATTLE!!! THAT I HAD NEVER HEARD OF. MAYBE IF I HAD THAT RED FOLDER OR A NURSE WOULD HAVE SHOWN UP I MIGHT HAVE KNOW THE SIGNS TO LOOK FOR!!!! SHE BEGAN TO GIVE HER MORPHINE UNDER THE TONGUE AND THE EYE DROPS AND TOLD ME TO ADMINISTER THE MORPHINE DROPS EVERY HOUR. THIS WAS ALL AROUND 8:00 AT NIGHT. SHE LEFT AROUND 8:30, WHEN SHE SAID SHE WAS CLOSE OFCOURSE I HAD NO CLUE HOW CLOSE, BUT SHE LEFT. I REMAINED BY MYSELF THE REST OF THE NIGHT ADMINISTERING MORPHINE EVERY HOUR ALONG WITH THESE EYE DROPS EVERY FEW HOURS OR AS NEEDED. I ALSO HAD LORAZPAM BUT WAS NOT TOLD TO USE IT. I LATER READ ONLINE THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVING TO MY MOTHER TO EASE HER ANXIETY WHEN SHE WAS UNABLE TO BREATH!!!! ONCE AGAIN NO ONE TOLD ME OF THIS BECAUSE NO ONE WAS THERE WITH ME. AT 4:OO IN THE MORNING MY MOTHER WAS GASPING FOR BREATH AND I WAS STILL DOING ALL THE MEDICATIOINS. BUT AT THIS TIME I SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVING HER MORPHINE EVERY 15 MINUTES AS I LATER READ ON LINE BECAUSE NO ONE FROM THIS COMPANY TOLD ME TO DO THAT. I CALLED THEM AT 4:00 IN THE MORNING AND I TOLD THEM SHE WAS GASPING FOR BREATH AND I NEEDED SOMEONE TO COME OUT. THEY SAID THE REGULAR NURSE WOULD BE THERE IN THE MORNING. NO ONE CAME WHEN I NEEDED THEM!!!! I KEPT GIVING THE MEDICATIONS AS MY MOTHER LAY THERE GASPING FOR BREATH AND NOW ONE THERE WITH ME TO GUIDE ME THROUGH THIS PROCESS!!!! MY MOTHER PASSED AWAY AT 7:32 IN THE MORNING AND THE HOSPICE NURSE DIDNT ARRIVE UNTIL ABOUT 8:30 TO 9:00 THAT MORNING. I CALLED THEM AND TOLD THEM SHE HAD PASSED AWAY AND I WAS VERY UPSET BECAUSE I FELT LIKE HOSPICES JOB WAS TO BE THERE THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND NO ONE CAME AND I WAS BY MYSELF!!! THROUGH OUT THIS PROCESS WITHOUTH THEIR HELP!!!! WHEN THE NURSE FINALLY SHOWS UP SHE ASK'S ME FOR THIS RED FOLDER AND I LOOK AT HER AND SAY I DONT KNOW WHAT RED FOLDER YOU PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, MAYBE IF I HAD THIS RED FOLDER THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE HAD I WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER INFORMED OF WHAT TO LOOK FOR OR KNOW OF THE SIGNS OF WHAT I NEEDED TO BE LOOKING FOR. THESE PEOPLE WERE NOT HERE FOR ME IN THE END AND SHOWED UP AFTER SHE DIED EVEN WHEN I CALLED THEM DURING THE NIGHT AND TOLD THEM I NEEDED HELP!!! THE BALL WAS COMPLETELY DROPPED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AS I HAVE READ THE FOLLOW UPS ONLINE AS TO WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE!!! SHAME ON YOU!!! AND I HOPE MY MOM DIDNT COMPLETLY SUFFER AND I KNOW SHE KNOWS THAT I DID MY BEST!