Hope Hospice Ballwin, MO

My best friend was a client of Hope Hospice when her cancer treatments failed. Sarah came to her very rural home to describe how hospice works. Karen and her husband were immediately comfortable with Sarah and the difficult conversation was made more tolerable by her caring demeanor. The nurse assigned to Karen was Jesse, a perfect match for both her and her husband. Jesse (or the gentle giant as we nicknamed him) was so kind and caring, respectful and knowledgeable. He never rushed his visits and did everything within his power to make Karen more comfortable. He made arrangements for all medications and necessary equipment to be delivered right to their door. This simplified things a great deal. During each visit he patiently and thoroughly went through dosages/times for the massive amount of drugs intended to make Karen less miserable. Patty, the massage therapist, came to their home several times and genuinely became a friend. Even when Karen was in pain and unable to really enjoy a massage, Patty stayed and simply rubbed her back and chatted. The entire team was there to support those of us caring for Karen as well. The family and I will be forever grateful for their services.

Dear Hope Hospice Team, I am so thankful for the true care, love and compassion the team of Hope Hospice had given my Aunt Janie when she was diagnosed with terminal Ovarian cancer. My Aunt chose Hope Hospice as she wanted to spend the rest of her short time here on earth at home with family and friends. My Aunt had a strong faith in Christ and Hope Hospice's team of compassionate care, truly made a positive impact in her end of life care! Sarah B., Community Liaison with Hope Hospice, had visited with my Aunt the SAME DAY I called to inquire about their services. My Aunt loved all of the team members of Hope Hospice from Sarah, Amanda-Primary Nurse, Denise- Nurse, Mary- Bereavement Counselor, Kaitlin- Music therapist and of course Chaplain Aaron! There were other team members too and she loved them too and was so grateful for their help and compassion! Hope Hospice truly went above and beyond to ensure my Aunt was as comfortable as possible through pain management, but MOST OF ALL showing true love, care and compassion! My Aunt was always so kind to everyone, she cared more about others than herself. She was strong and courageous in Christ! Never did she cry or complain about her condition. She was such a blessing to others, always a ray of sunshine! I am forever grateful to the HOPE HOSPICE TEAM as they were always quick to communicate and respond to my Aunt and our familys' needs whether it was day or night! Our family loves and appreciates all of you! MAY GOD BLESS THE HOPE HOSPICE TEAM AND THE COMPASSIONATE WORK THEY DO EVERYDAY FOR OTHERS!!!

From our first contact with Sarah B. to everyone we spoke with on the phone and had the pleasure of interacting with on Mom’s behalf, to the last day of service we knew we made the right decision choosing Hope Hospice. You can’t buy caring…. That pretty much sums up how we feel about Hope Hospice. Hope was our extended family without the baggage, someone to lean on, to ask the hard questions and always get an honest answer. The before and after is hard to describe but I will try; Relief! The burden of being responsible for your mothers last days on earth is heavy. Worrying about her being alone, caring for her every need but not sure exactly what to do and when. Watching her get weaker and more forgetful her needs were quickly out pacing our ability to provide. The stress was palatable and our patience worn through. Do we keep her at home and seek full time care, or move her to an assisted living? Then we met the staff of Hope Hospice and it all looked much easier and less scary. In an instant we went from feeling overwhelmed with uncertainly and tired from sleepless nights, to having a whole family/team of professionals to help us care for Mom. And Mom loved each one of her caregivers, which is priceless. There were no expectations that the staff did not exceed. There are no words to thank them enough for their compassion, strength, and understanding.

When I was researching hospice care providers, I found Hope Hospice. I saw all the wonderful reviews from others who had used their services. I chose them based on those reviews. I just want to thank them for all the great care they provided for my husband. Their hard work and efforts were truly appreciated.

I am taking the time to write and tell you how much we appreciate Hope Hospice’s services. As you are aware the decision to move from actively seeking treatment to hospice is a difficult decision. At the time my father made the decision he was receiving care at the St. Louis VA. They very promptly made a referral and hospice was started, with another company. My father’s condition at the time was not one of eminent death, he just was done spending more time in the hospital than at home. We supported this decision and thought hospice would offer the support and comfort to the family as well as my father. Well that was our hope. With the first hospice we were given a nurse for 20 minutes 2 times a week, a health aid for an hour two times a week (she was the only shining star in the group) and music therapy for an hour a week. Every time we asked for a little extra we were met with, “We don’t do that”. This was very confusing because several of our friends had experienced hospice with Hope and this was not what they told us we would be getting in hospice care. The straw came when I was going out of town and leaving my mom alone to care for my dad, we asked for a couple more hours of service just so someone would be there for at least 1 hour every day I was gone. Their reply was, “you have your son-in-law, don’t you.” That was it; we called Hope Hospice and asked if they could come out and talk to us about what they offered. They were out the next afternoon. The representative sat and listened to our needs and said she understood and with Hope it would not be an issue. So Hope called the VA the next day, took care of letting the other hospice know we were changing, and sent a nurse out to review my father’s care. The nurse was so compassionate, she sat and listened and again understood the concerns we had. She very gently offered to take over setting up my father’s medicine for the week. She did this in a way that made my mom feel like she was still a part of my dad’s care, but no longer had to worry about what if she made a mistake, because at that point my mom was tired and beginning to fray too. I was able to go on my trip and know that over the week there would be a massage therapist, a personal aid, a nurse, a music therapist, a chaplain and a housekeeper, yes a housekeeper, coming to give my mom the emotional support and physical support they both needed. My mom has been able to go out and get errands run, get her hair cut and even have her nails done since starting hospice. These outings giver my mom a chance to breathe and they give my dad the peace of mind that he is not burdening my mom. She is no longer embarrassed when visitors come over because her house is spotless, this may not mean a lot to most people, but to her this is a huge weight off her shoulders. Our time now is not spent “taking care” of my dad it is spent enjoying him. With Hope hospice my mom and my dad are both being cared for. I can work and know without a doubt that if my mom needs something and I can’t get there to do it, all she has to do is ask one of the many Hope employees that visit throughout the week and it will get done. In conclusion I cannot thank Hope Hospice enough. They are giving my family peace and dignity in my dad’s final days. This is what hospice should be.

Large families have lots of stories to tell. We lost 3 of our parents in an eighteen month period. Fortunately, we found Hope Hospice. The entire staff was able to help us, support us and care for our parents during those difficult months. I highly recommend Hope Hospice and the services they provide. -Ed

While we aren't ready to let my husband go, it's nice to know that we are not alone on this journey. God bless all of them.

Amazing care, upbeat attitudes, and exceptional service has allowed dad to thrive! We can rest assured that he is getting the best care available. My family and I are forever thankful for all that they do.