Business ProfileforBella Care Hospice

Horrendous, predatory experience. The rep. ******* met with our family, assuring my dad that he would receive best-in-class, 24-hour hospice nursing care at home and our family would have compassionate, personalized guidance and bereavement support. Once ******* had her contract signed, she evaporated and won’t return my mom/family’s calls. We used Bella Care for two weeks – they only stopped by every other day even though my dad was declining. The day before my dad passed, the “nurses” (STNAs) dropped by once for FIFTEEN MINUTES – only to document his vitals. When we tried to ask basic care questions: what we should watch for, how to give pain meds (b/c we had no idea we’d be doing all this alone), she became irritated, cut us off, and rushed out. Shocked, we called the office. They dismissed us saying my dad didn't need “advanced care,” that 24-hour/night care was only available right before he passed (which they admitted they had no way of determining). That evening, their chaplain ***** came by. He was wonderful & comforting, but quickly asked the last time my dad received meds b/c he was exhibiting physical signs of pain. The fact the “nurses” dumped loads of pain meds but didn’t have the decency to answer our questions/teach us nonverbal pain signs (but the chaplain did) ENRAGES me. The morning before he passed, it was like pulling teeth to get them to send someone even though he was rapidly declining. We had to demand the night support we were promised. The only nurse available (who only slept 3 hours before working a 26-hour shift) reeked of cigarettes so badly it permeated his room. She was there an hour before getting called to check on a patient in INDIANA (over an hour away). We were openly upset - she said the company was understaffed, she was the only one on-call, and left. My dad passed away 40 minutes later. When she finally came back, her only concern was completing her end-of-life paperwork. No one has ever even called my mom!