Wentworth Hospice Care, an Amedisys Partner

My mom, Lucille Desilets, has recently passed and I am writing to praise three individuals who consistently delivered loving and compassionate care to my beloved mom. My mom was actually on hospice twice; she recovered enough to be removed from hospice care for about a year before being placed back on it and passing 4 months later. During her first time receiving hospice care, Sarah West was her case manager. I felt like we won the lottery when I met her. Sarah is kind, compassionate, loving, and an excellent communicator. I honestly felt like she was part of our family. My mom adored her. So did I. She is a treasure. The second time my mom was accepted onto hospice, Pam was her case manager. Pam was wonderful. She advocated for anything my mom needed in the way of medical equipment to keep her comfortable, she delivered compassionate care whenever she visited and kept me in the loop every step of the way as mom declined and entered the active dying phase. She even answered a text I sent to her on the Sunday before my mom passed when I reached out to her in a panic. Finally, there is the home health care aide Grace. Grace is amazing. She tended to my mom’s needs during both of her times on hospice, and when my mom starting declining Grace was phenomenal. From feeding her breakfast to tending to her bathroom needs to ensuring her cleanliness and comfort, Grace was there. She was such a friendly face nearly every single time I visited my mom in memory care and I visited her a lot. Thank you Sarah, Pam, and Grace. You made a difference to my mom and I. You are appreciated.

Our family has used Hospice in the past and we have only had the best of care . But not with Wentworth . They do not do what they say . They are not 24/7 they do not return call and when we needed them the most they were a no show. To this day two week after our loss they have yet to return a call . Very Bad experience and not how Hospice works . I Would like to add , we did call Wentworth back at there request after my post . Sane issues , The Director of Operations is we’re the problem is . No communication and no follow up . This is not how must Hospice are run.

We recently used the assistance of Wentworth Hospice during the passing of an elderly loved one. Our loved one was basically in good health but had been declining over the last few years and we’d observed some of the signs mentioned in various websites concerning end of life signals, such as sleeping more and loss of appetite. Eventually there was no appetite at all or interest in eating/drinking. We knew to call Hospice at that point and chose Wentworth Hospice. An appointment with Anna was arranged—she came the next day. She was wonderful, explaining everything to us and to our loved one. She gave us a notebook full of information and she discussed what we’d likely see during the transition. As part of the program, medications were ordered which could be administered via an oral syringe as needed, to keep the individual comfortable. A nurse was assigned to us and the next day, Stephanie visited. She was also great—personable, helpful, caring--providing plenty of advice. She came daily until the end, patiently addressing new questions and concerns which arose daily. There is someone on call 24/7 and during the last night, we made several phone calls, anxious and concerned for our loved one’s comfort and well-being. We spoke with Renee several times throughout that night. She suggested what we should do/try and agreed to come out but basically, our goal was to manage it on our own, if possible. We can’t say enough about the 3 women who helped us: Stephanie, Renee, and Anna. All excellent, easy to talk with, friendly, understanding, supportive. In the end, our loved one died at home, which was the wish of our loved one--on the couch (a favorite spot, where many a nap was taken over the years), surrounded by family — thanks to Wentworth Hospice. It was intense and overwhelming at times – and we couldn’t have managed it without their excellent guidance. We’re thankful they were with us and our loved one every step of the way.

We were blown away by the prompt and supportive care given to our loved one during a very hard time. The intake nurse was so sweet and caring and explained everything to my mother in law (the patient). She was patient and took whatever time we needed to answer questions. Equipment arrived quickly and we were able to get her settled in comfortably. We had to call twice within a week during the off hours and a nurse (and always a warm and caring one!) came and took care of the patient but also was great with our entire family. They made calls for us (such as the church for last rites and funeral home when the time came). They truly took care of our family as a whole and I can never thank them enough. Jen, Emily, Tanny, Brett (and the nurse that came on Sunday - forgive me for not remembering your name!!!) - I wish I could hug all of you. Keep doing what you are doing - you are making a big impact and are all angels in my eyes. Oh and the home health aide was so great as well. Forgive me for not remembering your name either. It was a crazy time for us.

Documentarians, not compassionate caregivers. Poor communicators. Insensitive institutional nurses, not Hospice sensitivity. And the DME company they contracted are ...probably complicated by the hospice agency....even worse. Equipment was fine. Kept blaming nursing agency for innacurate orders, which I believed. But then never called me about pickup, after death, but kept leaving messages that no one was at house to let them in for scheduled appt. Even after I called and left my number, no call!! We had to keep the equipment in house for4 days after death!! I blame all on Wentworth Hospice!!! Made a very sad experience even worse! And not my first time with a hospice company (CT, and ME), so I know how the hospice people can be!! A really BAD experience with NH Wentworth Hospice!