Dear Sir/Madam:

It is with sadness, grief, disappointment and anger , that I am writingyou this letter.
I have never had any personal dealings with any Hospice . I have not had any one from your
organization. it is ironic that i was hired by to help Mrs.Goldman with some light housekeeping and other odd jobs around her home while your organization was there taking care of her husband, Mr. ART, during his final days.

Ihad always thought that Hospice was a support network of professionally trained people who were there not only to enhance the quality of the time of life left of the terminally ill patient but to also
to comfort, counsel and console the families.
After spending the last few months that mr. ART was alive- my whole percetion of your organization has drastically changed!

For starters; Mrs. Goldman said that she brought your organization in to her home against her better judgment. she was finally convinced by several close family members that she would need the help and support that only hospice could give her as time passed and life got tougher for her to handle as Mr. Art's life was ending.

I read a few of the phamlets and brochures that she had at the house and your group promised nothing less. while mrs. Goldman said the cost was taken care of my medicare. she paid a hefty cost of her self to have you there.. one would never believe what happened to her!

It appears that what she was promised and what she got was not the same.. I watched her deal day in and day out with your community hospice.. as i said no one would believe it unless they were here .. i know she looked for the am break when she could go to her arobics class several times a week. she said that the incoming nurse promised she would go and the home health aide would be there early in themorning and then let her go.. and then the private on call nurse would come after her health aide and Mrs. goldman would be able to stay out for her class and then some.. this never happened at all during the 6 weeks that hopsice came tohelp. Mrs. goldman said that the first home health aide came at 8:30am and said that mrs. goldman could not leave at all. she was scheduled to be with ten other patients all in the same day.. there was no way for her to stay longer than what she needed to do and that was that.. this aide came at 8:30am and left thirty minutes or more longer.. but this home health aide refused to let mrs. Goldman leave . said she had to be there in case she needed her.
i know mrs. goldman said that she was promised twice and her daughter from Baltimroe was there the day they did the interviews.. and they both heard the same promise and that is what had them take the communty hospice rather thant he local one in their community. and the fact that mrs. goldman would get out a few hours each morning to do her excercises was sealed.

soon after the first week. that same home health aide who insisted she come each morning at 8:30 , was now coming later and later each day.. she said she had to make other stops which thehospice people gave her at the last minute.. she had no control over her schedule. and when she finally came.. sometimes one or twohours or mroe later than she had promised. she would stya and talk of her personal upcomign wedding rather than let mrs. goldman leave for her swim class.. she said that hospice did not like her to go out and leave her when she had so many clients she had to see too.

Part of mrs. goldman's team was a spritual component . a rabbi. He was a Rabbi who was an ecunumical man who practiced with all relgions.. On more than one occasion. he promsied Mr. goldman that he would act as her breavement gorup leader between he and she.. then on the day of the funeral and after shiva was over. he disappeared and never came back. he would not anwer his cell and or regular phones and left her hanging.. waiting to this day. not a word. hopsice said they ahd to let go of various people for reaosns we do not know and then they did not assign her another bereavement rabbi.. she was let alone and had no one for spirtual support.

Mrs. Goldman shared with me that she and mr. Goldman had talked first to the doctor who assured them both. that he would oversee the medication of the hopsice team. that mr. goldman's biggest fear was he would be overmedicated and he truly did not want morphone or any other heavy narcotic drugs. he was adamant about that and the doctor assured him. that he would be in charge only.. That was certainly not what happened.

i was there cleanign when one day the nurse on this case. barged inwithout an appt. demanding that mrs. goldman come home from her outing with her daughter . she insisted that some of the pills were missing and almost accused Ms Goldman of someone in her home take them.. this upset mrs. Goldman deeply.. and she was upset that the nurse came without appointment and tried to change mr. goldman's patch when he was drugged. she took it uponherself to increase the dosage higher than they agreed upon and then told Mrs. goldman upon her return.
All appointments set up by this nurse were to be done with the approval of mrs. Goldman of her scheudle.. and the one time she goes out to have some time by herself . this private nurse comes in on her own..

There was no volunteers allowed to come. because Mr. goldman had brain surgery and wobbled in his gait. volunteeers were not allowed to give medication.. the only way that mrs. goldman c oudl get out for some free time was to hire private staff who could give medication.

the stress level and discord of the Hospice group and Mrs. Goldma,n was high. they sinmply did not listen or console her in any good way.. often he would lie wet and dirty to be changed by a hospice aide for hours until they could work him in. and once or twice the orignal health aide would promised to come but thenfindshe could nto get the time to be onduty that weekend.

mr. goldman liked this woman. she was tall and able to pick him up and she delviped a fondness for a man who never complained and only smiled. she coudl do not wrong.

unbeknown to all of us. later we find otu .t aht this aide was mis managingher time clock and holding up on Mr. Goldman for she was not being truthful to eh hopsice she works fir.
she was taking advange of mr. Goldman and his wife . She would sit and tell mrs. goldman stories of the way the hospice wasnot workingout for her and then go back and reverse the stories to hopsice.

no one really showed mrs. Goldman how to change him and move him..

mr. goldman on more than one ocassion was clear and loud that he did not want morphine and i heard the nurse question him why not?>

this went on off and on for days and Mrs. Goldman could never get someone to answer question which were clear and concise from one person.

nrs. goldman said that having Hospice come in was the worst experience of their life. the worst and she would never recommend this for anyone.. Hospice of her choice lied and made promises that simply could not fill and she had no idea this was one of their fist cases in hC .. all had been inBaltimroe city./

Three days before he passed.. mr. goldman had a siezure . mrs Goldman asked to ahve a nurse come to see him and was promised they would send one.she called at 7:L30 pm and the nurse came at 12:45am.. calling she and then her daugher every hour to see when the nurse was coming.. and then she was called and confused about taking him to the hospital and then not and on and off until she demanded someone offical come to the house.. even though it was notednot morphjine. mrrs goldman saw the nurse inject four times the level of the morphone . mr. goldman had said he never wanted..

the next day the staff told her that mr. goldman was going to pass that day and her kids had to get there right away.. he would not last.. three days later he passed.

right when mr. Goldman had passed. the home health aide came back to take supplies from the Goldmans and in the midst of the caretaker coming in. she asked the goldman family to take the left over depends that remained boxed.. how could someome be so callous in time of death.

rest Assured for all i saw and knew about this specific Hospice group.. I would never recommend
your orgnazation to anyone.. there has to be more people liek the goldman family who did not have consolation and comfort by bringing in Hopsice.. and to be left by her TEAM . after her shiva period by the rabbi. and team is ruthless.. how can you do that to someone who truly wanted the best for the man she loved.. she was left by your team of hopsice people . just left when you fired her team.. and didnot provide any other people to take over in her days of beravement..

sincerely.

Anonymous



when the nurse woudl come. she would critize mrs. goldman for having outside staff there and how she wanted the staff to be.. and she would never let Mrs Goldman go out on her aappt time. so different than what Mr.s goldman was promised.

what made matters worse is that not one of the staff they sent to care for mr. goldman really cared wheen they arrived. M