A heartbreaking experience during my father's final days…read more
I am writing this review as a heartbroken daughter who trusted Angela Hospice to provide compassionate care for my father during the final weeks of his life. Unfortunately, our experience was incredibly disappointing, and I would not recommend this company to other families.
We were with Angela Hospice for only two weeks before my father passed away. I had already been planning to switch hospice providers due to concerns about his care. However, as his condition rapidly declined and he became unresponsive, I was unable to make the transition. I deeply regret that we did not have the opportunity to find another provider.
I was paying $4,100 per month for my father's around-the-clock care at his residence, with hospice services being an additional expense. When I called Angela Hospice for assistance, I was told, "We are not 24/7 care." This response was unnecessary and incredibly frustrating. I was not expecting hospice to replace the caregivers we were already paying for. I understood that distinction. I expected hospice to provide the additional medical support, care coordination, and compassionate end-of-life services my father and family needed. Instead, I often felt we were left to figure things out ourselves.
I also found his nurse to be extremely cold and lacking compassion. While she was knowledgeable, medical knowledge alone is not enough when caring for someone who is dying. Families are experiencing some of the most painful moments of their lives and deserve a nurse who can balance clinical expertise with warmth, empathy, and understanding. Unfortunately, that was not our experience.
The inconsistency in care was equally upsetting. I had to specifically request that my father receive a bath, and his first week was skipped because of a holiday. I understand that holidays affect scheduling, but hospice care does not stop because it is a holiday. My father was dying, and basic care should not have been delayed.
On another occasion, someone came to provide care but left because my father did not answer the door. He was physically unable to get up from the couch. He was on hospice and nearing the end of his life. How could anyone reasonably expect him to get up and answer the door? Rather than making an effort to ensure he was okay, the caregiver left. As a result, my father had to wait another week for his nurse to provide a bath. This was unacceptable.
I had never navigated hospice care before. I am a relatively young woman who was watching her father, who was also far too young, approach the end of his life. I was trying to navigate an unfamiliar process while ensuring he was comfortable, cared for, and treated with dignity. Instead of feeling supported, I often felt I had to advocate for even the most basic aspects of his care. Those final days should have been about spending time with my dad, not worrying about whether his care team would show up or follow through.
The lack of compassion continued after my father passed away. I was told someone from Angela Hospice would contact me following his death. When I called the next day, I was asked, "What do you need?" There was no expression of sympathy, no acknowledgment of my loss, and not even a simple "I'm sorry for your loss." As I write this review, nine days have passed since my father died, and I have not heard from anyone at Angela Hospice.
Hospice care should be about more than medical knowledge. It should be about compassion, dignity, consistency, and supporting families through the most painful moments of their lives. We desperately needed those things and, in my experience, did not receive them.
I recognize that we were only with Angela Hospice for two weeks, but those were some of the most significant and heartbreaking days of my life. My father was nearing the end of his life, and there was no opportunity for a second chance. I cannot get those days back, and I deeply regret that his final weeks were marked by so much disappointment and frustration.
My father deserved better, and our family deserved better.
I would not recommend Angela Hospice to families seeking compassionate end-of-life care. I encourage families to ask detailed questions about visit frequency, personal care, responsiveness, and bereavement support before choosing a provider.
No family should have to look back on their loved one's final days and feel as unsupported and let down as we do.
