I've been so happy with the care my mom gets at Elaine Center. Not only are they kind, but very…read moreresponsive. It gives me peace of mind, during her ordeal with Alzheimer's.

My loved one passed away here after a sudden illness. The decision to move to hospice care after a…read more2 week decline from a rare illness was what made the most sense for our family. The room was lovely. 90% off the care team was excellent. One nurse however does not belong here. Unfortunately this nurse delivered the news of my sisters passing-she was on duty for her final days. The support staff tries to make up for the lack of care and empathy for this one person. They have a little memorial service when your loved one leaves with the undertaker. The entire staff for the day is here. This nurse stated in the office. We received a card as well, signed by all, except this nurse. Believe me, I wish I could say one person didn't impact the rest of the wonderful care my sister received, but it did. I wish we had arranged care at home. We did need to stay on top of the medication administration. My sister's illness caused horrible terrors and startles. They were often a bit late to deliver meds meant to keep her comfortable. The chef, amazing, kind and caring. The aides, all wonderful and checked in with empathy often. We did share our concerns and expected a follow up call that never came. If you can't be here around the clock with your loved one, I do not recommend.

My dad had a short stay at Rose Monahan before passing. I cannot express the gratitude I feel…read moretowards the staff there. The setting is peaceful, the staff are caring, and in his final days he was at peace. Deep thanks to all the staff there.

The greatest regret in my life was turning over my parent's care to Good Shepherd Community Care…read morefor in-home hospice "care." They made all kinds of promises to get our family to sign away Medicare benefits so that they could begin collecting fees and delivered on none. They made diagnoses based on scant information, told us we would direct decisions about care, then just plowed ahead with their own plans without communicating at all. Nursing care was burnt-out, depleted and lacking in compassion. Social work/grief counselors were inexperienced and unprofessional. Leadership was unresponsive and antagonistic. They facilitated our parents' demise and somehow, made the most difficult time imaginable markedly worse.

If you are looking at Yelp for guidance about choosing a hospice, you probably are desperately…read moresearching while feeling the pressure of the clock ticking. Even though we had the recommendation of our mother's independent living facility, that's how it felt for our family. So, with nothing more than a 10-minute visit from a nurse who acted more as a salesperson, we signed on to Good Shepherd for at-home "care." In retrospect, of all of the regrets I've had in life, this decision tops my list. One of the main reasons we chose the path of hospice at all was because he told us that, instead of needing to call 911 and having our mother end up in the ER, we would be able to pick up the phone and have instant access to a nurse with answers. Instant often turned out to be 35-40 minutes, with callbacks from overworked, beleaguered on-call staff. When we reached out to the nurse/salesperson by email--twice--with concerns, he did not respond. When the nurse we were assigned called to schedule an initial visit, her very first words were that she had 7 other appointments at our mom's independent living facility before she could get to us. The implicit message: get in line. When we met her, she seemed exhausted, not particularly engaged or warm but competent and knowledgeable. As it turned out, she would be the highlight of our experience with GS Hospice. My sister met with a social worker and instructed her about a matter to avoid if she spoke with me. The social worker called me to "check in" and immediately raised the very issue that my sister told her to avoid. It happens that another family at our mom's independent living facility and whose own mother was also in GS Hospice care had the same social worker. Before we said a word, they described the social worker this way: "She's 12," referring to her emotional age and maturity. The social worker cheerfully called my sister later to check in, oblivious to her mistake. When my sister reminded her, the social worker burst into tears. It gets worse: When we brought these and other concerns to the CEO of the hospice, he was dismissive and defensive, suggesting that these criticisms were clouded by grief. In other words, people who are grieving aren't capable of making rational observations, a condescending and, in this case, self-serving response. GS Hospice provides the services of a grief counselor for the family. Ours called me twice. Each time, I told her I was not interested in grief counseling but the second time, I offered to provide feedback about the experience our family was having with the Hospice and revealed to her that we were planning to take our concerns to the board. The next day, the CEO wrote to my brother trying to dissuade us from contacting the board. Clearly, this counselor went to her boss and disclosed a conversation which should have been held confidential by the standards of every mental health profession. We elevated our concerns to the board. We told them we were not interested in condolences or apologies and had no interest in litigation--that our goal was simply to make sure other families did not endure the same experience. Initially, we received what seemed to be an appropriate reply that suggested they would investigate. We offered the board to call us with any questions. They never did. Instead, we received a carefully crafted reply clearly written by their lawyers absolving themselves of any responsibility. Initially, our assumption with their staff was that they had plenty of caring, compassionate, professionals and that we had simply drawn the short straw. GS Hospice is a large organization but we had naively assumed that as a nonprofit with a long history, they would be patient and family centered. Instead, they turned out to be more like their hedge-fund owned competitors: understaffed, relying on inexperienced practitioners, and responding to concerns from a legal rather than ethical perspective. No large organization is going to have a perfect staff but when leadership is lacking, the problems become systemic and the agency becomes dysfunctional, the outcome for us with GS Hospice. It cost us profoundly in the care of our mother and compounded a family crisis that comes with such a profound loss.

My mom was at Berkshire Place for 2 and 1/2 years and at the end I called Hospice who returned my…read morecall that afternoon and saw my mom the next morning to evaluate her. She was barely eating and in pain. Everyone from Hospice was so caring and helpful during the end of life cycle. Mom went peacefully in her sleep one morning. Hospice not only cares for the patient but also the family, reaching out to myself many times to be sure I was ok and see if I needed grief counseling. Hospice employees are not just special people but angels, they made my moms last few weeks tolerable and comfortable for her. Thank you all so much for your loving and caring not only for my mother but for all of my family. Sincerely Robert S.

This review is many years overdue, but I was thinking of them today as it is the anniversary of my…read moreMother's death. Hospice Care of the Berkshires took care of my Mom during the last 4 weeks of her life. She wanted to be at home, and Hospice Care made that possible. I didn't even know what hospice care was until I met all of these nice people who were in and out of the house, doing anything they could do to help.... even taking our two dogs out for a little walk if that helped. My Mom's main nurse was a wonderful woman named Laurie (Lori?) Moon ~ I hope she is still providing care to people because she is an angel!!

I have my last in-home PT for my knee replacement Friday Feb 27th, and I could not let the moment…read morepass without saying thank you to Katie Traylor, at VNA Care in Leominster, Ma. My experiences with Katie have all been very positive. Katie is an excellent Physical Therapist. Her knowledge and suggestions throughout my knee replacement rehab have been great and the exercises have helped tremendously, she has given me wonderful therapy sessions as well as exercise homework to keep me "on track" towards recovery! I have become much stronger and less tentative while climbing stairs and in general walking movements. Katie.....Thanks for going the extra mile and figuring out exercises that would work for me and not hurt my back. I certainly know who to call for in-home rehab should I ever have another joint replacement. Hopefully, that won't be too soon....

Best Care Ever! I was positively impressed the minute I…read morearrived to visit a patient. The staff was welcoming, friendly, warm and compassionate. The pace itself was clean, professionally decorated and felt truly peaceful. The grounds were well maintained and the fall foliage was gorgeous. The standout was the manner in which patients and their families are treated. There were always 3 people assigned to my loved one's care. They were all knowledgeable and ever present. The caregivers always treated the patient with respect, would give loved ones a gentle touch of support, and always appeared to enjoy their work. They protected the patient's dignity, were quick to respond to calls or requests and truly cared that the patient was comfortable. Highly recommended!!

We will forever be grateful for the care and attention provided by the staff of this wonderful…read moreplace for my wife Margaret (Peg). Highly recommended for your loved ones they will benefit from the expert and compassionate care of the entire staff and their wonderful associates. Robert Hartwell