For anyone who wants to read details of an adult-child experience losing a parent: My mother…read moreendured weeks of poor care at HealthPark Hospital (Ft. Myers) and terrible care at The Terraces (Bonita Springs) before my sister and I made the difficult decision to admit our mother to Avow Hospice in Naples. Thank god someone told us that Avow had just started admitting patients from Lee Country, and thank God a bed was available. Mom was quite suddenly at the end of her life, and we were unprepared to set up proper home care.
Mom said she was glad when she arrived at Avow, and the next day she told us she felt the nurses cared about her. Thank you, Avow, for making Mom--and our family--feel safe and supported. They also gave her a drug that truly eased her suffering without causing her to be completely sedated. However, I did clash with one nurse who wanted to increase the dose right away and who implied I wanted to keep my mother alert when she needed to have pain relief. Other nurses and supervisors agreed to a lower dose. I know it's not easy to make these determinations, but don't be afraid to question what's happening and speak to whoever is in charge at the moment. I respect the expertise of health care professionals, yet every nurse will have their own preferences.
Prior to Mom's arrival at Avow, she spent weeks at HealthPark hospital and 10 days at The Terraces. Care at The Terraces was just horrible, even when I was right there in the room. This facility is seriously understaffed, and I do feel sorry for the nurses, who are being put in a bad position. (Avoid this place if your loved one is very ill but being discharged and sent to rehab. It might be ok for someone there to rehab from a knee replacement.) Care at HealthPark was more frequent but still poor. My main complaint is lack of compassion, kindness, and professionalism at these places. I know it's easy to find fault, and I know understaffing is a serious problem. and yet health care is a higher calling and sick people deserve attention and care. I say all of this in order to compliment Avow, the only hospice I can report on. Nurses came frequently, they were compassionate to Mom and us. Thank you. Kindness was abundant and staff respected the gravity of the situation. My sister and I were impressed by the priest who made rounds. He was personal, and he wanted to know all about Mom's life. He wasn't put off when we told him that none of us, including Mom, still went to mass, and he didn't pressure us to do anything. I like to think Mom was comforted by the last rites he provided.
Why not a 5 star review? A couple reasons: the TV/cable sitution is not great. This might sound unimportant, but my mother was awake and alert two evenings and wanted to watch TV. She said this. But there were many issues with the clicker, settings, and stations. Several staff tried to trouble shoot, but no one could solve the problems. Several stations were on the guide but not subscribed to, including, Turner Classic Movies, a channel that would provide a lot of comfort and familiarity to many patients. Another complaint is about follow through: during the one afternoon Mom was totally aware, she asked for her bed to be wheeled outside on the lanai. The nurse said she had to do something and would be right back but didn't return. So Mom never got to view the beautiful lake. Finally, the night Mom died, my sister and I felt pressured to call a funeral home immediately and to leave quickly. We felt we didn't have enough time with our mother and to gather up our things. It was the middle of the night, so I really don't understand why everything had to happen so quickly. We were in shock, devastated, and shouldn't have even been driving. Despite my criticisms, I believe the Avow facility is excellent and the staff are great. I am glad we brought Mom to the Naples location. I've also received many texts offering to provide support, and I appreciate that, too. I hope some of the shortcomings I've pointed out will be addressed for future patients and their loved ones.
