I am grateful that Good Samaritan introduced me to Vitas Healthcare because I don't know what I would've done without that option being offered to me. My wife was admitted to San Jose's Good Samaritan Hospital in late November 2024 thru the ER, then cardio floor, then ICU, and back to cardio. This was after series of hospitalizations and rehabs over a five year period or so. She lost her appetite, became agitated and suspicious of being in a strange place. The attending doctors didn't know what to do. After consulting with the palliative care doctor and discussing with immediate family, hospice was the option I decided for my wife because staying in the hospital was not helping. She was released on December 11, 2024 and transported back to the board & care home that she had only started in early November. The local San Jose Vitas team that cared for my wife was tremendous and there have been no out of pocket expenses throughout. Vitas coordinated and setup a hospital bed, oxygen compressor, other supplies and meds for my wife working with staff at the care home. She continued not wanting to eat, and her physical self rapidly declined. A month after she returned from Good Samaritan she passed away on January 8, 2025. The entire team maintained contact with me on her situation because it changed from weekly to 24 hour care quickly. The team includes a case manager nurse (Jackie), social worker (Hyun Ah), doctor (Dr Han Yu), CNA (Agatha), on-call nurses, and chaplain. I am particularly thankful for Vitas because they offer counseling and therapy through their chaplains. I asked Jonah if he could officiate for my wife's memorial service at sea in late January; and he agreed to also compose her eulogy with me. About a week after our service, I reached out to nurse Adina who was with my wife when she died because I felt guilty not being there. She was so kind and reassured me that my wife peacefully passed and was in no pain. That my wife felt the presence of our family who visited days earlier and carried that with her. Chaplain Jonah and I maintained a year long connection through weekly therapy sessions, and recently continued with a three month bereavement dinner group he coordinated for other members that have lost loved ones. Making those connections has been comforting because it does help to know that you're not alone and that others going through this process are also having a difficult time because grief is not a simple thing to deal with, and different for each person. It is an ongoing journey learning to navigate loss and grief. read more

We selected Vitas Healthcare for my dad via referral from Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose. My dad received the hospice care at Good Samaritan also because transporting him home would not be dignified for him. The nurses and supporting staff who took care of him and his medication administration are Good Samaritan staff. We saw and spoke to the Palliative Care doctor and nurses daily. Vitas sent a nurse daily and I had a million questions every day and every single person, whether they were Good Samaritan staff or Vitas staff, were extremely patient and answered all of my questions. Vitas has a 24/7 call line and there was always someone available to answer my questions, even at 2am. I had to take time off work and the Vitas Office personnel was so accommodating at filling out my FMLA paperwork. They responded to phone calls, texts, and emails very quickly. My advice: please take advantage of your FMLA and State Disability benefits. It is another layer of support and don't let the paperwork fluster you. There are social workers at Vitas who can help you! My dad was very comfortable and at peace during hospice care. Family and friends came to visit and say their goodbyes while he was still lucid. It was not easy but he was no longer in pain. Hospice care provided our family the opportunity and support to enjoy our last days with him. We were able to let go knowing he was loved and well cared for. After he passed, I had a very difficult time coping. I received mail from Vitas offering grief counseling for up to 1 year after my dad's passing. I decided I really needed it. The Chaplain is this amazing person who walks you thru the grief and helps you hold space for it. He encouraged me on days I needed it most. We had weekly sessions but was always there at any moment. He gave me coping tools and helped me get thru this very difficult time. He is truly an angel. He still follows up with me to this day. July 2026 is the anniversary of my dad's passing. I can't believe it's almost a year already. I felt like I needed to share my testimony so that families can find comfort in knowing that there are people and agencies such at Vitas who support this part of life. Please ask questions, be ready to pivot, and be present with your loved one. I am truly grateful to the people who supported my dad and my family. read more

Amazing experience with the Hospice team My father was at rest with having them in his house, supporting him through the end of his life. Me too Pastor Jonah would light up his day which was a challenge with my Dad! In addition to the family dog! Jonah is perfect for hospice support. The RN, MD and HHA that managed his care kept his needs met. The office staff were reliable for connecting the calls. I could never thank you ALL enough read more

Vitas has provided care and comfort over the last year for my mother , who is 105 years old. They have been a wonderful resource.

Vitas was great for our mom. She had so many problems and Vitas managed them well. Our nurse, Jackie, was wonderful and provided excellent care. They provide a wonderful service. I am grateful for all their help. read more

We had the absolute privilege of working with Emily, the Hospice Admission Nurse at VITAS, and I cannot say enough about her. From the moment she stepped in, she was calm, compassionate, and completely on top of everything. What stood out most was her relentless advocacy. She never took "no" for an answer. When she hit a barrier, she immediately went to the next person, the next department, the next solution, until she got a yes. In less than an hour, she had everything set up for us. What felt overwhelming and impossible suddenly felt manageable. Our uncle, who is local and was working most closely with her on the ground, could not stop raving about her. He was so impressed by her urgency, her follow-through, and the way she fought for our dad. It mattered deeply to him that her work be recognized, and it matters to all of us too. VITAS was excellent in our experience, but the reason it was excellent is because of people like Emily. She embodied what you hope hospice care will be: responsive, human, fierce when it matters, and deeply compassionate. When your family is walking through the darkest, hardest days, you need someone strong in your corner. Emily was exactly that for us. We will always be grateful for the way she showed up for our dad and for our family. read more

We were referred to Vitas by my Mom's primary care physician. He said it is the only hospice provider he would refer to. From the very first visit I understood why he felt that way. Mom would always get quite annoyed when healthcare workers would speak directly to me and ignore her. Idell, RN, made a point to speak with Mom first and then looked to me to fill in the gaps. Mom appreciated it and so did I. Martha, home health aide, would come to bathe Mom twice weekly. She would have her laughing in no time! Martha always made sure Mom looked and felt her best including a little bit of blush and lipstick. Agatha, LVN, would get Mom belly laughing, too. They bonded over Taco Bell and dancing. Agatha could get Mom out of a dementia funk better than anyone. Jackie, RN, became Mom's case manager, and there is no one better. I will never forget her empathy, kindness, and genuine attentiveness. She always took her time during the visit, and answered all questions before leaving. If she had concerns about changes in Mom's condition, she would reach out to Dr Yu right away. Dr Yu was so compassionate and knowledgeable about all of Mom's health issues. He was always available to answer questions, either directly or through Jackie. As Mom's time came to a close, these health care angels intensified their efforts to make her comfortable. They looked out for us, too. We never felt like we were on this journey alone. Chaplain Jonah was a lifesaver. He provided great support and comfort during his weekly and sometimes twice weekly visits. Often laughter was needed more than anything, and he provided that too! He always made himself available. After Mom passed, he invited us to a grief group he created. He knew sharing our experiences with others could lead to healing and acceptance. I'm eternally grateful to Vitas for taking care of Mom and helping her have a dignified death. I'm also eternally grateful for their guidance and care for my family. read more

Vitas Hospice services and particularly Chaplain Jonah were extremely helpful through all steps in this heartbreaking process. Responsive, supportive, kind and caring. I cannot say enough how during the process and after the loss our family received the help and support to go forward. Thank you. read more

My mom passed away and after a week I finally told a co-worker that I had not received any call and she made a call happen. Let me just say I am an RN of 35 years and this was the worst experience I have had as a healthcare provider. I basically took care of my mom and pronounced her. The staff that showed after death was cold and just said, I will take your time of death! Like what?!? Please if you are in Modesto, CA. Use community hospice! read more

Cannot say enough positive words about your staff person Amarjeet KAUR, RN, BSN. I spent hours with her today as she helped me to prepare for the passing of my brother at good Samaritan Hospital. She was kind, thorough, compassionate, understanding, and more than helpful to me. I thank you for hiring her and keep her around as long as you can. She was a godsend. Thank you again Amarjeet read more

I have never dealt with a more unprofessional and unethical organization, particularly given that this was supposed to be a hospice, where they were supposed to provide care with empathy. I was initially relieved when VITAS told us my mother could go home with her feeding tube in place for one to two weeks. My family was also assured they could provide IV hydration and high-flow oxygen. We explained that these supports were important to us because we wanted my mother to receive a little more nutrition and strength as she was try to fight off aspiration pneumonia. VITAS reassured us multiple times that these requests would not be a problem. Based on those assurances, we chose VITAS over another hospice provider that did not have staff to manage a feeding tube. On the morning my mother was scheduled to be discharged from Stanford Hospital, VITAS abruptly reversed course and told us the feeding tube had to be removed because their staff did not know how to remove it. While we were still processing this--under pressure from the hospital to finalize discharge plans--VITAS delivered additional news: they could not provide IV hydration because it was "inconsistent with hospice goals" and therefore not allowed. For the same reason, we were told they could not provide high-flow oxygen. With no other option, we agreed to have my mother's feeding tube removed. While we were waiting to sign the discharge paperwork, a VITAS physician finally called. We expressed our frustration with the broken promises. The physician repeated that what we requested was inconsistent with hospice's focus on comfort rather than cure. I asked why their case manager had repeatedly told us these supports had been approved (including after discussions with leadership/physicians), only for VITAS to retract everything on the morning of discharge. After that call, we waited for hours without any further communication from VITAS. Even the hospital nurses told us they had not heard back. When it was past 4:00 p.m.--after the planned pickup time--I called the case manager. She apologized and informed us that VITAS had decided they would not accept my mother after all. As a result, my mother spent another night in the hospital.  I stayed up all night researching for another hospice.  The next morning, Sequoia Hospital took my mom home without a hitch. Their nurses and doctor were professional, caring and understanding. My mom had only three lucid days before she slipped into unconsciousness, unable to eat or drink. This experience was devastating, and it was made far worse by VITAS's last-minute reversals and ultimately abandoning the case on the day of discharge, making my mom lose an extra precious day stressing out in the hospital. read more

I had an issue with the bed at first because when I came to Pacific Hills, the bed was not here because they sent the wrong one. Thank goodness for Heinz because he went and checked and saw my mom and re-ordered the correct bed. read more

Our assisted living community has been working with Lovely for over a year, and every experience has been genuinely exceptional. Their team is responsive, warm, and consistently goes above and beyond to support both our residents. It's rare to find a company that not only delivers great service but also truly understands the needs of seniors and the rhythm of community life. Lovely is reliable, professional, and incredibly easy to work with. Communication is always smooth, scheduling is flexible, and the quality of their work shows in every interaction. Our residents look forward to their visits. read more

I don't often write testimonials, but I feel compelled to share the amazing experience I am having with Vitas. They came to me during one of the most heartbreaking and desperate times of my life. Watching my once vibrant and dynamic mother--full of care, compassion, and light--slowly dim is truly devastating. However, by the grace of God, I was met with people willing to help me navigate this difficult moment. Two of the people who have truly changed this time are Daphne and Rose They have been incredible! There are days when my mom and I feel overwhelmed with pain and worries, but when they walk through the door, everything changes. My mom knows her angels have arrived, and her face reflects a light that I don't always see now. It's not just what they do, but how they do it! Every touch and every word are delivered with a servant's heart, full of grace and mercy, and overflowing with care. I am eternally grateful for everything Words will never be enough to express my gratitude. I have also found it amazing that the manager is always accessible--literally just a call away--something that is so rare during these times in any business. This has made my life so easy. Finally, I cannot conclude without giving a special thank you to Vilmarie, the social worker, and Roland, the chaplain. They are wonderful and have both provided me with comfort in moments of despair. This experience with Vitas Healthcare has brought comfort in a time where I didn't know I could find it. It has taken my fractured heart and mind and somehow mended it enough to help me keep going. Forever grateful Ruth Naomi read more

Absolutely abyssal service for a company who is meant to make someone's last part of their life peaceful and as calm as can be. They make promises to grieving families that they later take back with no care in the world for how that affects anyone but themselves. Absolutely go somewhere else for care because, in my opinion, they don't care in the slightest about your family members who need hospice. read more

Completely unhelpful, search elsewhere for hospice care. If I could give less than 1 star I would. After a long battle with cancer, my father decided that hospice was the direction he wanted to take. The consultant at the hospital assured us that he would be comfortable and cared for as we transitioned to at-home care. These assurances were nothing more than empty promises. No nurse was at our home to receive him and set up his oxygen, and after a few calls they finally showed up close to 4 hours later. The next day we called about my father's labored breathing, and it took another 4-5 hours for them to show. In that time my father ended up passing away. Completely unresponsive, completely unhelpful, it practically felt like we didn't have hospice care in the first place. If your loved one is searching for hospice care, search elsewhere. Vitas was an awful and traumatizing experience that I wouldn't wish on anyone. The added stress that Vitas caused onto an already stressful situation is unforgivable. Again, search elsewhere if looking for proper care read more

To say that my experience with VITAS was not good is an understatement. Their rep arranged my husband's discharge from the hospital for a Sunday afternoon. We were told that a nurse would be at our house to meet him and set up his oxygen and other equipment. When there wasn't a nurse waiting, we called in and were told that it's hard to get people to work on a Sunday. The next day when it appeared evident that my husband was not doing well, we called and asked for a nurse to come out. No one came and that afternoon he passed away. We called again to ask for someone to come out. The person that showed up was ill-prepared and asked me to provide gloves, bathing wipes and a catheter removal kit (which I did provide). She also asked me if I had something to remove his central line, which I didn't. I then had to listen to her grunt and groan as she apparently yanked the central line out of his chest. It was horrific and I couldn't watch. read more

I had a horrible experience with this hospice. They added to: 1. My father's physical pain 2. My father's emotional distress 3. And to my personal distress I was promised they would make my father comfortable. So many things went wrong. In the end it made a tragic situation worse. My father was without pain meds all day, at the final stages of his life, due to their lack of planning. They didn't have the liquid medicine available. No nurse returned my calls. And the social worker in charge never called me back. I wasn't given the emotional support needed at the time. The pastor got involved and had a religious-agenda that he pushed despite my father and my family being nonreligious... yet he never addressed my father's fears of dying when he had a chance. My father didn't get the comfort he deserved because the pastor was the only counselor and he wasn't properly trained for nonreligious clients. Almost a year later I never did a call back from their social worker. I wish i had done more research and picked a different hospice. Don't make the same mistake I did read more

VITAS deserves 0 stars for not providing any of the basic services we were promised during our consultation at the hospital. They say a nurse will meet you at your house upon discharge to check on the patient and set up his oxygen and respiratory equipment; this did not happen. We called twice for a nurse to come to our home the following day for very strained breathing; they did not come until after he had passed away HOURS after the first call. The nurse who finally arrived did not have any medical equipment, not even gloves. Working with VITAS was extremely traumatic for my family after being told this would be a helpful service. Look elsewhere for people who care about your loved ones read more

Dear Vitas Group, I wish to express deepest gratitude for the help navigating hospice care for my father. Having Vitas help us was invaluable for providing the care and comfort my father needed. His needs weren't just physical in nature, although it required not only a special hospital bed, oxygen tanks, wheelchair, personal hygiene supplies, and nurses and bathers and massages, it required a trained team that coordinated their efforts purposefully. The hospice team's trained eyes saw to it that medications were given as needed or adjusted. Also that dietary considerations were addressed so that increases in medication would be minimized. We were able to trust your training and fund of knowledge in caregiving. Your team was able to help us as caregivers to understand what Dad was going through emotionally. The team felt more like part of our family, which takes healthcare to its best level, they cared about my father and treated him with respect. Thank you for not overlooking this very important part of a patient's care. Your team also acknowledged his need to share his life's experiences and his journey toward Spirituality. He had thought much about what happens at death, after his young uncle died. My father had decided to start reading scripture to see if it would provide him with the answers about death he was seeking. What he learned was so satisfying that it changed the direction of his life and by extension the life he provided for us as his family. We treasure that legacy he instilled in us. It seems only natural that at the end of his life that all the things he counted as treasures come full circle. He loved life very much, however he did not fear death. Some call it belief in higher power, but he felt like he was building trust in a living God, one who was never further than a prayer away, one he had a personal relationship with. He felt the support of a loving caring God who would remember him. This brought him much comfort toward the end of his life. My father lovingly encouraged my mother to get back to a spiritual routine as soon as she could after he passed, which she has done. She has found support not only with our family but with her spiritual family at the congregation. She has been reaching out to others who have suffered loss and trying to help them understand Bible passages for themselves, building hope and providing comfort. Mom is doing better. She has more good days than not. She isn't letting herself travel this path alone. She accepts help when she needs it. She allows herself to talk about Dad and treasures the many good times they had together. Mom is doing well after sharing 69 years of marriage and having Dad in her life for at least 72 years. It is an adjustment to be sure. It is evident to me that there are many facets to providing excellence in healthcare and this care team at Vitas has exceeded my expectations of care, and has included the family in the equation for this care, of which we are very grateful. Thank you so much for using your skills not only knowledgeably, but wisely, with the best possible results for us and our loved one. Sincerely, Sarah Rafferty-Wood read more

The doctor overmedicated my father. We believe he died prematurely as a consequence. They were more interested in obtaining leftover supplies than in caring for him. We found them to be incompetent and callous. read more

From day one, they began heavily pushing the drugs on her, both painkillers and anxiety meds. My mom did not want them when she came home. The first nurses both tried hard to get her on them. Her regular nurse came a week later for the first time. She did not like my mom telling her no about the meds, how to lay in bed, and it was a constant battle of the will, with her nurse not winning. She kept pushing the morphine despite my mom not liking how it makes her feel. She basically wanted me to drug my mom into submission. The day my mom died, her nurse came out for her weekly visit. My daughter and I found a bed sore on her hip bone, and realized that is where her pain during diaper changes came from. No aide was regularly bathing her, so no one saw it. It was in a blind spot during diaper changes. It hurt her to move her legs too fast, and she would cry in pain unless we went super, super slow, for any movements we had to make her do. Well the nurse decided the manuka honey I put on was crap and proceeded to start moving her legs so fast, wanting my mom to turn to the other side, with no sore there. While I understood that need to do so, her nurse started pulling her over by her leg, my mom is screaming in pain and I am telling her to go very slow. She refuses, determined to win at least this one battle. As I keep say go slow, she continues to quickly force my mom onto her right side, not the left. Practically dropping them to the bed, she doesn't have enough room for both legs to be on the bed. The nurse put a pillow under the leg with little room on the bed. I told her that my mom's leg would fall off, and she argued it with me. Two seconds later my mom's leg fell off the bed, my mom screamed out in pain, and the nurse got irritated and frustrated that I was right. She kept trying to deflect the fault from her to my mom, saying she brought it upon herself by not moving more in bed. She also tried to urge us to give her Dilaudid, despite my mom barely having taken any morphine. Every time I tried to do a ramp up of her pain meds, she wanted me to give the strongest dose. My mom had been talking to us earlier, before that visit, and even yelling at us (she had colon cancer that spread into her brain, so she got irritated half the time, loving the next) and even ate half a muffin. She was coherent enough to know where she was, who was here with her, talking to the dogs, etc. After the nurse pushed her back further on the bed, then roughly pulled her higher up on the bed, with my mom screaming in pain, ​​​she couldn't get out of here fast enough. She knew I was pissed and I told her I said to go slow. My mom never recovered from the pain. It essentially shocked her to death it feels like to us. She started to breath rapid, shallow breaths and was talking away to whoever was there to greet her (think she told my dad no...they were divorced lol). In only 8 hours after the visit from hell. I already planned on filing a complaint against this nurse and looking into legal action. Why are they so hung up on pain meds there? I asked the night nurse if they do anything else and he said just picking up the equipment, that is it. Guess no further support. Never met the chaplain and only saw the social worker the second day of hospice. No other support like volunteer help was offered, probably because she was difficult, for not wanting pain meds. So many regrets for not researching better. I trusted Kaiser to have better hospice service than what we got. I felt like a bother anytime I called for help from our nurse. read more

When my father was put on hospice care and became bedridden due to progressive ALS in 2022, I was grateful for the help and support from Vitas and especially the wonderful team of support my father received. His Aide, Mithor Agbalay was diligent, responsible and highly skilled to see to my father's personal and hygiene needs. He came faithfully twice a week to bathe my dad and ensure his well being was not compromised-he made sure my dad was comfortable even in his final stage of life. Mithor ensured every aspect of his role as a hospice aide was fulfilled. He was compassionate and understood my dad's needs to be comfortable were met. Our presiding Dr Rosenthal, nurses and RA were all very supportive too. My father was able to live his final journey in dignity and grace; thank you Dr Rosenthal, Mithor, Searge, all the nurses and our wonderful RA Hamed, for all your support. read more

What a horrible end of life experience! If you want your loved one to have a peaceful, pain free passing with dignity and people present... this is NOT the company for you. This has been a gut wrenching week! My father in law passed away alone yesterday morning. All week, we have been asking Vitas for pain relief and more support for him... it all came too little too late!!! He was complete SKIN and BONES.. to us... obviously dying.. he looked like a living corpse ..... but they told us that he was not ready to receive morphine.... We finally got it... he barely had any relief... he received one dose and died 24 hours later. He should have been receiving relief for DAYS before his passing. We asked for help during the night so he was not alone.... But they told us this could go on for a long time..... they would work on it... but he died before they figured it out. We should have trusted our gut and stayed with him in the Assisted Living facility.... But instead he died alone. We were told the med tech in the Assisted Living facility could administer morphine for him .... That was not true. Vitas was trying to work out the details for us... but he passed away before they got it figured out. He had not gotten out of bed for over a month.... Vitas ordered a pressure relief mattress.... He enjoyed it for less than 48 hours... and the process to move him was HORRIBLE!!!! He was in SO much pain. He had still not received any morphine. We enquired about having him moved to a hospice facility where he could receive 24 hour assistance with his passing.... But Vitas discouraged this. I wish so badly that I would have fought sooner and harder for him. I wish that we would have moved him to a hospice facility where true professionals could have assisted him with a more calm, comfortable, assisted passing. We trusted Vitas workers to do the right thing and they did not do right by us!!!!! read more

So I am currently a patient here at VMC, I am conflicted about the rating I am going to give today so I'll start by saying I love my Orthro trauma team led by Dr. Hecht and Dr. Krygier for making this as painless and easy as can be. Then I feel I should mention that most of the resident nurses have been on point and caring I can't name them all so I won't name any I hope they know who they are. Now on to the real reason I am making this post. I understand that all people do not like their job. YOU CHOSE TO WORK IN A HOSPITAL THE PATIENTS DID NOT CHOOSE YOUR CAREER FOR YOU. Hospital comes from the word Hospice which means: hospitality, friendliness, and hospitable reception. If this is not you please find another career you are absolutely worthless here not all days are good but there is absolutely no reason not to do the job your are here to do. Some of the HSA which by the way I can't find a meaning of what this abbreviation means any where but do to the fact that there is a depiction of a person pushing a person in a wheelchair I take that to mean an assistant to help the patient do what they can't on their own. But I could be wrong. I won't carry on and get straight to the point some people need to find new jobs and let the people that really care and want to help have the job because its not like we the patients want to be in the hospital but we need the assistance so I think for my review I will give 5 stars to those who care and 1 star for those who don't care people want to feel like we are exactly that PEOPLE not a number. thank you for reading if you made it this far. read more

I have really appreciated VITAS and their attention to detail for those they care for. When I have questions, they are quick to help me answer them and/or resolve them. I would really recommend them to those that need hospice services. read more

My mother was ill and was given about a week to live. We were introduced to Vitas from the hospital my mother was staying at. We met with Ronnie Tang the admission Liaison and he was great. He explained everything to my father, sisters, and I about their service and goals. Ronnie spoke Cantonese which was a plus. My Chinese is not that great so it's hard to translate some things to my father. He comforted us and was very caring. Thank you Ronnie again for making things easy. The Vitas nurses were also great. They came by everyday and spend half to entire day visiting my mother and monitoring her health. I don't remember all of the Vitas nurses that came by but they also made sure they spoke with my father and I and see if we had any further questions or concerns. the most important thing we told them was to make sure my mother was in no pain and comfortable. They monitored her breathing and also the amount of morphine being injected into my mother. Thank you Vitas nurse for everything you did for my mother. I was then working with Natalie Rodriguez a social worker at Vitas. Natalie is very caring and respectful. She and a chaplain called me and really took time to listen to my story about my mother. They both helped me with my emotions. It was difficult for me to see her in the condition she was in. Natalie called me often to check on me and often gave me reports of my mother. Thank you very much Natalie for providing support to me and making things a bit easier. I hope one day we get to meet in person because I like to give you a hug. I also like to bring a photo album so you can see the beautiful pictures of my mother. Thank you Vitas from my family! read more

My mom passed away about 13 months ago and I am barely writing a review. My mom had end stage gallbladder cancer, she needed a lot of care toward the end of her life due to her low quality of life. I especially want to mention Nurse Kate ( She was a younger Japanese women). She was so patient and caring towards my mom. I can't express through words how much she helped us through the worst time of my life. Thank you Nurse Kate. I am so happy that there are people strong enough to help those at the end of their life. The person who would bathe my mom, Luz was super nice and optimistic as well. There was also Dave ( I believe his name, older retired white man). He was the intake nurse or coordinator ( I think), he was very kind and helpful. They made sure that my mom had access to an emergency nurse even if it was really late. They gave us plenty of medication to help with symptoms and even sent us pamphlets of grieving resources. I would like to thank the entire vitas team for helping my family through the darkest time of my life. Thank you. read more

My grandpa was admitted into hospice, and unfortunately passed a few days after. The reason for the 2 star review has to do with the matter the clinicians conduct themselves. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt but the case manager was very pushy and rude and seemed like in a rush to admit my grandpa into hospice. In the end, yes the case manager was correct on that he should be admitted, but the way it was conducted left a really foul taste in my mouth. Show some compassion, it's hard to let go of a loved one, learn how to make the family and the patient comfortable. read more

My father-in-law was on care with Vitas at the end of his life, and they are everything that I had heard that they were. I am a hospice nurse in another city. I had heard nightmares about them, and now I got to live it. First, when he was still in the hospital, the hospital called Vitas without giving the family any choice. When the rep showed up, we were told that he was too close to death to go home and would receive hospice in the hospital instead. I said NO WAY for two reasons- 1) He wasn't close to death yet, he was in respiratory distress and had not been properly medicated. I insisted that he get the medication he needed and he was stabilized, was able to go home, and lived for 5 more days. 2)I know from experience that in-house care almost always means that neither the hospital or the hospice provide sufficient care, and your loved one dies without dignity just to serve as a paycheck to the companies. So we were able to get them to transfer him home. They had the hospital bed, oxygen, and other supplies delivered prior to his arrival, but no nurse met us at the home, and instead of having medications delivered, we had to pick them up from the pharmacy. A nurse didn't show up until after midnight, and he got home at about 8 PM. They did not yet know I was a hospice nurse and if I had not been there, the family would have spent 4 hours staring at him in the uncomfortable position the transport staff had left him in the bed, having no idea what medications he needed, how to use the oxygen machine, etc. I've never seen a patient transferred home without a nurse to either meet them at the home or get there within 30 minutes of arrival. When the nurse finally did show up she was not aware that she was the first point of contact since he had come home, and went about her business without communicating with the family. I tried to get her to do more family teaching and she got an attitude with me. Several medications did not get ordered, the case manager had to order them 48 hours later when they still hadn't been delivered (we were told they were coming from Arizona, which is already crazy since it was for Fentanyl patches, which would take time to start working once applied) and we found out she had never put the order in. She did not do any teaching to the family on how to use the equipment, or medications, or anything (again, I was able to teach them- but she did not know that yet). My questions were geared at that, and that was when she got an attitude. The only thing good about Vitas was our case manager. She was wonderful, patient, knowledgeable, compassionate. But I just kept thinking that she needs to go work for a different company. Bottom line: cheap supplies such as diapers that rip with the slightest movement, too cheap to give medications that come standard in the comfort kit for every hospice I've ever worked for (sublingual Ativan), they don't work with a pharmacy that delivers all of the medications (I've never seen a hospice that doesn't do this standard, and usually we can deliver meds within 2-4 hours when necessary), continuous care is supposed to be done if patient has intractable symptoms that need skilled care, Vitas provides continuous care "if they have staff available". It's one thing to operate that way, but I couldn't believe actually say it out loud to families. Also, they use Home Health Aides for continuous care, even though they can't do any of the skilled care. Many times I would get ready to change his diaper or give a bed bath and the nurse or health aide would claim we 'didn't need to' even though he'd be soiled. They were too lazy to provide basic comfort care. I'd start doing it anyway on my own and then they would reluctantly help. Also, no one (except the case manager) washed their hands or used sanitizer!! I asked one of the nurses if I could use some of her sanitizer, and she didn't have any. But she had not washed her hands when she came in! So she did no infection control. Then I started to notice this was the case with all of the nurses, so I bought a huge bottle of sanitizer and put it on his bedside table and they never used unless I told them to. I provided many other supplies they either didn't have with them or were too cheap to provide from my own stock in the trunk of my car. There are so many more details I could share, but the last thing I will say is that when he did pass away, the nurse who showed up was the icing on the cake. She was very businesslike, no compassion, just needed to get her forms signed. It was a Saturday and I think she didn't want to be at work. Since most people do not have a lot of experience with hospice, it is hard to compare the care you are getting, or to really know anything about whether they are doing the right thing or following protocol. Take my word for it that the care you are getting here is absolutely not what hospice is all about .This is hands-down the worst hospice I have ever seen in my life. read more

My Mom is currently under Hospice care with Vitas and I highly recommend them! Everyone is so caring and extremely helpful. I honestly couldn't do it without their knowledge and kindness. My Father in law also was with Vitas up to his passing and the care was amazing. read more

I must say that I am very pleased with the services that Vitas has provided. My mom is at the Palliative stage and sometimes she seems to be getting worse but her team at Vitas is very much involved especially her former Social Worker John. He was truly amazing from start to finish and I can't thank him enough for all of the help and support he has given us. The whole team was great and I thank them all, however it's because of John that Vitas is getting 5 stars. read more

Zero stars. Vitas is a joke and so is Good Sam in SJ for using them. You should all be ashamed. Not one Vitas manager has done anything, oh except side with the nurse who lied about her supposed care. Spoiler alert-she never showed up. Basically my mother died using their drugs but we, her family were left to watch and hope that things were going alright. No Vitas nurse to watch over and make sure she died comfortably. Us, stressing out and a complete wreck because WE ARE NOT NURSES. Such a joke. Complete BS. Still nobody from Vitas or Good Sam has admitted it was wrong. Unbelievable. read more

Definitely would NEVER use Vitas again. Unfortunately, Good Sam hospital in San Jose only contracts with Vitas, so you have to use them if you are doing in-hospital hospice. So I signed paperwork online to begin in-hospital hospice for a relative. I was told by the agent hosting the online signing that my relative would be seen by a Vitas nurse within a few hours, and that Vitas would be responsible for all of his care in the hospital, not Good Sam. Well, he wasn't evaluate by the Vitas nurse until 30 hours after signing. And even then, the nurse never touched the patient. He just came into the room, looked at the oxygen flow, stood close to the patient to hear his breathing, and that was it. He never even took his hands out of his pockets. Further, not once was he evaluated in person by a Vitas doctor during his entire stay. Over the course of 4 days, the Vitas nurse only came by two other times, and that was at the urging of Good Sam's nursing staff, and to start a morphine drip -- which was also delayed by several hours. Vitas only seems to look at the medical charts and makes decisions based on that info. So much more went wrong with Vitas, including Good Sam's doctors overriding Vitas' medical decisions. To this day, I wonder what service Vitas actually provided my relative. All I know is they got their Medicare reimbursement. It almost seems like a scam. (FYI, can switch to a different hospice agency once you are discharged from Good Sam, but this takes a lot of paperwork and coordination with the hospital, Vitas, and the outside hospice agency. But it can be done - just be very persistent. Good Sam's social worker and Vitas will make this as difficult as possible for you...). read more

I am writing this review on behalf of my deceased grandfather, Tom Takahashi, at the request of my Aunt June Ferreri, his daughter. My grandfather had been under Vitas hospice care for almost 2 years. The company was recommended to our family by Heritage Estates where we had moved my grandparents to assisted living, from their home in Livermore. Due to the deterioration of my grandfather's health, we had to move my grandparents to a board and care facility in a private home with six beds. During that entire time the case managers at Vitas kept changing and we were unsure Who was in charge. There was always someone new checking in on my grandfather. After he was moved to J & C Care Home, the services became more erratic, though he needed even more care. When my aunt would call, the people at Vitas did not know who was in charge of his case or when services would be provided. Our calls, as well as calls from the Board & care were not responded to in a timely fashion and they were not notified when someone would be coming there. They seem to lack a tracking system for patient care so information was not centrally available to be pulled up through a computer program by the patients name, like 'the right-hand did not seem to know what the left hand was doing', sort of thing. This lack of communication was very frustrating for our family as well as the caregivers. Also before my grandfather passed Vitas gave him a military certification to honor him, but the branch of service was incorrect. He was a US Army veteran, not Airforce. They should have at least gotten that right! I would not recommend Vitas to anyone I know unless their services improve greatly. They need to keep better track of their patients and what is going on with each patient. When a loved ones health is deteriorating, they should be helping to make things easier for the patient and their family, not more difficult! read more

Update: If you ever have an issue and you have tried every avenue within the company, ask for Russ. He's in management and will make sure things get corrected. That's what happened in our case, and things turned out better for us. read more

VITAS HOSPICE was there for my sisters and I in ways that I could not have known! I can not recommend VITAS HOSPICE TEAM SAN JOSE enough as my mother had the highest level of care in her final days. She was kept comfortable and pain free and the team was ALWAYS accessible to us. THANK YOU on behalf of my sisters and myself. Kate W. read more

I am so pleased with their care for my love one and the attention to detail they all had. Unbelievable, how their is still people who genuinely care about humanity, VITAS was there every step of the way. I know I had chooses but I keep hearing from family and friends this is the best hospice company out there. As a matter of fact this company was the first one in the hospice services and has been here the longest. Basically, pick a company that has knowledge, experience, etc... read more

This one is a difficult one to rate because the staff overall was so diverse, with some being absolutely outstanding and a few who I will just describe as overwhelmed. The issue here is that we're not talking about a rating for a restaurant, we're talking about end of life comfort support for terminal patients and their stressed to the max grieving families. I think those who run these organizations want to, but have to understand that they need to hold themselves to the 5 star and beyond standard when it comes to hospice. I really want to believe they're not just in this to maximize profits, but I feel I am just being naive. I chose Vitas based on a recommendation from a social worker, and just assumed they would be great, but in hindsight I would've done more research and gone with a recommendation (Hospice of the Valley) from another social worker who used to work in hospice. I don't know if they'd be better, this is my only experience with hospice, I'm just going by word of mouth. So I'll first say that the home tech aide, chaplain, and many of the nurses were wonderful. They were patient when it was called for, gentle with my mom, and answered questions in a calm way, even the really hard questions. Vitas was also extremely fast with equipment deliveries (and accommodating). All of their drivers I commend, for being patient and explaining how everything works. They were very kind. Social worker was good and we also had an occupational therapist do a one time visit, very knowledgable. One thing that is assigned to every patient is a case manager, the point person that everything funnels through. The one we were assigned was very rude, cold, and didn't seem to be listening. Yet when the doctor arrived (the doctor only really comes by once except I'm guessing in special cases) her demeanor changed rapidly to attentive and kind. All right in front of us. Yuck. This case manager was not with the company after the first week, which I'm thankful for. Yet we had a revolving door of case managers who juggled the vacant case loads. I think they did a good job considering, probably had their clinical case meetings and read some notes so they had a general idea. My mom was a fairly easy case considering she did not have complex needs. I still think good quality of care is having adequate staffing and in our case, having one nurse following the case regularly. It's weird how some things just stick out, there was an intake nurse in the beginning, who after having me sign some paperwork, sat there on her phone waiting for another provider. I was struggling getting my mom to the bathroom (we hadn't got the equipment yet) and she didn't even look up to offer to help or give advice to someone completely bewildered with what to do. Fortunately it was only these two who were very negative and uncaring people. Two out of let's say 10 considering the number of nurses we had and the few times I had to call the 24 hour line. Upon reflection the other providers were good to great and I want to thank them. It's tough, being a provider in a field where people are in pain, yet you are called to be professional and compassionate. That's why it is essential to take care of your staff, keep them healthy, hire the best diligently, and remember that this is more than a business. I will say that hospice helped my family through a tough time, and did ease my mom's suffering. Vitas I think is adequate to good, I'll say good, but I know you can be better, and you need to be better. To the staff who care, keep up the great work, you are in a unique position to profoundly affect hurting people, and never forget why you do what you do. Every second you give and the competence you prepare and present are all meaningful. To those who were kind to my mom and my family, you are appreciated and I wish you the very best. read more

There is no dignity with this service. I had to call on behalf of my brother in law who was dying of brain cancer. Only time they showed up is when we called them. Some of the services they, say they provide on a constant basis did not happen. I called again today requested daily care and an assistant to help with hygiene I was told well that was provided and I asked when and the response was 12/13. Oh Today is the 26th . Nurses on vacation... Oh it's a Holiday... We will get someone out there. Do not go with this company. No follow up No compassion, no integrity. In the last couple of days of my brother in laws life we are forced to move to another service. read more