JourneyCare

Although there were definitely some blips in communication, we overall had a good experience for my young husbands hospice. The blips were when we engaged with different nurses we learned of different available things (books we should have gotten, etc).
Lucinna was my husbands nurse and she was kind, attentive and genuine. She spent as much time as needed with us and educated us on what else we could do to make my husband more comfortable. We also saw Alice and she was efficient as well.
We would overall recommend their services.

Signed my mom up for palliative care had meeting with nurse signed contract and never heard from them again. Then reached out to them they called and said we have a nurse in the area on such n such. I said great I’ll be there. They called me back in 10 minutes and said oh it was for a different patient same name. We’ll call you back. never called me back. very disappointed will not pursue this organization any further.

Now called Journey Care I am very disappointed with the lack of follow through throughout the approximately 7 weeks of which my husband was receiving in home hospice.
I had an excellent experience with MW with my mother in 2008 and the 2 experiences could not have been more different.
My husband had ALS, basically immobile and could not speak. I was told all his meds would continue to be covered but not true.
I was put on hold for at least 3 to 5 minutes when I would call off hours and would wait as long as 2 hours for a nurse. The primary nurse was the only one who seemed to understand ALS and the nurses who did come were unprepared with supplies.
I can go on and on and will be addressing in writing. But suffice to say the bereavement services were non existent for individual counseling. 2 days after he died I received a phone call from social worker of which I don’t remember as I was probably still in shock. No follow up after. I requested pet visits and music visits from day one and on several occasions and when finally delivered it was too late for my husband to appreciate.
Overall my concerns were dismissed and the «end of life» issues that they claim to address were not. In the end my husband became whiter and colder by the time the nurse came at death and noone was with me before death and no visits after.
The guilt I feel for not doing everything I could for my husband is immeasurable and when I learn of others hospice experiences it brings to light at how he was failed by this organization and the family as a whole .
Considering my insurance paid for the DME and respiratory therapist I would say that MW made money off of us.
Overall very disappointed and in retrospect very angry at myself for not being more vigilant.
This is the photo of my husband 2 days before death when the hospice finally provided the pet visit. You will note my husband was not alert to appreciate the visit.

I have nothing but the most positive things to say about our experience with Midwest Palliative in September of 2014. We had hospice visits at home for a few weeks which changed when my mother fell at home. My mother was a very difficult person as well as independent. When she enter the center she was not aware and never opened her eyes again during remainder of her life. The entire staff was very respectful, gentle, kind and never so much as touched my mother without telling her their name and what they were going to do. They were open to ideas I had regarding pain medication when I didn’t feel my mother was receiving enough of it.
The facility itself is beautiful and has a gentle feeling. They have followed up with me to see if I needed anything several times.

My dad has been receiving hospice care at home through Midwest Palliative and Hospice Care Center. Their dignified and kind care has helped my dad go on a «bucket list» trip with family and be cared for at home for four months. He has been alert and they have really listened to what he wanted and what we want for him. He is now in the Marshak Family Hospice Pavillon where the kind and dignified care is such a blessing. So grateful that through this difficult time we are not worried about care issues.

We used Midwest for in-​home hospice for my mom who had terminal cancer.
Nurses were compassionate. Responsiveness of entire staff was top notch.
No dissatisfaction there.
But we had grave dissatisfaction with the actual services that were provided.
They promote themselves as:
«supporting the whole person: mind, body, and soul…»
They also claim to:
«As doctors and specialists focus on treating your condition, the rest of you — your physical, mental and spiritual well-​being — can get eclipsed…»
You can verify on their Website.
But what we experienced was actually NOT either. Nearly 100% of their focus was on medicating my mother on high doses of pills. A few of these meds were brand new; within hours of her transfer from the hospital to her home, she had a new mix of meds that were excessive.
For instance, she was prescribed HALDOL, an anti-​psychotic, which was not necessary based on several doctors that reviewed her case. She NEVER TOOK HALDOL ever in her life and not in the hospital. She was also being adminstered antianxiety medicine through an eye dropper about every 4 hours. What’s maddening is that we were doing this — per their direction — even when she was sleeping or groggy or basically out of it.
My mom was dying, there was not evading that. But her affect — her ability to connect with me and the rest of my family — within hours of her transfer to Midwest for in-​home hospice was dramatically different. We lost contact with her.
Ultimately, I WISH MIDWEST PALLIATIVE & HOSPICE CARE would have spent more time taking care of my mom while she was dying in the ways that they say they do «mental and spiritual…». Things like physical touch, music therapy, singing, pet therapy… ANYTHING but the drugs.
I could have just called up her primary care for a bag of drugs if that is what we wanted. It was not. And it is not what you should be expected either.
MY RECOMMENDATION TO EACH OF YOU:
Ask questions. Demand answers. Request treatments and therapies that they are actively using that fall outside of medications. You have rights to speak up and have as much quality time as possible with your loved one.

The folks here are so kind and sympathetic. There are beautiful flowers all around. My only complaint is that reaching a patient by phone is a challenge. But that doesn’t detract from having a compassionate and caring staff during a painful time

Unfortunately the excellent experience I had with Midwest during my mother’s time with them, both at home and the pavilion, after her death is a horse of a different color.
The inappropriately named «bereavement counselors» offered VERY little of their time, I received pat advice such as go for a walk, meditate, take care of yourself, eat right, read a book, bla bla bla. This so called ‘counseling’ is something they have to provide as a part of the Medicare guidelines and as such so minimal and formulaic as to be insulting to me as I grieve and mourn the loss of my mother.
Also I found out after mother’s death one of the LCSW’s called a family member and said untrue and inappropriate things about me, this hurt the worst of all because I thought he was supposed to be there for ME. I received apologies from the director (s) and that is very little solace compared to the damage done.

Some of the experiences that we had with this company were good and some were bad. Currently, they made a mistake and we are being billed a lot of money for something that they were supposed to provide. They are not resolving the issue appropriately and are trying to avoid having to pay for their error. A good company (who has admitted their mistake) would then offer, not be forced, to pay for what they were supposed to pay for in the first place.
Also I found it inappropriate that a large portion of their materials are soliciting donations. Their office is a multi-​million dollar building and also shows how much money they are taking in by providing end-​of-​life care.

Our family recently spent 10 days in hospice care at Midwest for my brothers final journey. All I can say is that the care and respect he received there was top notch. The staff and nurses were truly committed to making sure Bills needs and comfort level were always meet. Sure, some staff are better than others, but after spending many days there, as well as nights, I can personally say I would highly recommend Midwest to anyone else facing similar life ending choices for themselves or loved ones. It was a godsend for our family who came to see Bill from all over the world. Thank you to everyone at Midwest. The Wolfe Family.

My dear grandmother spent three days at the hospice facility. My first visit there i got into the elevator with a lovely woman who worked there and escorted me personally to my grandmas room, immediately making me feel comfortable she was in good hands. The head doctor there was absolutely amazing, taking the time to talk to each family member, reassuring us with kind and thoughtful words. The facility was extremely quiet and serene a far cry from the loud noises at the hospital. The building is extremely beautiful with a family room with a fireplace books, magazines, snacks, and a station for children. We also were able to connect with other families there in the same hard situation. Midwest really made a horrible situation easier and left a sense of reassurance among our family.

After receiving some inappropriate messages on my original posting from someone who appears to be is strongly connected or employed by Midwest Palliative and Hospice, I am re-​posting and re-​rating the agency, as well as providing more explanation in my experience and rationale behind the rating.
In my opinion, hospice is an important and underutilized service. I am thankful that my family member was able to utilize hospice as their health declined. I wish more health care providers would educate their patients on the option of hospice and the wonderful benefits associated with this service.
The social worker and chaplain I worked with at Midwest Palliative were excellent and deserve 5 stars, however the reason I am only giving 2 stars is because a few workers continuously said they would do something more than once, which didn’t get completed until I made a phone call from more than 2000 miles away (Yes, I am originally from the Midwest, but traveled back and forth to visit my family member working with Midwest Palliative). I am irritated by and intolerant to the act of not following through. To make a comparison, you wouldn’t give a high rating to a restaurant where your server failed to deliver your meal after they said they would bring it several times.
I don’t want someone to read this and not consider hospice, I just want to make sure that people receive better and more consistent service from ANY agency they choose to go with. Additionally, I am not writing this to get someone in trouble at this agency, but this rating should influence everybody affiliated with and not affiliated with Midwest Palliative to strive to improve on following through on the simple things they commit to completing.
Unfortunately I won’t be using them for other family members if hospice is needed because of my above explaination/​experience, evne though there are a few excellent 5 star people there. Besides, probably after my posting, there won’t ever be an issue with follow through, but then again would you really send a friend or someone you cared about to a place with only 2 stars, or a restaurant where the server failed to bring you your food when they told you more than once they’d be right back!

There comes a time in life when families and health care professionals have to make the call: is this treatment improving the patient’s life or prolonging his or her dying? I went through this nine years ago with my dad, and now have the sadness of seeing my mother-​in-​law (no jokes, please, she’s a wonderful lady) out the same dark door.
The family met with a MD, RN and social worker from Midwest Palliative and Hospice Care center this morning. You would be surprised at how warm and upbeat these people are under the circumstances. End of life decisions can be confusing and fraught with emotion — it helps to have a guide who can show the way without imposing any judgments.