Sangre De Cristo Hospice & Palliative Care

Excellent end of life care and the only non-​profit hospice in Pueblo County. They truly care about their patients & families they serve.

As my father’s life was nearing the end, he chose to spend the time he had left in peace — no machines, no IV drips with alarms beeping as the bag became empty, no more trips to radiology, no more bruises from getting poked with needles for blood work. My father was at this hospice for five days. During my time there with him and my family, I learned more about compassion than I have in all of my lifetime experiences combined. The doctors, nurses, CNAs, case workers — everyone there made sure that my father was comfortable. They cared for him gently and spoke to him so lovingly, even when he was no longer responsive. Not only did they take such good care of him, but they took care of and comforted family members when we had our difficult moments. We became a part of something so much bigger than our own family, as we shared tears and comfort with other families who also had loved ones there.
The facility has ten rooms, each with a different theme chosen by former hospice families in remembrance of their loved one. They are spacious and furnished so that at least one family member can stay through the night. The common area for all families consists of a living room with a fireplace, comfortable seating, a piano, television and bookcases with reading materials and DVDs. There is a dining room where the hospice provides beverages, muffins and rolls in the morning and a crock pot of homemade soup for lunch. The second level has a chapel and a family room.
Losing a loved one is never easy. I am grateful that my father could spend his final days in this hospice, surrounded by nothing but tenderness and love.

I give this hospice a very low rating. This rating is based upon my mother’s care and treatment during her last months. Late in my mother’s care, I asked to have the case nurse replaced because she was arrogant and didn’t listen to the wishes of the family. I had also caught her in lies. When asking the nursing supervisor to replace her, I also asked for his discretion and confidentiality. Within an hour, the action that followed my request, revealed that he did not honor my wish for discretion or confidentiality. In fact, the nurse was not replaced. In the interest of the family, the supervisor should have replaced her any way due to the uncomfortable situation he had placed my family in by not using discretion. Let me also say that the nurse I wanted replaced only saw my mother once a week for approximately 30 minutes — if that. This tiny bit of time did not make her a subject matter expert on the state of my mother’s health. However, one of her big lies was that she knew what my mother was experiencing and that I was not qualified to give an opinion even though I spent ²⁴⁄₇ with my mom.
It was also clear to me that this hospice and its staff all have groupthink. They apply all medical practices and medicines to all patients even though common sense dictates that every one of their patients are different and will react differently to treatment and medicines. Their arrogance in believing one-​size fits all, is dangerous and most certainly could be (and probably has been) fatal.
This nurse also lied about a diuretic my mother was taking. During my mother’s care under this hospice, her diuretics were temporarily doubled to reduce the amount of fluid in her legs (congestive heart failure). When taken for a long time, doubling up on diuretics (especially in an elderly person whose health is already declining due to cancer) can be fatal. I asked this nurse about this danger and she told me there was no danger to my mom because the diuretic my mother was taking was potassium sparing. I researched the specific diuretic my mother was taking, and IT WAS NOT POTASSIUM SPARING!
This nurse continued to argue with me about a lot of matters concerning my mother’s health. It was clear to me that the more I spoke to her, the more incompetent she was. She’s not contemporary in her education! But more dangerous, is her arrogance in believing she was ALWAYS right! Her arrogance will one day catch up with her and more and more of her patience will pay the price as a result.
Now that my mother is in a nursing home, this hospice has failed to follow up on a regular basis as they are supposed to. For example, the nurse is still supposed to see my mother once a week. She has not done so. As a result, my mother’s bed sores are worse and are open, oozing wounds and are extremely painful. Common sense would dictate that hospice would increase their visits to my mother and increase the number of times they replace the gross bandages on her bed sores. Replacing and doctoring these oozing bedsores just once a week is UNACCEPTABLE!!!
«Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, you also do unto me.»
I suggest using Frontier Hospice in Pueblo, CO. All families have the RIGHT TO TELL HOSPICE WHAT TO DO. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!!!