CareCHOICES

The CareChoices team including Geoffrey Carol, Cristina etc were absolutely amazing and wonderful. I can’t say enough about these hospice services during some of the most difficult days ever. Their intake person came to the hospital, arranged transport to a facility and when that facility wasn’t working, went with me to find another facility and organized that transport. All of Mom’s needs were expertly and professionally handled. And they went out of their way to assure that I was ok too. At the end, I felt like the 24 hour nurses were my friends and family. They were compassionate, caring and extremely attentive to Mom’s needs. They took time to explain what they were doing during each step of the dying process and truly seemed to want to make sure that my Mom felt thoroughly cared for. I highly recommend CareChoices.

I was referred by a co-​worker/​friend to when Care Choices was called «St. Michael’s. We had an amazing experience with Care Choices and I couldn’t have chose a better company to assist our family during the most difficult time of our lives. My uncle who is a father to me was put on hospice by his MD for his stage IV CHF. He kept falling and getting hurt and we didn’t want to put him in a board and care because it was very unaffordable and he wanted to stay at home. It was a very stressful time in our lives, feeling depressed and alone. I knew he wasn’t doing well and I had to make some choices fast. We were offered respid so we chose that route so we could get some relief for a week. Boy, that was a big mistake as we almost lost him there. Nursing homes treat hospice patients like dirt. The nursing home that he stayed at was called «Victoria Health Care» I do not recommend that place. It had a bad smell, rude and understaff nurses, and most of the patients were begging to leave. On day 5, I went to rescue him because he was left outside of his room in his wheel chair all doped up on comfort meds. (poor guy) He was sedated pretty bad. I picked him up by taxi with wheel chair service and took him back home. I requested that they don’t give him morphine as he didn’t need it. There were a few days where we had a nurse stay here 24 hours a day, it was great. Several months passed and we were given a 3 month life span. He was showing signs of his life ending. We were handed the «blue book» and let me just warn you how emotional and REAL that book is. It explains death in a peaceful way. Warning you will cry and cry and cry but it gives you explanation on what to expect.
Anyhow, long story short a week passed and he was talking to deceased relatives, picking his clothes off and being agitated. We were told that it could happen soon, so of course I was worried, crying, sad that he was going through this. I was feeling hopeless, I wanted him to live so I prayed. We had the pastor come to our home but I really didn’t care for her. She made me feel more sad. A few months passed, and we ended up hiring some caregivers to assist and slowly but surely he regained strength and his appetite grew stronger and he started to gain weight and return to old self again. After one year, we chose to take him off hospice as he was doing so much better! What a miracle! He graduated hospice so we said good bye to Care choices.
We will use them again in the near future if we have to! Some names I can remember is Rosey the social worker who was super sincere and nice and Nurse Kelly who worked for Hagia home health care and now works for Care Choices. Thank you Care Choices for all of your loving support!

I’m a current volunteer for CareChoices/​St Michael’s. I started volunteering for them back in 2010 and patients have always told me how happy they are with the services provided by CareCHOICES. I haven’t met any of the doctors or nurses in this company but I’ve heard nothing but good things about them via patients. They are compassionate and professional. It’s always «oh Dr so and so is so nice and nurse such and such is the biggest sweetheart». CC is really great from a volunteer’s perspective too. Hours are flexible and the work is beyond rewarding. The administration is SO easy to communicate with. They have always been prompt with responses and make scheduling a breeze. Jeannie (volunteer coordinator) and Joseph (chaplain) are awesome. I absolutely love what I do with CC. I hope to be an active part of their company for many more years. Please consider joining the volunteer team here. You will not regret it!

I was referred to St. Michael’s, now Care Choices by a close friend. The decision to go with this Hospice was clear from the time i met the Hospice Representative at the hospital.
By the time I came home, the RN was there to meet us, the hospital bed was ready to go, all the meds were there within the hour.
I was blessed to have Mary Ann and Maria for FOURTEEN months. They were consistent, always showed up on time and communication was excellent. The compassion, love and interaction was the best. My mother had two wonderful care companions for occasional visits. We had the Social Worker come out to give me support during this difficult season of my life.
During the final days of my mothers life, I felt so peaceful and knew we all worked as a team to send her off into the presence of the LORD in Heaven. She left with dignity, love, and the best care… thank you St. Michael’s Care Choices.
With Much Gratitude,
Ann Krieger

Such a thoughtful, kind team of caregivers from the chaplains to the nurses, aides, social workers and volunteers. Highly recommend.

St Michael’s, now CareChoices… WOW.
When my Father was dying in 2013, he had the opportunity to have Hospice care. He said NO. «Having Hospice means I give up». Actually in retrospect, I wish we’d signed him up for it as it would meant a number of things, one of which would have been that someone would have been by his side the moment he left this planet. However, I will not question respecting his wishes.
After he passed away, I took full charge of watching after Mom so after some discussions with the head of nursing where she was residing, following her stroke in January, I asked for them to bring in a hospice group. Being named for St. Michael… well there was no way I was NOT going to get this group to help with my Mom. They were amazing!
They visited her, made sure the Chaplain came and prayed over her, took great care of her, and the morning of the 17^th at 3:24am when she passed, the called me to let me know so that I could come to her bedside, pray for her and then turn her over to the funeral home rep when they arrived.
I cannot say enough great things about the levels of care they provide. About the human touch, about the respect, honor, and dignity preservation they put into place around my Mother. Mom had the red carpet and then some rolled out for her to walk the stairway to the sky, although I’ve been told she was flown on wings of Angels to see God and be let into Heaven.
These people are amazing. If I had to do things all over again, I’d have engaged with them earlier and allowed them to help Mom even more than they did, but they say timing is everything so in this case… Perfect Timing.
Thank you to Molly, and All the wonderful people at CareChoices/StMichael’s for your help with my Mother. God bless you, God watch over you, and God Speed any and all you interact with as there are many who could look to you for guidance in this area of care that you provide families.
My family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts.
Michael Murdock, US NAVY DISABLED VETERAN

Worst experience ever. Patient was in terrible pain This was the biggest concern for the patient that they were comfortable. This case was not managed properly. It should have never happened. Had 3 different case managers in 4 months.

My family was so blessed to have the folks from St Michael care for my father in the last four days of his life. Thank you to Effie, Mary, Tracy, Maria and Paul for all the love and compassion you showed all of us as we walked through such a difficult time. If you are ever faced to make a decision for Hospice Care, call St. Michael. You won’t regret it.

I had two amazing nurses over a 24 hour period when I brought my Mom home to die after being in the hospital. They were amazing. Super attentive, caring, compassionate. They didn’t leave her room and continued to provide care even after she had departed. They prepped her body, cleaned the room and made sure she was properly medicated so she was without pain. It was amazing. The male nurse even sang to her (she wasn’t conscious, but he knew she could hear). I was napping on the couch in the other room and he came to get me just as she was dying. I was there when she took her last breaths. I can’t say enough about this organization. They made my last day with my Mom worry free. She passed peacefully and I wish I could hug them all and thank them again for their compassion and care.

We contacted St Michael Hospice on the recommendation of two of our doctors. Within an hour of calling we had a nurse come to the house to explain what hospice is (and what it is not) and to walk my father through the process. He was dying from a very painful cancer and his oncologist had not been forthcoming with his prognosis; everyone in the family was trying to help and being ineffective and worn out in the process. But the hospice nurse spoke plainly and made it very clear what he ought to expect so we all could better understand his needs. Within hours of calling them we had O2 and a wheelchair delivered to the house. Anytime we called for help we had incredible fast service with medications, equipment, supplies, or an RN arriving speedily to ease whatever situation might arise.
Hospice is not a place or a facility— St Michael provides in-​home care and the cost of it is completely 100% covered by MediCare. The nurses who run this organization are the best in the business. You still need caregivers at the house (and this does cost something) but the hospice people work with them and with the family, to provide the patient the most comfort and dignity possible. I only wish we’d called them sooner. They made the my father’s end of life transition much more comfortable, and provided support to him and to us. After my father passed they assisted in all aspects of what to do next and have continued to follow up offering support.
Yes of course you want professionals who know what they are doing, and we found everyone involved to be total pros, but most important they are kind, and they care. These people are angels. They really are.

Our relative came home from the hospital in an altered state, but had no terminal illness or condition. When she returned to a normal state and expressed desire to eat, drink, exercise, and be outdoors it was discouraged and opposed by this hospice agency. After persistent calls and wading through their bureaucratic process, a limited degree of palliative care was agreed upon.
After nutrition and hydration were given for 2 weeks, she had marked improvement and when desire to leave hospice for home health care that would provide more complete palliative and recuperative care was expressed, St Michaels opposed and discouraged it. The family had to insist and fight to revoke hospice and be discharged so appropriate home health could be initiated. Later we found it to be because of the way Medicare pays hospice costs — if a patient is in hospice for less than one month, costs are not reimbursed or at same levels as if they remain on hospice for more than a month or die within the first month of admission.
Cause of death paperwork was filled out upon admission to home hospice from the hospital — this was premature, unethical, and possibly a violation of medicare standards and medical protocols. Filings have been made with state and federal authorities on these matters.
Hospice agency’s relationship to home health agency Sonnet is a cause for concern and possible conflict of interest, and it led to many contradictory practices and communications to family.
We had contact with the following departments/​groups within St Michaels and give them the following scores.
Rating out of 5: Quality of nursing (³⁄₅), Social workers (⁴⁄₅), Chaplain (⁵⁄₅), Administrative (¹⁄₅).