vitas.com

Run, don't walk, from Vitas Healthcare

My mother passed away at the end of July 2023 and it has taken me this long to write this review because I was hoping my anger would subside but it hasn't and I just want to warn others to NOT use Vitas Healthcare. The care facility where my 101 year old mother resided recommended Vitas. In hindsight I wish I had done my own research. I was sold on their "comfort care" which, if the time came, would provide pain relief for my mother in terms of drugs such as morphine. It would be available immediately upon request. On a Friday at 11:00 am my mother began experiencing horrible pain. I requested a pain killer or morphine (it was that bad). Hours went by as I held my mother's hand as she pleaded with me to die because the pain was that bad. I made several trips to the nurses' station and they too were unable to reach Vitas. I called Vitas myself in tears for someone to help me get her relief. To make a very long story short, the morphine was not delivered to my mother until 8:00 pm that night! My poor mother suffered horribly for over 9 hours unnecessarily because of Vitas Healthcare. I suffered horribly watching my mother be in agony and there was absolutely nothing I could do. Days later the Vitas nurse assigned to my mother, who was totally missing in action that entire Friday, visited my mother and proclaimed that she was comfortable. What?? She finally shows up days later, now that my mother is under a heavy dose of morphine, and almost makes the remark as if saying "what was all the fuss about?" When I finally reached someone on the following day and told my story she were horrified. She told me she would find out what happened and get back to me. She never did. I'm sure they were told to circle the wagons and not give me any information as further phone calls went unreturned. Then they sent in the religious calvary. I am not religious nor was my mother and I didn't request that anyone from that department contact me, but she did and told me to let it go. Let it go?? To this day, I am haunted by the entire experience. I had so hoped my mother would have passed in her sleep, but to go through excruciating pain because of Vitas Healthcare, the company that we hired to make sure she never was in pain, was unbelievable. I am so sorry that I hired them, that I didn't do my own research as I would have found others with similar horror stories and gone with another company. Again, please do not use them. If this review keeps one family from suffering like we did at the hands of Vitas' neglect, it will make me feel so much better.

Date of experience: Jul 21, 2023