I have worked in Hospice for 29 years. It has changed over time, some for the better, some no so much. Mostly I worked in small community based organizations, but recently moved and was offered a position with a corporate owned Hospice that also owns most of the facilities where our patients are located. Good pay, NO weekends or on call. How could I not accept.
The facilities were not the best, but the staff seemed friendly. From the first week on the job the aides started complaining about the patients being abused. I started looking into it and discovered the abuse was rampart. Patients in urine soaked beds for long periods of time, no supplies or linens for the hospice aides to do personal care, pressure ulcers left untreated, it was a nightmare. I went to the DON of the facility who was friendly and pretended to be concerned, but I could see it was fake. I went to my boss who basically told me our companies were married, there wasn't much they could do, and to my surprise the aides who had come to me with their concerns were fired.
I spoke to one of the social workers who told me there were lawsuits against the Hospice for wrongful termination, and the staff never lasted long because whenever they spoke or filed a complaint they were fired. I was totally shaken to the core by what I witnessed. I wonder what price I will pay for going to the department of public health. I'm told dozens of complaints have been filed by the staff before me and everything has come back unfounded. Please say a prayer for me.
