Hospice of the East Bay

These people are the best. I would recommend them to anyone that has a family member that needs comfort for a loved one in their final days.
W. Kolin

This group was absolute fabulous from beginning to end. I cannot imagine going through this without their care, compassion and knowledge. We were surrounded by caring people who made my husband’s terminal illness bearable. Their patience & skill was outstanding and I have nothing but the highest praise for the team who took care of my husband as well as our family. They were truly a blessing…

The clinical care team and volunteers were wonderful to us and deserve five stars. This review is for the «back office» staff, who have erroneously denied a bill for $ 1200 for medication administered to my mother while she was on hospice. Can you imagine, that just weeks after my Mom has passed away, I’m fighting with this hospice claims clerk and her supervisor to pay for medication that was pre-​approved by the hospice care team? My family and I had been so impressed with the caring way the clinical team and volunteers of Hospice of the East Bay had been to my mother and us, that we were going to give a sizable donation to this hospice in my mother’s name. But now that they’re hijacking us for $ 1200, and committing Medicare fraud in the process, not only won’t we make a grateful donation, we will, instead, inform Medicare, file a complaint against them, and go from there. It’s so unfortunate that their staff who have no direct patient contact, can so utterly undermine all the good that their clinical team and volunteers work so hard to do.

My Mother In Law recently died while under the attendance of Hospice. Over all the staff did a great job. Unfortunately the Hospice employee that was in attendance with our Mother immediately following her death was very unprofessional and unkind. We entered our Mother’s room to say our final goodbye, we were stricken with grief and the Hospice employee refused to leave the room to allow us privacy for closure. She was unsympathetic and offered no words of condolence or support. She sat at a table with her back to us, tapping on her computer in our Mothers room in her memory care facility for which we had been paying cash rent for several Months. This Employee of Hospice was asked 4 times to leave the room and finally told by us to leave the room. Each time she refused replying that she was «just finishing up». When she finally left having completed her documentation she complained that we were rude to her. One of the person’s that had requested twice for her to vacate the room was a part owner of the wonderful facility in which our Mother spent her final months. The Hospice employee even refused her request.
This was our Mother’s home that we paid dearly for, where she received kind and compassionate care in the final days of her life. This Woman, an interloper, is paid employee of Hospice and someone we had never met prior to this event, a total stranger to us. Yet she invaded one of the most private moments in a Family’s life, the passage of a Mother. Our closure was not only interrupted but was amplified by the rude, belligerent presence of this person in our space. This once in a life time experience was tainted by this Hospice employee.
As a health care professional of 30 years, I am appalled by the behavior and callous attitude of this «professional» in the employ of Hospice, a company the express purpose of which is to comfort the Patient and Family during death. I was shocked to find out that this was the second time this employee had refused to vacate a room in this same facility.
Shame on you Hospice allowing this to occur not once but twice.

We got a referral for the Palliative care part of this organization. After 4 days, Hospice of the East Bay never called. I finally called them and they said, yes, we received the referral, but we don’t service your city — 15 minutes from their address. They knew all this when the doctor called with the referral and said, yes, please fax over all the medical info. How can a hospice or palliative care organization not return calls? Can’t imagine how they would be if anyone would want to become a client. Not return a call — horrible attitude and service. They are in the wrong business.

I don’t know how these amazing people do the work they do day in and day out, but I am so, so grateful they do. Unfortunately we have had the need for hospice for both my mother-​in-​law a year and a half ago, and my mother just a few weeks ago. It is a nearly unbearable situation to have to say goodbye to a parent. In both cases, this situation was so made so much easier thanks to the great folks at Hospice of the East Bay. Every nurse, caregiver, social worker, etc. that we worked with was so kind and compassionate. I can’t imagine spending my work days caring for people who are dying. But I don’t know how we could have gotten through either of these situations without them. In both cases they made sure our moms were well cared for and comfortable. If there was any concern that they weren’t as comfortable as they could be, the nurses would do whatever necessary to rectify the situation. Unfortunately we can’t remember the name of the case manager nurse for my mother-​in-​law, but she was wonderful. She took charge and got whatever we needed, and was kind and compassionate. Our recent case manager nurse, John, was phenomenal. In one instance he stayed with us for nearly two hours to continue to adjust the medication and make sure my mom was comfortable before leaving. And he was the one who came when she passed. He was so kind and compassionate and made a horrible situation go as smoothly as possible. I would never wish this situation on anyone, but if you find yourself in need, I would definitely recommend Hospice of the East Bay!

Bruno’s house is a very special place with an amazingly compassionate staff. Bruns house was exactly as described on their website. The staff was their to comfort. They were very upfront and supported our wishes. We were very clear that our loved one was in the final stage of her life and we were looking for support in during the transition. Bruno’s house staff was very considerate and respectful. The house was clean and the staff was very competent.
I would recommend Bruns house to anyone who is looking for an alternative to ICU or at home hospice.

It is with a very heavy heart that I write this review. My prior experience with other hospice providers has been wonderful, due to the caring and collaborative nature of the hospice nurses themselves. However, with Hospice of the East Bay, there is a lack of compassion or even basic respect for the dignity of the patient. And the hospice nurse is openly disregarding our loved one’s wishes — including that the person be bathed daily and be clothed in more than a diaper.
Instead, the focus is on overmedicating the patient to speed her/​him into death. Additionally, if a family actually seeks to use any of the «services» offered — such as reaching out to the «chaplain» — the family should prepare to wait for more than a week for a return call. And nurses do not work on the weekend. I suspect that this is actually a «for profit» disguised as a non-​profit.
Please — for your family’s sake, and the sake of your loved one who is dying — do not retain Hospice of the East Bay.

I would highly recommend Hospice of East Bay to anyone that is going through a difficult time with a loved one. They took very good care of my mother in her final days. They kept our family informed, supported us and answered any questions we had. They made a difficult time much easier to handle. They are truly angels.

It took a couple weeks to get my husband’s medication right, but he’s doing very well on the regimen now. For a while, he was over-​medicated on morphine, but they took him off that and onto methadone, which is keeping him comfortable and alert. He went from complete bed rest to eating at the table with us and spending most of his days in his chair in the living room, watching TV, reading, visiting.
So far, we’re impressed with the care he’s being given.

The organization is set up to over medicate patients to make their death short and as pain free as possible. My daughter (the patient) was a young adult. The nurse assigned to her was kind but overly wordy. We had a very difficult time getting her pain meds right so she was comfortable and yet awake. They assigned a portable pain pump that we didn’t need because things were great. So, they took it away. Then we needed extra pain meds for her. We didn’t have to meds or tools to take care of my daughter. We called late at night. New pain med orders would be coming. My daughter was in TERRIBLE shape. We wanted a nurse to come. This went on for several hours. We got inadequate pain med orders that were too late. The nurse came too late. Our daughter expired without the care we expected and needed. THE END.

I would recommend Hospice of the East Bay. While she got injured while an aid was giving her a shower, early on in the care process, the other care she received was top notch. The original unskilled aid was replaced by Willa, who was excellent. My mothr loved her and looked forward to her visitis. Her nurse, Katrina, was also excellent and made my mother’s passing as smooth and painless as possible.

I couldn’t imagine a better place for my father-in-law’s final days. It is located in a converted home that completely melds into the rest of a beautiful quiet neighborhood. My father-​in-​law had his own large room. Staff were attentive, caring, and respectful.
Most of all the beautiful gardens in the back complete with memory stones is so tranquil and peaceful. It still brings me comfort two years later to remember our own memory stone my son and I left for grandpa in that beautiful place.

Our 87 year old father died at the end of March, 2014. He was transferred to the Bruns house from John Muir Medical Center, where he peacefully passed away two days later. The nurses, Doctors and support staff were very kind, compassionate and overall excellent. A special thank you to chaplain Carol Doletzal, who supported our family emotionally and spiritually, as my father passed from this world to another. We are very grateful to all of the people who work at hospice and particularly, the Bruns House. Thank you.

Fortunately, even during this difficult time, I was not herded into signing with Hospice of the East Bay for a family member. Shoddy information transferral; an unprepared intake nurse who was late and left a phone message on the wrong number; what seemed more like a sales pitch than a patient conference; said intake nurse trying to hold an intake conference never having read the patient’s medical file, having never spoken to the nursing home staff, nor familiarized herself with facility patient’s care procedures; and all this culminating in an afternoon call where I was put on hold with jarring music only to be connected to a call center employee who couldn’t even get basic information right. Our family members deserve better than this.
Today I signed up for hospice with another organization in the area. My introduction to their services was 180 degrees from what I had experienced with Hospice of the East Bay.

Hospice of the East Bay attended to my father during the last days of his life. They were kind, caring, and made sure he was not in pain. While some of the reviews here are from families seemingly unwilling to deal with the reality end of life of their family members, this is not one of them. The hospice nurse sat with me for a long time after he passed. I can say nothing but good things about them.

Brun’s house provided excellent care to our family member, and was very supportive to the extended family. Thank you so much.

I was dismayed and surprised to find any poor reviews about Hospice of the East Bay (I was looking for a plumber and decided to check out HEB on a whim). As a Patient Support and Vigil Volunteer I’d like to add my perspective to the dialog.
I have been volunteering for HEB for two years now, and after having had dozens of patients have never once had a situation where I have seen anything other than the utmost care and concern for the patients. As a volunteer, I have the option to spend my time (and money on gas, etc.) anywhere I choose, and I am sure I am with an organization that is top rate and is the «Gold Standard» of hospice care in the East Bay.
In my particular work, I am often a companion at the deathbed of patients who don’t have family or friends available (sometimes they have outlived their family, sometimes none is in the area, sometimes they are just «loner» types, and sometimes a loving family is just too exhausted and needs a break). I can tell you that I personally treat and care for them as if they were my own family, to the point that I also mourn the death and need a little time to myself after they pass. In innumerable situations I have experienced seeing staff from HEB do exactly the same, and many of the nurses and the doctors are what I would call «Living Angels». I am certain that I will call Hospice of the East Bay when needed for my family or myself.

I want to sincerely thank all the staff at Bruns house for taking care of my mom on her last day with us. You guys are awesome at what you do. We are grateful for your support at the most difficult time in our life.

Don’t be fooled by this organization which is supposed to be non profit. This is a for profit business whose purpose is to get maximum profit out of the dying taking advantage of the Medicare which covers hospice care almost indefinitly. Most hopitals and doctors and carehome recommend hospice care whether it is needed or not because” Medicare covers the cost”.
In my mother’s case Hospice of the East Bay started charging the day they are contacted even though the actual service did not start right away. It also continued charging the daily charge of $ 210-​$ 260 for a long time after we requested the termination of the services. Our mother was not under Medicare so we noticed their business proctice of billing after their service stoppage.
This is an old people rip off practice most Medicare patients do not notice (because it is not their money).