Hospice of Santa Cruz County - Scotts Valley, California

Gemma L.

My father died in 2020 and I reached out for grief therapy with a referral. The lady who called me asked me my life story which was awful as I'd just lost my home in CZU fire.

I was very clear I wanted to work on the grief over my father dying.

She denied help because she said I had to many layers of trauma.

I was shocked shed pretended to care about my situation to place me with the best suited therapist or grief counselor when in reality she admitted she asked me about other stuff so she could eliminate offering g me help.

I know hospice does great work but I only have stories of poor experiences so I can't share anything else.

Steve H.

Horrible don't let your family suffer by taking them here. They do not coordinate with your Doctor or family. They do not follow up or communicate even thought they say they do. Horrible place the way they treat you and family. Heartless!

Liza V.

My mother transferred from Palliative Care to Hospice last week. They called in less than 24 hours and were here for the initial intake very quickly. The initial intake was ok and went pretty fast. The nurse was so helpful and nice to mum. The nurse also went through the medications in detail with me and we picked one spot so all the Hospice workers will know where they are located, in case I get into trouble. They have also brought me a lot of supplies, which is a huge relief to my finances and my mum is resting comfortably.
Every experience is different, and this one was most helpful to my family and I.

nhlgal24

My mother died 11 years ago. I still CANNOT FUNCTION without her. I'm an only child. My dad is gone. When she died I called Hospice of Santa Cruz to ask about grief counseling.
I was TOLD NO bcos I go to a Psychiatrist for med visits. I explained the Dr. just asks about meds. That's all. I've had on & off counseling. I'm taking a med that helps with the depression I feel. I'm looking for counseling now & this popped up. I hope the person who told me no loses someone close to them & they feel like part of them is gone.There's no joy in my life anymore. I'm dead inside. I hope that horrible person finds out what that feels like Thanks for nothing, Hospice of SC.

astra C.

Every experience will be different, but we found the nurses and support staff at Hospice of Santa Cruz incredibly kind, quiet and compassionate — at a difficult time, they always answered the phone. They sat with us. Thy eased my dad’s way.

Garrett S.

The intake appointment was utterly terrible. Changing this review to three stars because I hear great things about the actual caretakers that help when the time comes. But in this intake appointment, the facilitator made it clear we should not schedule a hospice nurse if there was any chance of treatment restarting, because that would be inconvenient for them. What?! How could a hospice employee not be trained in keeping ears to the ground for if a patient decides they would like to switch to palliative and try to recover? That is really missing the forest for the trees.

She went through the brochure with everyone in the room, but was very much stuck to a pre-designed script and had little to no interest to engage with the patient and figure out what he wanted or was looking for.

It didn't go well, and that's unfortunate because it took a bit of time before someone was able to come out.

At one point I was attempting to clarify something to the patient who is hard of hearing and the employee looked at me visibly annoyed and actually said out loud that she is sorry but she needs us to stay on task because she has another appointment to get to. If that doesn't illustrate the lack of human focus of the outpatient meeting, I'm not sure what could better illustrate.

The thing felt rushed, pre-planned, and non personal. Not tailored to something as sensitive as a discussion around what end of life care looks like.

I almost never leave bad reviews, but I tried to express my frustration thoughtfully during this meeting, though I myself held some visible frustration, and she turned to defense mode, in terms of explaining her role, etc. I'm just saying (1) don't mention you have other meetings to get to... (2) make some indications you are willing to prod a bit to make sure you are getting to know the person you are explaining the options to and that they understand and felt supported (3) yes, tell what you offer, go through the list, explain the legal aspects, but have some room for tailoring what you are discussing to making sure the patient is set to understand and get the most out of care, otherwise they might as well have just had the patient watch a YouTube video rather than send someone over.

Mariposa K.

Hospice of Santa Cruz County provided loving, kind, compassionate care for each of my very elderly parents at the end of their lives. Hospice team members are always professional and personable. Their services are of the highest quality and beyond value! Thank you to the whole team!

Rhonda W.

Our families experience with Hospice of Santa Cruz During my sister’s transition to be with God was genuinely comforting, 100% receptive and always available for anything we needed, they had the hospital bed and necessities that were needed the day she came home fro the hospital, We received calls everyday to make sure my sister and and family were comfortable, every single staff member were kind, gentle and so sweet,whether it was on phone or at our house, “Hospice Your were truly amazing and my family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts” THANK YOU❤️ Longtin Family