The morning my loved one cried out in uncontrolled pain, we did what hospice tells families to do: we called the nurse. And we waited. Eight hours passed. We left messages. We explained there was a pain crisis. We described escalating symptoms. When we called requesting a nurse during moments of visible distress, we were told staff could not come for three hours because they were getting their children ready for school. Another time, we were told a staff member was out to dinner. On a third occasion we were told that the patient’s primary case manager RN, the same nurse getting her kids off to school, would be unavailable for several more hours.  No one responded adequately until we threatened to report the hospice to the authorities.

This took place in Los Angeles County, California. My family enrolled our loved one with a for-profit hospice in Whittier, believing what most families believe, that hospice will provide comfort, dignity, and responsive medical support for their end of life. What we experienced was something very different.

Medications meant to address severe pain were not delivered for approximately 48 hours after we were told they were necessary. During........

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