Wells House of California

My father was treated here back in 2012, and I’m just now getting to writing a review… my apologies!
Fantastic crew here. My dad received the utmost respect and considerate care here that anyone could have ever asked for. His illness took him fairly quickly (3 mos), but the time he spent here helped our family cope with the impending loss right up to the end. Very home-​like atmosphere — helped reduce the stress and offer some feelings of relaxation and comfort in the face of what was going on. That was much appreciated. The friendly cats that wandered about the rooms were a pleasant addition, and helped make the home-​like atmosphere all the more calming.
The staff here is great — they took the time to make personal connections with us, and several times I came by unannounced and witnessed them either singing, humming, or otherwise talking to my dad while they cared for him. Always happy and with a smile, never short-​tempered or unwilling to take the time to make their patients feel like part of the family there. They laughed with us, they cried with us, they did what I didn’t think anyone could do in those circumstances.
Honestly I don’t even know how these people do what they do, much less with such a level of professionality and genuine care. It’s truly amazing. Would rate them higher than 5 stars if it was possible.

The best hospice care you can get in Orange County… kudos to all staff and the night shift are great people…

It was really hard for me to figure out how to rate Wells House. Here is why.
My mother-​in-​law is under hospice care so the situation is already not a good one. My husband and I wanted to move her from Palm Springs to Long Beach so she would be closer. Wells House is a very cute converted home that is now a private hospice care facility. We were given a glowing recommendation from a friend who knew somebody that had been cared for here. Also, a friend of ours had worked here and said it was a great facility.
We talked to Wells House and they set everything up so we could move my mother-​in-​law in. It sounded great. She was going to have a private room, there were a couple of cats that lived in the house and it felt much more like a home than it did a health care facility. My mother-​in-​law was so excited to be so close to us. We even moved her electric wheelchair into what was supposed to be her room.
In the 11^th hour, we received a call and were told that they did not want to take my mother-​in-​law in since she had a pain pump. It was going to cost too much for them to rent a pump. They wanted to administer pain medication every hour instead of letting the pump do it’s job. The pain pump gives a continuous infusion of Dilaudid and keeps my mother-​in-​law as comfortable as possible. To do it via injection would run a huge risk of her ending up in excruciating pain as she has at other facilities. After everything my mother-​in-​law has been through (fighting cancer for 12 years) we could not allow that to happen to her. It all came down to dollars and cents over human compassion in this instance.
3 stars were given because Wells House came so highly recommended that I couldn’t give 1 or 2. If you are looking for a hospice facility, this still may be a great option for you. I would just say, you need to make sure they are going to give the necessary care to you or your loved one prior to getting your hopes up and getting your heart set on moving in.

When I saw that my Unilocal friend Scott had written a hospice review I once again did a buttt kicking to my self.
I donate all of my old linens, towels and the like to Well’s House because there is a great need for them sometimes more than money.
Back in 1994 I was working at a dual diagnosis program in Orange where I became friends with an LVN co-​worker named Ron Wells. We often discussed at length many times the need for people living with AIDS to have a place to die with dignity (as there were virtually none as opposed to today).
The process for setting a hospice up is time consuming, costly, and intricate as to getting the right staff to to provide the care needed. Ron was determined to find a way but, where would the cash come from?
I came to work one day and Ron was gone; I knew it wasn’t his day off so, I inquired at the nursing station as to his where-​a-​bouts. «Michael he resigned today» I went straight to my office and called him.
He had befriended a woman of philanthrapy many years ago and upon here passing she left a large amount of money to him.
So, then there became Well’s House; at the time it was always full because even with the new drugs people were still dying from AID’S Defining Infections. Also, here they were dying with dignity and the staff are just like family members too.
I saw Ron when I was working days 2 years ago come into the bar and he informed me that they just had gotten approved and were opening another hospice in Stanton. Also, he said now the majority of their hospice patients are cancer and other terminal diseases. This is so because people living with AID’S are [living].
My grandmother got to die at a Hospice in Whittier in 1998 (from Sepsis) with me and my mom at her side and, I was impressed at the grace of dignity there as well.
Being an LCSW by education I was truly impressed with Well’s House and all that they do. As my friend Bobbie died with dignity at Well’s House from Prostate cancer in 2004.
Kudos to you Ron Well’s, your staff and the people who believed in your dream to provide this ever expanding needed service!