Gentiva Health Svc in Sanford, FL

Pros

• They cared for their loved one like their own, providing compassionate and expert care.
• The nurses offered respectful, compassionate personal care and explained everything clearly.
• Maria Alvarez, RN, became a pillar of strength and comfort for the family.
• Yurima Galiano and Yunia Galiano, CNAs, brought dedication and gentleness to the care.
• Chaplain Andres provided spiritual guidance and emotional support that touched the family.
• The on-call nursing team, including Lianis and Lilibeth, acted with professionalism, urgency, and empathy at all hours.
• Elsie Draper introduced Gentiva Hospice with professionalism and empathy, and the team cared for Mom as if she were their own.

Cons

• Gentiva's breakdown of communication and executive-level failures is described as epic in size, leading the family to terminate care.
• Gentiva's overworked and understaffed staff, with a total lack of communication and professionalism regarding care plans and prescribed medications, was unacceptable.
• The Orlando/Winter Garden Gentiva branch did not answer the 24-hour phone line and was too busy to speak to the family, which was deemed unacceptable.
• Kindred Hospice Orlando is criticized for over-prescribing morphine in lethal amounts to hasten death and for not prioritizing patient care, with two horrible experiences cited in the last ten months.
• Kindred Hospice Orlando reportedly did not visit the patient for two weeks, relying on telehealth instead of in-person care, and there were concerns about using old equipment.

Review

Gentiva Hospice in Sanford is best suited for families that prioritize deeply personal, at-home end-of-life support delivered by a dedicated nursing team, with chaplaincy, social work, and caregiver education all integrated into the care plan. The strongest cases come from families who want a dignified, peaceful transition in familiar surroundings, with nurses who explain what's happening in clear terms and who treat the patient as a person rather than a chart entry. The reviews consistently highlight bedside compassion, hands-on guidance for caregivers, and a structured framework that includes a patient handbook, grief support, and ongoing communication with the family. When the goal is to keep a loved one comfortable at home while staying connected to a professional team, Gentiva proves itself remarkably capable.

Still, certain families should weigh alternatives, especially if administrative reliability and rapid care-plan development are nonnegotiable. Several reviews point to branch-level management and communication gaps, including delayed or unclear care plans, difficulty reaching the 24-hour line, and perceptions of staff being overextended or under-staffed. These concerns appear more prominently with the Orlando/Winter Garden operation than with the Sanford team, suggesting that results can vary by location. For families where a flawlessly coordinated, 24/7 administrative backbone is essential, it is prudent to compare other providers and ask pointed questions about case management, escalation paths, and expected response times before committing.

The core strengths of Gentiva - the nursing profession, empathy, and practical support - tend to outweigh the reported drawbacks for most families. Frontline caregivers are repeatedly praised for competence, compassion, and steadiness during a difficult journey. Nurses are described as patient, clear communicators who "don't BS you," and who become anchors for families in crisis. The team's impact goes beyond medical tasks: chaplains provide spiritual grounding, social workers help with logistics and grief planning, and on-call nurses offer critical reassurance at odd hours. These elements often translate into smoother days for family caregivers, a more comfortable patient experience, and a sense of dignity that persists after the final moments.

Care delivery at home remains the common thread binding good outcomes here. Families speak to a rhythm of one in-person nurse visit per day early on, with more intensive support as the end approaches, alongside training for family caregivers, supply ordering, and medications coordinated through the team. The reviews emphasize the importance of the written care plan, the availability of hydration for comfort, and the careful management of symptoms so that patient comfort remains the priority. The ability to stay in a familiar home environment - with regular professional visits, comfortable pace, and emotional and spiritual support - clearly resonates with loved ones and often shapes their memory of the entire experience.

Location nuance matters in interpreting these experiences. Sanford's reviews skew heavily positive, with multiple accounts elevating named staff members and praising near-term responsiveness, clear explanations, and a sense of real partnership with families. The more negative anecdotes tend to reference broader corporate or regional issues rather than the day-to-day bedside care itself. This distinction matters for families choosing Gentiva: a strong local team can deliver outstanding, person-centered care, while concerns about administrative bottlenecks or communication gaps may prompt a closer evaluation of the specific branch and its leadership, along with a plan to secure dedicated case management.

The practical takeaway is decisive. Gentiva Hospice offers exceptionally humane, home-centered end-of-life care when the focus is on compassionate nursing, spiritual and emotional support, and caregiver training. It is well-suited for families who can rely on reliable front-line staff and who want a patient to remain at home with a steady support network. For those who cannot tolerate potential administrative delays or who need rock-solid 24/7 coordination, it is wise to probe branch-specific performance, request named members of the care team, and set explicit expectations in writing. If the preferred outcome is a peaceful home passage with family-guided, professional backing, Gentiva in Sanford stands out as a strong, capable ally.

Restaurants

• Mr. Z's (0.1 miles)
• Deviant Wolfe Brewing (0.1 miles)
• McDonald's (0.2 miles)
• Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe (0.2 miles)
• Celery City Craft (0.3 miles)
• St Johns River Steak & Seafood (0.4 miles)
• George's Tavern (0.6 miles)

Parks

• Fort Mellon Park (0.6 miles)
• Mariner's Cove Park (3.6 miles)
• Sunland Park (4.4 miles)
• Bill Keller Park (4.8 miles)
• Campbell Park (6.6 miles)

Physicians

• Central Florida Regional Hospital (0.8 miles)
• Center for Dermatology & Skin Surgery (2.8 miles)
• Central Florida Family Health Center (3.7 miles)
• Team Health (4 miles)
• Annabell Torres (4 miles)
• Nemours Children's Urgent Care (4 miles)
• Colleen L. McLeod, MD (4.4 miles)

Pharmacies

• Winn-Dixie (1 miles)
• Walgreens (1.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.7 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.9 miles)
• Walgreens (4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (5.1 miles)
• Florida Health Care Pharmacy (5.3 miles)

Transportation

• Sanford Sunrail Station Sanford (1.7 miles)
• Deltona Executive Airport (2.9 miles)
• Orlando Sanford International Airport (3 miles)
• Debary Sunrail Station (4.3 miles)

Places of Worship

• Central Baptist Church (2 miles)
• Identity Church (4.9 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (3.9 miles)
• Starbucks (5.8 miles)
• Starbucks (6.3 miles)
• Starbucks (6.9 miles)

Hospitals

• Florida Hospital Lake Mary ER (5.1 miles)