How to choose hospice? Any dos and don'ts? bad experiences?

Ask around. My dad was on hospice and had the best care. He died in is own bed, well taken care of, with us there. This is what I would do: go online, find a complete list of hospices in your area. Ask around, ask your AAA, other people, your doctor, question the social worker, the nurses, even the nursing assistant. You will sooner or later find someone who will "crack" and tell you unbiased information. LOL. If nothing else, a big hint from medical staff may be which one they name first, which one comes up the most and which one is left off. Good Luck! Hospice can be a great experience for you and your loved one if the right team is found.

Our mom was at a nursing home and we filled out a MOLST (medical orders for life sustaining treatment) for her. She did not want feeding tubes, respirators, resuscitation, IV fluids, pacemakers--no interventions of any kind. So when she had the last stroke, the MD discontinued all medications except Robaxin (morphine). She was no longer conscious, BP and HR were unreadable. She died in her sleep that night. It was a good option.
Nursing Homes may not need to switch to hospice. They can use the same medical protocols as Hospice, without bringing in an outside service.

The hospice I used for my Mom was outstanding, but the group is just localized to my area. Call your Dad's primary doctor and ask for recommendations. Call your local Council on Aging and see if they have a list and who would they recommend [they might not be allowed to recommend]. If you find the same name popping up, then call them and they will get the conversation started.

Generally a non profit organization is better. Ask around and talk to a family who is using hospice currently or has in the past. What were their experiences. It's important to have a full understanding of what hospice is and does before starting the process.