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About Home Instead Senior Care Reviews
Home Instead offers a range of in-home services for seniors. If you or a loved one needs occasional help around the house or 24/7 medical care, a local Home Instead agency can match you to a caretaker with the appropriate qualifications and the skillset for your needs.
Featured Reviews
Our caregiver is excellent. She is dependable and self motivated. She takes great care of my mom and helps with household chores. The company has been very cooperative with necess...
Read full reviewWe needed help with my 99-year-old father and 90-year-old mother who wanted to stay in their home… The support they have given is excellent and my family couldn't be happier for o...
Read full reviewWhat is Home Instead?
Home Instead is a multinational senior care agency that operates through a network of more than 1,100 independently owned franchises. It offers services ranging from live-in care to end-of-life care. Most locations train caregivers to help clients with chronic and common diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, chronic COPD, depression, diabetes, arthritis and cancer. Transportation services, hygiene assistance, meal preparation and other care options are also available.
How does Home Instead work?
You can request an in-home consultation with a local representative to discuss care needs, service options, associated costs and payment details. Home Instead then pairs you with a personal caregiver who offers the selected services as your agreed-upon schedule directs. If your assigned caregiver is unavailable, the agency sends another caregiver from its network.
Home Instead FAQ
How much does Home Instead cost?
Does Home Instead accept Medicare?
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Are Home Instead caretakers registered nurses?
Is Home Instead worth it?
Home Instead is a worthwhile option to consider. Caregivers are trained to take care of basic needs like housekeeping, cooking and grooming as well as more specialized medical issues, such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. In most states, 24/7 live-in care, rehabilitative services and end-of-life care are also available. However, since Home Instead locations are independently owned and operated, it’s smart to research your local franchise to understand costs and customer experiences.
Home Instead Senior Care Reviews
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Reviewed July 20, 2023
Home Instead signed a contract to provide a caregiver at the times/days we requested but were never able to provide a permanent one. Very inflexible shifts. Focused on their needs - not the patient. We requested one who could transport to doctor appointments and they sent someone who could not. Once sent a caregiver just to transport for one day. I am not comfortable putting my spouse in the car with someone I never met. They cancelled the next day's shift at the end of a prior day leaving me no time to make arrangements. Used a coordinator for care temporarily but didn’t find a permanent caregiver and cancelled the contract with short notice. They agreed it was not acceptable to cancel a shift but they did and then totally cancelled us saying that the problem was that we were annoyed that they promised a caregiver they could not provide, transportation they could not provide, and cancelled and changed arrangements too many times.
Coordinator expressed surprise that I had not been notified by office staff of changes. One caregiver quit before she started and we were not notified till the start of the shift. When I provided transport to doctors' appointments because they could not - they still wanted to be paid for their hours but were not flexible about adjusting; they wanted to be paid while I provided transportation. Did not follow instructions about exercise so the patient was in pain as a result. Did not seem to understand that dementia patients can be very functional at some times and almost unable to function at others. Condescending about input family and family instructions. Wanted to over control and dictate. Would not agree to meet with spouse prior to starting work.
I prefer to meet any caregiver who is going to come into my home and provide some orientation myself. They were very resistant to that. Exerted minimal effort toward providing a nutritious lunch even though no other tasks were required except direct patient care and attention. They admitted they had trouble finding caregivers but did not actively recruit - only passively advertised. The first time I called the office someone yelled at me about who I was and what did I want after I asked to speak to our coordinator. I guess they expect the dementia patient to call for himself?? My husband’s neurologist was so concerned about this experience that they put Home Instead on their do not use list and recommended that I provide a review so that other patients and families do not end up in the same situation.
Reviewed Dec. 24, 2022
I'm writing this in regards to the Akron, Ohio, franchise. Your experience may vary w/ other franchises. Caregivers were consistently 10-15 minutes late but clocked in on time, so my mom was overcharged. They bought groceries with my mom's debit card without her present, even though they were not allowed to do so (per manager). Some aides were great; others, not so much. There was no consistency.
One of the aides took my mom on errands right at the time my mom had an appointment. Home Instead has a portal w/ a calendar that the aide didn't bother to look at. The aide didn't answer texts or phone calls, so my mom was essentially missing for approx 90 minutes, causing me and a few others a lot of stress. Most of the care managers were good, but some were unresponsive - unreturned phone calls/emails. The positive: my mom liked most of the aides and she had a little help for most of her day. Overall, what I was promised was much different than reality.
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Reviewed Nov. 11, 2022
A franchisee of Home Instead did not investigate a possible burglary after the death of a client. The home health aide, according to security cameras, was shown burglarizing my mother’s apartment on the night she died. Administration failed to act to determine if it was their employee.
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2022
Every Direct Care employee and Administration staff was kind and listened to our needs. My husband needed nightly assistance for 6 months while he recovered from a lengthy hospital stay. The schedule was covered and calls were made ahead of time. The staff knew we had a dog. We will use them again.
Reviewed July 22, 2022
For the past few months, I have been using Home Instead-Oak Park’s services for my bed-bound grandmother. I have nothing but good things to say about this company! The caregiver that was sent to take care of my grandmother weekly has treated her like one of the family. She was very patient with her and was definitely that companion she needed. They are also very accommodating and always had a caregiver on hand for days when my husband and I wanted to have our date nights. Again, I have nothing but good things to say and will continue to use them in the future.
Reviewed May 13, 2022
Awful. Staff are undertrained and incapable of caring for dementia patients. For the most part, they are friendly, but when it comes to doing actual work, they fall short. We caught our caregiver putting my 96-year-old grandmother back to bed in the morning without breakfast or her medicine so that the caregiver could study. None of the caregivers we tried were able to cook simple, nutritious meals, none of them were capable of helping to shower my grandmother, and they failed to provide any stimulating activities for her during the day. They would just sit here in front of the tv. It was so upsetting and a total waste of money.
When discussing this with Joe, the manager, he became unhinged and screamed at my mother over the phone, eventually hanging up on her. He also lied repeatedly, saying that he would stop in during the day to check on things; however, the caregiver let us know he had never once come by. Dementia patients, in particular, have special needs. If your staff isn't trained to handle those needs, don't claim that they are and then get angry with us when expectations are not met. Raising your voice at your client is extraordinarily unprofessional. I simply cannot urge enough caution when dealing with this Thousand Oaks facility.
Reviewed Feb. 1, 2022
I would never recommend the service for family member, friends or my enemy due there lack or respect and care. they say they uphold, as a family company!! what a joke!!! The treatment my Husband received after tragic situation that the client died in the Bunbury southwest community. All I can say it is more than disgraceful as the company service made a couple phone calls after the tragic incident that occurred and they never touched base again to this day.. The mental trauma that it caused my Husband and myself as his wife picking up the pieces with no support from home instead no contact not even a card of email over the weeks or months this is proof what sort of company would want to work for if that how they tear you and act.. what do they really stand for!!
Home Instead Bunbury and perth have a lot to learn In there delivery of service to your local community and staff.. The trauma that It caused us as a family was hard enough but to experience such a poorly local service of lies in their lack of values of a family company to work for they say/to employees and service is far from the truth of their values they say they uphold.. There so much contradiction in their communication and the lack of care they give.. The integrity of their word and trained support of delivery of service support is a joke! We have experienced it first hand and would not want anybody else to experience the disappointment failure of their duty of care to my husband mental health and care from this company.
Reviewed Dec. 22, 2021
We started using Home Instead of Mishawaka because the VA chose it for us. My husband was a Vietnam veteran and was getting his health care through the VA AND he was also a Hospice patient. At my initial meeting with a representative, I was quite impressed. She said all the things I wanted to hear. I specifically wanted to know if any of their caregivers had experience with ALS patients. She assured me that they did and that's who we would get. She asked me if there were any "absolutes" in caregivers. I said they have to like, if not love dogs. We have a 12 pound Shih Tzu who is easily the sweetest dog in Indiana. Again, I was assured that we would get only dog lovers.
Our first caregiver walked in the door drinking a Monster energy drink and never stopped talking the entire 4 hours she was there. This was on a Friday evening and we were in the "winding down" phase of our day. The next caregiver we got was a sweetheart, very gentle with my husband and helpful to me. She suggested I request to have only her on our 3 afternoons a week. I must say the scheduler was very accommodating over the phone. She said however, that we would have a different caretaker the following Weds. That particular woman was here a total 15 minutes before I kicked her out. Her first mistake was when she yelled at my dog and told her to "get away from me" in a very loud voice. She then said, "I don't like dogs!", again in a very loud voice.
When I asked her about caring for an ALS patient her response was "What's ALS?" I told her a couple of things that I would need her to do while she was here, the first being that I needed her to puree some food for my husband, who couldn't swallow. Her response, "Nobody said nothin' about no pureeing food!" She also knew nothing about the fact that he was a hospice patient. After a couple more responses like this I told her she needed to leave. She was an awful woman.
You may notice that I'm speaking of my husband in past tense. After 3 weeks with Home Instead he passed away, so I didn't have to concern myself with them any longer. However, there is 1 more thing that upset me. When I called the office to tell them he had died I had to leave a message. To this day, 4 weeks after his death, I have received no acknowledgement of his passing, not even a phone call expressing sympathy. In my book that's just tacky! There are many good home care businesses in the South Bend/Mishawaka area, so please look to one of them rather than Home Instead.
Reviewed Dec. 7, 2021
We needed more hours of coverage for our mom. In addition to private care, we contacted Comfort Keepers and Home Instead. In less than 3 weeks Comfort Keepers people did not show up as scheduled... No notice to family at all one time... Text at 1130 at night for next am. Home Instead has been very good about keeping us informed of schedule issues. One of the 2 caregivers that have come is a good fit. The other was terrible and even dissed us when we asked her to wear a mask. She sat and did nothing her whole shift. We have asked them not to send her anymore.
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2021
Used the company website to make contact and request information on care and price. Was told someone would contact me next evening. Didn't happen. Rang that evening, got through to emergency line, only line open, was told person in my area would contact me lunch time next day, was given a name. Next day no contact! My conclusion don't bother with this firm 'cause they couldn't be bothered with you.
Home Instead Senior Care Company Information
- Company Name:
- Home Instead Senior Care
- Website:
- www.homeinstead.com
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