1 in every 2 clients will end up leaving your agency—we’ve surveyed over 100 thousand clients to find out why. Learn what your clients are saying about your agency behind closed doors and what they wish you’d do to improve.

What your clients think about you generates over 35% of your agency’s total income, making their opinion worth $582,700.

But less than half of them are currently satisfied.

If you’ve ever wished you could be a fly on the wall to listen to what your clients are saying about you to their friends: you’re in luck.

We survey over 9,000 pre- and post-acute care clients every month to reveal their top 10 complaints, with actionable steps to resolve each, so that you can start delivering on what your clients wish you knew.

Find out what they want you (and your staff) to do differently as we count down to their number one complaint:

Complaint #10: Being treated like a job instead of a friend

While it’s in the job title, it’s a practice that is easily taken for granted in the field: “care.”

Although your caregivers may be checking all the boxes of their job description, clients are looking for companionship that makes them feel less like a checklist and more like a friend.

As caregivers are often the only social interaction a client receives, caregivers have the unique opportunity to not only help their clients feel less alone as they work, but to build life-changing relationships while on the job.

Likewise, family members hire your agency with the expectation that you will provide someone they can trust to take care of their loved ones with dignity, respect, and friendship.

And it begins with bridging the generational gap between client and caregiver.

Steps to resolve this:

As 1/3 of the American labor force is made up of Millennial or Gen Z employees, the age difference between most of your employees and clients is no secret.

Bridging this generational divide is not only crucial to client satisfaction, but can also be argued as the secret to providing meaningful and fulfilling work outcomes for the rising generation.

Empower your care staff to build relationships with their clients:

  • Start your caregiver’s first impression on a positive note by briefing them on their clients’ care plan. Clearly communicate their client’s expectations so your caregiver is ready to deliver from day one.

  • Encourage schedulers to keep notes of their own on each client and caregiver to help them better match personalities.

  • Encourage every caregiver to document personal details about each client in their care, such as how they like their eggs done, when they like to read their morning paper, how they like to spend their afternoon, and what types of tasks they expect to be done to guide any caregivers who may need to fill in while the assigned caregiver is unavailable.

  • Designate a member of your office staff to contact each client after receiving care from a new employee to assess compatibility, gather feedback about their experience, and record any improvements that their caregiver could make.

  • Encourage your care staff to show interest in their clients’ interests, hobbies, and memories by training them in soft skills such as: Customer Service in Healthcare, Building Trust and Confidence, and Enhancing Attention to Detail.

Complaint #9: Care staff that lack accountability

The little things your caregivers do define your agency’s reputation—and it’s all being done behind your clients’ closed doors.

Which is why listening to what your clients experience every day is the only way to know that they’re frustrated with caregivers arriving late, leaving before the end of their shift, or not showing up at all. As some clients are on a strict schedule, having a caregiver show up late could result in being left unattended or cause an inconvenience for family members who have to stay longer as they miss out on those extra 10-20 minutes they’re paying for.

According to your clients, your caregivers are also not completing what is expected of them, are spending most of the time on their phones, and are arriving in unsuitable attire.

Steps to resolve this:

Don’t be left wondering how your employees are acting when you aren’t looking. Train them to deliver polished, quality care before they even step inside your clients’ homes.

Making your employees accountable for their actions starts by clearly communicating the quality of care your agency expects:

  • Prioritize soft skill training: Never has soft skill training in the workplace been so important as in environments where you don’t see your employees every day. When you consider the generational gap between employee and client, teaching simple manners to employees who care for a generation raised on propriety will go a long way. When you position punctuality and personability as just as important as the hard skills, your caregivers will begin to do the same.

  • Standardize work attire: It’s best practice to require your care staff to wear scrubs or a uniform while in their clients’ homes. This will help your caregivers communicate professionalism and consistency on behalf of your agency. Offering branded company clothing that can be used while on the job will also add a personal touch and give your caregivers a variety of company-approved attire to represent your agency.

  • Get a second set of eyes: Hold demonstration performance reviews where a caregiver’s mentor or supervisor attends a caregiver’s shift to give them feedback on what they’re doing well and what improvements they need to make.

  • Keep following up with your clients: The only way you can know if your employees are embodying your agency’s mission is by asking the ones they care for. Make it easy for your clients to be heard by reaching out to them to gather their feedback and hear their concerns on a regular basis.

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Complaint #8: Unmet expectations and confusion in the type of care they can expect

Clients are finding their desired tasks are being left uncompleted and are tired of being assigned caregivers who wait until they’re told what to do. They feel they are being left in the dark about what they can and can’t expect from their caregivers.

Although you may know what your agency does, your employees and clients are unsure. Inform your clients of the services your agency provides before they let their assumptions lead to disappointment.

Steps to resolve this:

Miscommunication leads to dissatisfaction. Your employees and clients need to know what your agency expects of them to build a mutually satisfactory and successful relationship.

Clarify your company’s messaging from the start of your clients’ and caregivers’ first interaction with you:

  • Clearly outline your agency’s services, specialties, and policies in a written contract while acquiring a new client and review them with current clients: Let your clients know what they’re signing up for and what they can expect from your agency from the start. Before the blame is put on your employees and your agency’s capability is questioned, give your clients and their families a resource that outlines what you can and can’t offer them as an agency.

  • Review the care plan with both client and caregiver to create clear expectations that everyone agrees on: As caregivers perform based off the information provided to them in their client’s care plan, both the caregiver and client should review the care plan before care begins to ensure everyone is on the same page. This will help your clients know what they can expect their caregivers to do for them daily.

  • Ensure consistent quality of care by training all caregivers to start on the same level: It’s not just your clients who are confused on their caregiver’s expectations—your employees need to know what their job responsibilities do and don’t entail as well. It’s important to train everyone in: the basics of light housekeeping to know what types of household chores clients can expect of them, your agency’s policy for driving clients to run errands, and what daily responsibilities they are expected to do every day on top of their client’s care plan.

Complaint #7: Caregivers who can’t prepare a meal

While this seems like an easy complaint to skip past, the number of clients who stated they would appreciate if your caregivers had basic cooking skills was staggering.

While we recognize that a caregiver isn’t hired to be a personal chef, sometimes clients do not have the ability to feed themselves or would appreciate being cared for in a small way with a simple dish.

In fact, most clients reported just wanting to be able to rely on their caregivers to make them a grilled cheese sandwich, fry an egg, or prepare a small meal.

Steps to resolve this:

Stand out as an agency by training your caregivers with basic cooking skills so they can take care of your clients as if they were their own loved ones. Care staff who learn culinary skills for the workplace improve health outcomes when they are given the tools to manage nutrition for chronic conditions.

HCP Training offers culinary skill training courses that will help your care staff know what types of meals are reasonable to prepare for clients and give them greater confidence in understanding how to fulfil their client’s needs.

culinary skill training courses for caregivers

It’s also helpful to equip your caregivers with a few easy recipes with instructions to have on hand to ensure they don’t feel overwhelmed when a client needs to eat.

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Complaint #6: When they don’t have scheduled care during the hours they need it most

Many clients complain that their caregiver isn’t scheduled to start their shift until hours after they needed them most or are leaving before they’ve met all their needs for the day.

As caregiver shortages continue, lack of staffing makes it difficult to ensure there is always someone scheduled to take care of a client during their desired hours.

But before the industry-wide staffing shortage induces further panic, the solution isn’t to hire more caregivers. Instead, strategically place the staff you do have in the hours they’re needed the most.

Steps to resolve this:

Not every client requires care at the same time or during office hours. Listen to your client’s and their family’s needs to determine when they believe care would be the most helpful, and hire employees based on those hours.

In a recent episode of our podcast, Miki Rossanis, Head of Clinical Development at Sensi.AI shares how artificial intelligence technology can help families and agencies determine what time of day a client needs the most help and what kind of physical care they need:

“In one scenario, there was a period of the day where Sensi was picking up on a lot of cognitive anomalies where the client was very confused, forgetful, disorientated, and was making a lot of distressed phone calls to family members.

“By using the Sensi data, they were able to implement physical care with the client’s consent and understanding of when they really needed care. It helped her see that she wasn’t going to have someone with her in her home 24/7, just during the period where there was more difficulty. This provided her with that first step to receiving physical care, enabled the home care agency to make more informed decisions on her care, and put the family at ease knowing that their loved one was being cared for during the period where she really needed it.”

Be sure to personally follow up with your clients to see if their caregivers are showing up during their scheduled hours and to have your schedulers update their preferred hours.

Complaint #5: When more than 1 or 2 caregivers are assigned to them

We get it; it’s hard to match a single caregiver’s schedule perfectly with a client. However, clients are seeking to build relationships with their caregivers and need to be able to trust and get along with the people who come into their home.

The issue clients run into is when their regular caregiver can’t make their shift and they’re assigned someone who isn’t qualified to meet their needs or are just left without a caregiver for the day.

Clients want to have consistent caregivers they can rely on to take care of them and who understand their needs.

Steps to resolve this:

While you can’t guarantee that a client won’t see more than one caregiver, fulfilling their needs is a team effort. Your whole team will need to communicate with each other to ensure everyone is up to speed on the types of clients and specialties they may need to work with:

  • Use the needs of your current clients as a guide for which topics your entire care staff needs to be trained on: While some factors such as physical differences may present themselves, training your caregivers to handle as many different specialties as possible ensures your schedulers have a larger pool of qualified caregivers to choose from while matching them to a client.

  • Have your schedulers prepare a few best-fit caregivers for each client: While an employee calling in sick is frustrating to your clients, it can be even more frustrating to your schedulers, who are now in charge of finding someone to cover their shift. Have your schedulers prepare for caregiver absences by having a list of 2 or 3 back-up caregivers who match the needs and personality of each client. That way, instead of just trying to fill a shift, they will have a prepared list to reference with the best options available.

  • Prepare for substitutes by implementing better caregiver documentation: Nothing is more frustrating than expecting your regular caregiver only to have a rotation of employees entering your home who all need to be briefed on what you need done. While all substitute caregivers should review a client’s care plan before entering their home, those assigned to the client should record little details and preferences only they know about their client to ensure their client is taken care of while they’re unavailable.

  • Introduce new caregivers to avoid blindsiding the client: If a caregiver is entering a client’s home for the first time, set them up for success by preparing your client for who is about to knock on their door. Ensure all caregivers who are visiting a client for the first time review the client’s care plan beforehand and introduce themselves upon meeting to smooth out any hesitancy or discomfort your client may feel towards them.

Complaint #4: When their care plan isn’t taken into consideration while being matched with a caregiver

Imagine you need someone with physical strength to lift you in and out of bed, but to your surprise, you’re assigned a petite caregiver.

This isn’t a hypothetical scenario; it’s a reality for many clients.

Client experiences are riddled with instances like this, to the point where someone reported, “They just send me warm bodies.”

Steps to resolve this:

Deliver what your clients deserve and are paying for by matching your caregivers’ abilities to their needs.

Schedulers play a crucial role in your client’s satisfaction. Help them deliver what your agency promised:

  • Train your schedulers to pinpoint training gaps while matching caregiver to client: Your clients’ qualities in the left column should match your caregivers on the right. If your schedulers are running out of caregivers who can match the needs of your agency, ensure you’re only taking on clients you have the staff to care for. It’s also good practice to have your schedulers sit in on caregiver interviews to provide insight into who can fulfil the needs of your current clients.

matching client needs to caregiver abilities
  • Expand your pool of qualified caregivers with specialty learning paths: Clients are specifically looking for caregivers with specialized training in Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Parkinson’s. Train your caregivers in the following specialties to serve clients that other agencies can’t: Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Palliative care, Behavioral health, Infection control, Reducing readmissions, and restorative care. Incentivize caregivers to advance their training by increasing their pay when they complete training as you guide them along your agency’s career path.

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Complaint #3: Hard to reach office staff

Believe it or not, when your company doesn’t communicate as a whole—your clients notice.

Clients and family members don’t know who to contact to reach your agency and are finding it difficult, if not impossible, to get ahold of someone at the office when they have questions or concerns. They expressed frustration with needing to jump through hoops and work their way up a complicated chain of command just to get answers in a timely manner.

As a result, many clients attempt to contact their caregiver directly or end up calling family members who hired your agency to help in the first place.

Steps to resolve this:

There is no such thing as overcommunicating. Your clients need to know who they should contact regarding each issue that they may encounter, such as caregiver concerns, billing, scheduling issues, or other questions.

Enhance your company’s internal communication to provide a smoother process for your clients to contact you before you let their cancellation go to voicemail:

  • Contact your clients before they need to contact you: Head off any problems by contacting your clients once a month to check in and follow up with any questions or concerns they have.

  • Create a response time company policy: Set expectations for how long a message should go unanswered. Establish that all emails be responded to within 1 business day and that voicemails should be checked, and responded to, periodically throughout the day.

  • Train your office staff in telephone etiquette: 1) Approach the phone ringing as if someone was waiting in the lobby to be helped. 2) Always try to answer the phone within the first two rings. 3) Have the caller’s records, care plan, notes, or schedule pulled up in front of you.

  • Hire someone to answer office calls during off-hours: Agencies who do this are finding their client satisfaction is skyrocketing as caregivers can communicate scheduling issues before the office is already open and clients can receive help with problems when the office isn’t busy during regular hours.

  • Ensure your entire care staff thoroughly fills out their shift notes: It’s not enough for just a caregiver to know how their shift went. Ensure your office staff has access to caregiver shift notes so that those in the office know what happened in the field while talking to clients.

Complaint #2: Not being notified of schedule changes

There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for the number of clients who have experienced their caregiver not showing up for a shift without being notified. Clients are being left for the day or weekend without hearing from anyone from their agency, panicking family members who relied on someone to be there for them.

Steps to resolve this:

As this is such a common client complaint, it’s up to you as the agency owner to address the obstacles that are causing your office and care staff to avoid communicating schedule changes.

1. Train your schedulers:

  • Reassure your schedulers that you understand the daunting task of being a caregiver’s messenger while delivering schedule changes to clients and equip them with soft skill training to confidently manage conflict and handle complaints.

  • Have your schedulers notify clients about schedule changes with as much notice as possible and send frequent updates to keep them in the loop as they look for a replacement.

  • If a client’s usual caregiver can’t make it, ensure they’re matching their replacement’s abilities to the needs of the client’s care plan.

  • Have them brief both the client and caregiver on who they can expect to work with/receive care.

  • Never leave them stuck in a situation where they don’t have a caregiver to send to a client. Prepare for schedule changes by encouraging them to have a list of backup caregivers for each client who at least understand the client’s care plan and can fill in when necessary.

2. Keep your caregivers accountable:

  • Before hiring a caregiver, check to see if their schedule availability fits your agency’s needs.

  • Ensure your employees know who to contact if they ever need to call in sick and set expectations for how far in advance they need to request time off.

  • Train your caregivers on notetaking after each client visit so that any caregiver can step in, stay up to date, and be ready to execute their client’s care plan.

  • Check in with your caregivers to see what changes can be made to make their schedule more manageable before absences become a problem.

Complaint #1: Caregivers who are sent into their homes without adequate training

A client’s home should not be your caregiver’s first training room, and we’re not the only ones who think that.

The number one complaint from clients is when an agency’s care staff doesn’t seem to be prepared to take care of their needs.

Your clients notice when your employees don’t feel confident in fulfilling their job responsibilities. What they want more than anything are caregivers who know how to execute the details in their care plan and who understand what needs to be done before entering their home.

Steps to resolve this:

To ensure everyone is delivering consistent quality care on behalf of your agency, all of your caregivers need to have enough training to feel confident in their role before their first scheduled shift in the field.

Your commitment to training all employees to a high standard, despite previous experience level, will expand the pool of qualified care staff your agency can rely on to help you take care of more clients at a higher quality standard.

Train your caregivers in the following basics to equip your employees with the skills they need to confidently care for your clients:

basic caregiving topics

Knowing your clients’ top concerns will have you resolving them before your employees even know you’re aware of them.

Complaints: Your Agency’s Blessings in Disguise

Complaining isn’t always a bad thing, especially when it comes to understanding the pre- and post-acute care industry. If you don’t know the good, the bad, and the ugly about your agency, you’ll never know what you could do to improve.

With HCP Training, you can train every department within your agency to turn your clients’ number one complaint into your agency’s best asset.

Learn more:

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171 Comments

  1. Stan Lawson October 2, 2013 at 1:06 pm - Reply

    It is very hard to be all things to all people, but the things you list here go beyond personality conflicts. We try very hard to avoid these issues. Thanks for the article.

    • Anonymous June 5, 2016 at 11:12 am - Reply

      Sorry, but if a carer isn’t willing to adapt to clients needs, they shouldn’t even be a carer in the first place.

      • A June 14, 2016 at 12:01 am

        Clients want more from carer than they do from family members. If it wasn’t for carer many clients, would be in nursing home or even worse —DEAD!!!

      • Unlnown March 20, 2018 at 12:18 am

        Your so right

      • CHHA that need a better job August 9, 2018 at 11:11 am

        I would like to know what to do about a company that hires home health aides then messes up with their pay for their home health aides every so often and they always have an excuse like we switch banks. When it’s not that they have a new payroll company that messed up with the hours and excuses and excuses like every few months they miss payments people do not get paid. We have to show up there to get our checks and I am stilled owed a check when my client switched companies because he moved to a different location in the same state but the agency that handled the case did not work for this area he is living I moved along with him because he liked me and like my work ethic. They still owe me from 2014 August 17,18,19 days that I worked they tried to pin the blame on the other company but I never had that problem before. As soon as I am a couple month along the pay problems begin I do not get paid all the hours and when I do get paid and sometimes they don’t even have my pay. It does not happen every month but every 3 months we get this problem all the time. My client called several times to find someone to come to supplement me because I had to go to the doctors and they put him through a voicemail making me have to schedule an appointment for him and me so I can assist him as well while I see the same Doctor. I get no vacation or PTO.I get no paid leave and we have to ask for it if we want some time off the insurance is the worst insurance I would call it a discount plan because you pay the original fee the doctor charges then you make a claim after you’ve reached 4 thousand dollars. Yet they expect loyalty and for us to promote their business. My client is fed up and he said he is switching companies and keeping me and he has picked a good agency he want to however submit a complaint because of all that I had to sacrifice like I have to go to this clinic the same day and the same time the Doctor has to see us both because of their lack of work ethics and whenever I call they are looking to hang up quickly its like they do not have any customer service skills not even with the patient.

      • Patty December 3, 2018 at 6:21 pm

        Or the care givers who want to talk al day or run thier arrons when they are supposed to take you to do arrons. Then rush you because it’s time for them to get off the clock. Call in sick all the time and late every day

      • Tami Newman April 20, 2019 at 5:23 pm

        Amen and so true

      • Clara November 28, 2019 at 12:04 am

        Clients and family tend to take advantage of good care givers..there needs to be boundaries. Care givers are not suppose to be the clients everything…that is why they have family. But often once they have a good care giver, they burn that caregiver out because of the extra things asked of them on top of their regular routine. I will give you a good example. I am a good aide. I dont sit on my cell phone. He has two other aides. One spends a good amount of time on the couch and the other on the computer. Both aides pretty much do nothing. And because he can ask them to do anything because they say no and he doesn’t want to lose them, he sticks me with all of the work. And I am starting to get tired and sore because he is a big man that needs moved and changed on top of home care. I am getting frustrated because he relies on my so much..I feel he needs to have his family take him out to do things with him. Like this thanks giving I was going to call off..but because he has no one to get him ready in the morning to go to the family dinner I recruited my self. He has a daughter and a son but they are all too busy. He is already asking me about Christmas. I used to work as a certified nursing assistant but because of the lack of flexibility I quit. The pay was decent…but I got into home care hoping to be able to spend more time with my family..the pay is way less then a nursing home. But here gain flexibility out the window because someone else (family) cant be reliable. I love taking care of people…I have been do this a long time. But i am starting to think maybe I should try something with out all the lifting and the pulling…retail maybe. I mean I am only making minimum wage with no over time allowed.. and I will not be paid anything extra for working holidays..so why bother.

      • Ela December 27, 2020 at 5:14 pm

        The caregiver even in breaking lunch dinner etc has to watch people with dementia. ,(Like security ) but security has really time for that and is paid with minimum wage in hour but caregiver is living and is paid with just 3 or even 2dollars in hour,

      • LovingcaringGeminiCaregiver February 22, 2021 at 1:22 pm

        I consider myself a darn good caregiver. I go above and beyond for my clients. My clients love me so much that they are so beyond mad and want to leave an agency that allowed another caregiver to lie about the other, they fired me without calling my client first. My clients were always calling and requesting me,not one time did they ever give a bad complaint about me. They are tired of constantly having new caregivers to handle their personal debit cards and what not. I got my client car insurance, a government phone. I take them to appointments. I do exactly what the ask of me without a hassle. I have been late acouple of times to clients homes but have always gotten stuff needed done. The caregiver that lied to the agency about me just sits on her phone. One client did not even know she was at her home. She lied about doing certain tasks assignments around their home which lead for me to pick up the slack the next day. The client that fired the lying caregiver did not even get a caregiver the next day. The agency did not send one. So I went to the clients home and did all that was supposed to be done. I got fired over a lazy caregiver lying. This effects my clients deeply. As they do not like others paying their bills, ect. They trust me with everything. I do not even know how to report that the new young caregiver lied about tasks she said she did but did not and how she lied to the agency. I have screen shots showing that this caregiver was asking me to meet her at the clients to show her what to do or to do things for her. But yet I am the one that got fired. Not to mention she had told my clients that that was not the job she wanted to be doing and that her mother made her do it inorder to keep her car. Makes not sense at all. I am beyond devastated.

      • Fibety July 29, 2023 at 2:06 pm

        There is such a thing as empty medical care.empty dental too.if a patient gets 8 visits for a period maximum for a 60 day period ; and 7 out of 8 visits are talk only about what they don’t do in home health ; namely activities of daily living; just skilled nursing is allowed(not given) and bullshit about range of motion exercises but no assistance supposedly for lack of a home health aid; then you have yet another case of the appearance of home health care, but not actual home health care.

    • Jay May 4, 2017 at 8:35 pm - Reply

      Caregivers are under appreciate in so many ways. We don’t get paid for the many things we’re asked to do. We are asked to do so much including things that is outside of our job scope. The family’s of the clients are overbearing and they always get in the way of the caregiver. Being a caregiver today feels like modern day slavery. I was asked by a clients husband to change diapers on his sick dog (pet). People will always complain and mistreat the caregiver regardless. I mean why even have such a thing as home care services!

      • Amelia November 1, 2017 at 12:56 pm

        I have to agree with you. Agencies want to pay us pennies while they make bank. Clients expect so much more from us !

      • Dee Dee January 11, 2018 at 6:04 pm

        I’m sorry, really sorry, but I would not be changing pet diapers. Matter of fact I’m allergic to cats and dog and I would humbly ask not to have a client that has pets.
        Now the extras like cooking and cleaning I don’t have a problem, but I’m not the housekeeper for the entire household if the client lives with family members, justsaying!

      • Kacey June 27, 2018 at 5:07 pm

        Well. I guess I am the exception. I have had so many provider’s in the last year. Some steal and stay on their mobile all twenty eight hours out of the thirty two I get. Some don’t show up at all. And the lies. I have had it with Universal Nursing in San,Antonio. Lie after lie. I have a terminal illness. Not dead so far.

      • Madison November 15, 2021 at 12:20 pm

        All of these things are absolutely true. I’ve heard several of my clients complain about some of these issues. I consider myself a really good care giver but we are people too. My last client was nice in the beginning but eventually got comfortable enough asking too much from me. The straw that broke the camels back was when we took a Lyft to her doctors appointment (I don’t transport her due to her breaking things in my car and being disrespectful to my property). When we finished her appointment her card was declined to get a ride back home leaving us stranded. I only keep a little bit of cash on me at a time but it wasn’t enough for the fare home and she never offered any ideas other than borrowing money off of me that I knew she wouldn’t be able to pay back. Some clients need to know the line and not get upset when we tell them that’s not in our job description. I don’t care to go above to make my clients happy but when you’re paid $10 an hour and they expect you to pay a $30 fare to get back home that just seems unreasonable.

    • Joann July 25, 2019 at 10:47 am - Reply

      I agree with Kacey. If a person is going to generalize about relatives…I can generalize about them! They want the clients pain killers and money! If a person is going to make snotty comments about family members “healthcare providers care more than family members” is full of arrogant crap! Care givers don’t show up and if they do show up they show up sick after you have told them not to come sick because your spouse is in treatment for cancer, the care givers get to sleep and i haven’t slept in 3 days! Finally, they ask me to help lift him and watch him. I have to work or sleep! I worked at a nursing home and took care of my dying sister as primary because she couldn’t afford home health care. Also the home healthcare person let my husband fall and hit his head on a metal trashcan. He has a brain tumor! What an arrogant idiot to suggest such a thing! Get out of the business! Families need you like a hole in the head! You Jerk!

      Kristi I am not including you or good healthcare people just the idiot in the nasty above. I would pay more but we still don’t get better quality

      • Noori October 5, 2020 at 11:33 am

        Don’t be mad because the truth about family members has been brought up. Family members think a home health aide is their personal lil maid. I’ve had my share of nasty family members like you, that think we work for you, fucking delusional. It’s family members like you, that use and abuse aides and get bent out of shape when told no. You are probably one of those that think a home aide is a dog walker or a carpet steamer. Get a grip, your family member and their health it’s your responsibility every day, not just on selected weekends, we only have to make sure they are fed and their asses are clean and remind them to take their medicine if they take any. If you think your family member deserves better care, stop being cheap and pay for an actual nurse that you would pay out of pocket and can tell them what to do, and how you want them to do it. But you won’t, because it’s easier to put the responsibility on someone else so you can sit here to bitch and complain about a situation you aren’t doing anything to fix. The only jerk, arrogant idiot is you. If you think you are so much better than an aide, I suggest you get your Home Health Aide certificate and get paid to wipe your own husband’s ass,

    • Denise August 24, 2019 at 11:46 pm - Reply

      This entire article is laughable because the onus is ALWAYS placed on the caregiver…never mind we are under paid, overworked, treated as modern day slaves by family members and agencies alike and treated as less than because we like caring for others. This field is quickly going on a down slide thanks to the industrial healthcare complex…I’m a caregiver for an agency but seeking my BAN so I don’t have to deal with the mountain of disrespect I have to deal with on a daily basis. It’s just not worth it anymore!!

      • Rose October 12, 2023 at 8:52 am

        Agreed , also most patient family members and client abuse the caregivers constantly verbally besides the caregivers are overworked and underpaid. It’s time the caregivers to Unionize.

    • Elaine M Clemons July 23, 2023 at 3:37 pm - Reply

      The agency I’m with majority of caregivers should not be the one I have now started doing hardcore drugs at the age of 13 still taking methadone her memory is extremely poor due to drug usage yesterday she confessed she steals from stores during the interview why didn’t they see memory impairment not being of help to me at all told me she does not know how to cook worse dishes with food left on them I have to do it over again I’m tired of non-qualified homemakers I want to make a complaint not only about the homemakers but the supervisors who do not tell them what they’re doing is wrong and be strict the other ones if I have to terminate them they lie and say I did something wrong agencies need to be investigated just like nursing home verbal abuse is just a stressing as physical abuse

    • Fibetyjibets July 30, 2023 at 2:22 am - Reply

      This site shows up , in these comments, poorly, that is, not as typed, but stretched oddly to vertical ice the comments that were typed more readable. That said, I received some so called home health care in the last couple of months.Sure modern on the paperwork. It was so modern that I got zero copies of whatever was wrote. The first visit was a nurse who , looking back, was just waiting for me to say any activity of daily living in order to say we don’t do that. Since I only timidly mentioned my doctor wanting me to have some help with activities, she launched into what was kind of a speech of what all activities (all of them) that she and their whole company do not help with and that they have no home health aid. She said that she and all nurses in the medicare home health care context strictly do nothing whatsoever but very limited, very specific(robotic) skilled nursing such as handing me my pill(s) if I had a daily or regular pill. She admitted me saying words that sounded like the service was less than usual due to me needing a specialized nurse. I found out later I was approved for 2 nurse visits, which I got. In both, they said they do no help except skilled nursing and that they could not give that either with no meds. or skilled task that they restricted theirself to. The 2nd visit was a head to toe (not) discharge. If I said don’t bother, the 2nd nurse said she would note that I refused the visit. The p.t. visit was talk only also. He said , without a current xray no go as he said he could hurt nt help. O.T. was 4 visits. First and last were not for therapy, but to ask questions and make a plan that was not followed or truthful to be blunt in the first visit and in the overall telling of what they could and would do. Later, it was clear that there was the official mouthed lies of what o.t. is and that they do that; that they help with activities of daily living and the added clarification that if I actually expected that they would actually help me with one or two activities of daily living that that is not going to happen and that they not NOT actually help with any activity of daily living directly or at all, just with exercises for range of motion, which they were not going to do either except that I called and said I’ve got zero therapy.Their office person said, sure you did when they helped you. I said what help. Later the office person joined the chorus that there is no actual help. just exercises for range of motion. I’m pretty sure that may people even with exercises with not get restoredeonough to not need help and that many with full range still need help with activities for mental and other reasons.

    • Lillie Pope September 7, 2023 at 11:31 am - Reply

      So true lots of them are clueless about House hold chores laundry shopping cooking There parents never taught them anything I’m not teaching grown women anything …😡🤬

  2. Kristi Larson October 3, 2013 at 3:24 pm - Reply

    While it is hard to accommodate everyone’s needs or to meet each client’s standard of excellence, it’s good to continually keep their needs in mind.

    If you can’t lower the price of the services, you may be able to increase the value of those services by training the caregivers to go above and beyond the call of duty by performing tasks that increase client satisfaction.

    People often feel a willingness to pay more for a service as long as they feel they are getting “the most bang for their buck!”

    Keep up the good work Stan!! It’s so awesome that you try so hard to improve the quality of living for seniors in your area!

    Kristi Larson
    SRC Manager at Home Care Pulse

  3. […] however, home care agencies aren’t without fault. Recently, Home Care Pulse posted the top 10 complaints that many agencies hear from their clients. Let’s review a few of these complaints and how a […]

  4. Elena Petrenko May 26, 2014 at 2:17 am - Reply

    I agree with every insight! These posts are key to my agency’s evaluations! The proactivity and accountability are factors that an agency cannot be successful without. I highly recommend take extra classes in health care administration and leadership.
    Thank you for the article. It is down to the point and absolutely true according to the national statistics and quality performance measures by Home Helpers agency of Fairfield county in CT.
    http://www.homecaregreenwich.com

    • Home Care Pulse June 16, 2014 at 1:07 pm - Reply

      Good suggestions, Elena. It’s a great idea to take extra classes that can add to your leadership skills. Education pays off. Clients will notice your expertise and experience.

  5. Myrna Pouloute November 16, 2015 at 4:23 pm - Reply

    I’m a single mom with a down’s syndrome son in a catch-22 situation such as taking him to/ fro doctor’s appointment in Melbourne, Orlando, Jacksonville or to pick him up at school for any reasons. I had a previous agency that gave me a worker with criminal background after she will show up 2-hrs later or don’t show up at all while I’m work. Now, I got another for 1 month with another job because I had to leave because I didn’t have the care and no funds to pay for 8 or 9 hrs to hold on to my job. This new agency workers left because the traveling cost from Titusville was too much and the second worker was pulled to a different case. Can someone help me or where to go to expose those homecare agency who doesn’t care about the family’s but getting new cases with no workers. Now I’m about to lose another job because of the ethical and treatments of this agency. I’m afraid for my son to have a trachechtomy without having everything in order. Thanks in advance for replying.

    • Home Care Pulse November 17, 2015 at 1:03 pm - Reply

      Myrna,

      I’m sorry to hear you’ve had such a terrible experience with your care. Have you contacted the supervisor of these caregivers or the home care agency owner? Most agencies will do their best to find you a replacement and to fix the situation when a caregiver can’t come. I would start by contacting them to make sure they’re aware of what has happened. If they can’t fix it, I would talk to them about refunding you for the services that they didn’t provide. I would also recommend checking bestofhomecare.com for a new provider if the situation doesn’t improve. This site only lists providers that Home Care Pulse has certified as providers of quality care. Let me know if you have any other questions. I hope things get better soon.

    • Anonymous June 5, 2016 at 11:17 am - Reply

      Complain to the CQC or Healthwatch England. In fact, complain to as many healthcare commisioners as you can. They will do inspections on the agency, and if they don’t improve, the commisioners shuts them down for good.

      • Virginia Rose Collins May 21, 2020 at 12:52 pm

        No questions, just a comment. I as a HHA, have been on both sides. Before I started as a HHA in my home for my mother-in-law, I have seen many mistakes! I have seen where agencies would send someone, who would just do nothing., just stay on their phone, and not even begin to communicate with her, or us. I have seen where one would be a hard-worker and really care, but she did not like their race. She gets in these depressing moods, and will not even talk to you, and refuses your help. Now, that I am her HHA, she seems more happy! I really try to help, when she lets me. But, I know when I get another job, it will all start again! I do Not believe you should be preducice, when someone is caring for you!!!

      • Elaine M Clemons July 23, 2023 at 3:41 pm

        In the state of Illinois the Homemaker is required to phone in her time also on paper if the agency wishes definitely phone in the time they arrive and leave the Homemaker I have now has not signed in by phone for 3 weeks only began 3 days ago is this not against the state regulations that you must call in

    • A June 14, 2016 at 12:05 am - Reply

      Many agencies and companies do not pay carers full time or hire them in for they do not want to carer to get benefits. Carers have to do what they have to do make ends meet (e.g. another job). One thing you must remember carers are there for a certain time bracket and have their own lives and families and not obligated to be there after the time expired.

    • Colleen June 24, 2022 at 5:53 am - Reply

      Hello Myrna, I am a health caregiver, please let me tell you that I feel my job is to do whatever I can to make my clients families jobs for their loved ones easier. They’re already going through the pain of watching someone they dearly love deteriorate on a daily basis. I realize the family members have little ones, jobs and a life to live!! I believe that’s what my job is, taking the pressure off the family so they can raise their children, spend time with their families. I know I’m doing a good job on my cases when my patients see me walk in and their whole face lights up!!! These clients/patients have dementia and can not tell you my name even though I’ve taken care of them for a year , however they do know when they see me the curtains get opened up, music of their liking goes on my you tube app on my IPhone if they’re sitting in a chair all day they get bathed, hair brushed, moisturized. Women no matter how old still need to feel beautiful, men want to feel handsome. Most importantly they just want to feel HUMAN….. I do that every single day and you should never have to worry about an aide not showing. Clients depend on us, if you can’t take the heat then get out of the frying pan, so to speak…..

  6. Penrose Senior Care Auditors December 2, 2015 at 8:31 am - Reply

    During the Penrose Check-In™ our certified Senior Care Auditors check-in on your aging loved ones to make sure they are okay and receiving the care they need.

    Using the Senior Care-Check Audit app located on their smartphones, Auditors assess 150 items related to your senior’s well-being: Senior Observations, Safety, Comfort, Cleanliness, Supplies, Maintenance, and Caregiver Observations.

    Immediately following the audit, the Penrose Check-In Report, including findings and suggestions, is emailed to you.

    Only Penrose Senior Care Auditors are PenroseCertified, having successfully passed the Gold Standard Background Check, Drug Test, and the 8-hour Penrose Certification Program.

  7. Anonymous February 24, 2016 at 1:17 pm - Reply

    I use a home care agency, and there’s no communication between office staff and carers. The only time they communicate, is when it’s time to give the carers details of where their next clients home is. Not only that. They suddenly get unexpected calls, so now they can only spend twenty minutes with each client. They have no social life, or family time. It’s a nightmare for both client and carer. The clients can’t always be bothered, and sometimes the carers have also had enough. I’m not sure that home care services will ever get back to how they once were.

    • Home Care Pulse February 24, 2016 at 1:44 pm - Reply

      It’s frustrating when you don’t feel like you or your caregivers have a voice with your home care agency. I would recommend bestofhomecare.com. It’s a website that allows you to search for home care providers in your area who have been certified for their quality of care. You can also search through award-winning providers who have been recognized for their services and their workplace. These awards are based on the ratings they’ve received through regular third-party interviews with their clients and caregivers, so you know they’re recent and reliable.

      • Anonymous June 5, 2016 at 11:21 am

        Thanks :) I really appreciate it.

    • Fran January 14, 2017 at 12:18 am - Reply

      Understand Totally.
      My question to these home health care agencies is ” Why take on a new patient when you don’t intend to get them a permanent provider? $ maybe

  8. ann stafford April 22, 2016 at 10:48 am - Reply

    I live an hour away from my mother, she receives home care 3 days a week for 1-2 hours each visit. The fridge was full of expired food, radishes with fuss, rotten vegetables , food that had been sitting in the fridge way over the expiry date. She is not being showered regularly her room smelt of urine, sheets not being changed. just unforgivable state. who do I take my complaints to above the provider also the caregiver is borrowing money from her not to mention what she may be helping herself to

    • Home Care Pulse April 25, 2016 at 9:21 am - Reply

      That sounds like a terrible situation Ann. The best person to take your complaints to is the provider (business owner) who should work to resolve them immediately. If you can’t reach the provider, you could speak with the caregiver’s direct supervisor. However, if you have already spoken to the provider and you haven’t seen a change, you should consider switching providers.

      Start by searching for a provider on BestofHomeCare.com. There you’ll be able to find providers in your area who have proven their quality through client and caregiver interviews and ratings. Start there and see if there are better providers available nearby. Then let us know how it goes. We hope things get better soon.

  9. Rosa Begley August 14, 2016 at 3:01 pm - Reply

    Iam a care giver. I love staying busy. I enjoy my job. Iam old school and go above and be on caring for my client. I am 59 and still able to work very well. I work for Medicaid. I have to pay my oun taxes. I keep up my oun CPR frist aid. Finger prints, and had three pay cuts in the last eight years. I would love a job that would appreciate my work,.passion , and care. Have the taxes taken out. Iam a verified CNA HHP.

  10. Debbie Huff August 22, 2016 at 10:40 pm - Reply

    I have been in healthcare field for 20 years. I do agree it is good to educate caregiviers what to look for when you allow someone in your home with your love one. When you pick your home health provide ask questions do your research. Do not be afraid to ask what if this happens or who do I call. Even ask if they are certified nursing assistant. There are jobs that home health hire non cerified staff for such as cooking (sittier jobs) which would be the less of training how to be care for elderly at home. Ask if they do backround checks or tb test for safety of love one.

  11. Lenore September 26, 2016 at 11:46 pm - Reply

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  12. Shree December 7, 2016 at 9:51 pm - Reply

    Please let us have a website that helps seniors and disabled deal with service agencies and caregiver problems despite paying anywhere between 23 to 30 dollars per hour. If you suffer fro
    m issues with agencies and caregivers please let us form a group in amedica to help each other. I will check this website to see if anyone is interested.

    • Christina Belize August 17, 2017 at 2:12 pm - Reply

      I am so interested in this web site you suggest. I believe that some agencies violate their clients and only are interested in the money you give them. I have a child who was disabled in an automobile accident and I cannot believe how horrible some of these agencies are.

    • Kimberly Reedy November 22, 2017 at 7:44 am - Reply

      I agree that there nerds to be better accountability for the care givers and the agencies they cone from. I recently complained to the agency about my father’s caregiver leaving work early without telling anybody he was leaving early. The agency informed me that the caregiver didn’t leave early and defended the caregiver. I know for a fact that he left my father unattended because I searched the house for him and then went outside to look for him and his car was gone. My father is wheelchair bound, has Parkinson’s and dementia. Her can but be left alone. The agency went add far as to question me about why I waited 15 minutes to report his absence. I wanted to make sure he was not in another room and check outside for his car and check with another family member before I accused him of negligence. The agency said he took the trash out and found trash in the driveway and so he spent the last 15 minutes outside picking up leaves and trash. We pay him to care for my father not pick up trash and leaves. Also, he didn’t follow the procedures for clocking in and out so the agency had no proof of his timeline. How dare them question my integrity and not believe me. Also, he has left him alone with his exercise class and he’s supposed to help him with his exercises not abandon him and get on his cell phone for an hour out more.

  13. Unknown December 13, 2016 at 6:41 am - Reply

    Well I feel them aides do to much, they apply by companies rules if they don’t do what that clients want they call the company lying.

  14. Rob Gundic May 24, 2017 at 12:04 pm - Reply

    I agree 100%. As an owner of Caring Companions (www.CaringCompanionsHC.com), these issues were discussed at length prior to inception. We really believe the best thing we can do to combat these issues is to remain proactive. For example: 1) keep staffing a priority, so you’re not ever desperate. 2) maintain integrity for the sake of your clients, business and employees. There is never an excuse to disregard background checks as one commenter mentioned. 3) treat your employees fairly and with respect. Happy employees are always better employees.

  15. Greg Holly June 6, 2017 at 7:27 am - Reply

    I really appreciate the insight here in this post and wanted to say thank you for answering the questions in the mind. This post was so helpful for me.

  16. home care providers June 21, 2017 at 2:31 pm - Reply

    The post is highly appreciated.

  17. Julie slatton August 11, 2017 at 12:55 pm - Reply

    We are over work and under paid we have to work all day and night to make money do not get to spend time with our families we are fed up.

  18. Toni Keller August 23, 2017 at 5:05 pm - Reply

    I work for Synergy Homecare out of Vancouver Washington they have lack of punctuality they are concern consistent when it comes to their clients they send the clients new caregivers everyday so it doesn’t give them a sense of trust they sing caregivers out there that have no background check they send caregivers out there that are on drugs they saying caregivers out there that don’t do their job so when the caregiver comes that cares for her job she has to make up for all the slack that the previous caregiver didn’t do its abuse and it’s neglect and they still get paid by Medicare I don’t even see why they’re not shut down yet. they get numerous of calls about abuse and neglect for their clients they don’t come out investigated they don’t call Adult Protective Services they make the caregivers call Adult Protective Services instead of them coming out to investigate the situation and check over there clients that they’re getting paid for let alone they only pay their caregivers 1125 an hour when they when they’re supposed to pay us way more. They still for Medicaid still hours claim hours

  19. Belle October 6, 2017 at 8:03 pm - Reply

    Try Dynamic Healthcare Services Inc. My mum used them, and they have the most caring caregivers. One even helped my mum with her flowers. It made my mum so happy. She feels like part of the family. They are very good with taking care of seniors and babies. You call them on : 708-856-6252

  20. Nyiema January 8, 2018 at 10:10 pm - Reply

    Wow! Such a great article. I own and operate a Home Help Agency in Michigan and I too share the issues and complaints from my clients. Is there any inexpensive way I can help train my employees on better work ethics? Also how can I get vetted and registered as a provider on your registry?
    Vinson’s Home Help

  21. Sonia Moorehead January 22, 2018 at 10:53 am - Reply

    I agree! These complaints are inevitable. It can happen anytime but I think it can be lessen too by just merely having a proper and constant communication between the client and the assign caregiver. You can never go wrong if you communicate properly but I still thank you for sharing these top complaints as they are very important and should not be neglected as well. Very well said.

  22. Patricia Smith January 25, 2018 at 7:22 am - Reply

    I am a homecare giver. I agree with these problems. I have over 25 experience in taking care of people ranging from residential to nursing home..I also worked in day placement.When I fill in for other care givers..the biggest complaint is that the care giver sits and plays with their phone.And it isn’t just the younger people..but the older caregivers are doing it now. I went in yesterday and had to convince the the lady I was there to help that it was ok to ask me to do something for her. It is over whelming because our job is to make these peoples lives easier.If everything is done, then our job is to be a companion..depression can cause illness and people who are alone suffer from lack of companionship. Watching tv and playing with our phone is not our job. All it takes is a few lousy workers and everytime I walk into a house to work..they are expecting me to do nothing. I went outside with the lady so she could smoke and a lot of the others smokers have care givers and I got my ears full. It was embarrassing..

  23. Home Care February 9, 2018 at 10:36 am - Reply

    Great post. These are the general mistakes that home care givers do.

  24. Jim February 22, 2018 at 11:21 am - Reply

    Always looking for helpful insights like this to improve our services and better educate our caregivers at http://www.HandsandHeartsHomeCare.com. Thanks so much for allowing others to learn from your experience and expertise!

  25. Katherine May 10, 2018 at 7:07 pm - Reply

    As a new HHAide, I must admit being a suspicious person has saved me and the client a lot of pain. Example: Despite being in a wheelchair, I discovered one client was NOT really in need of an HHA for her personal medical needs. She was really looking for a maid and pet daycare aide for the price of one (minimum wage)! Note: her home was large and super-duper filthy and so were her dog and cat. If this client could have her friends and family over for a gathering/party every 2 weeks (dirtying the house), then I wonder why can’t she get THEM to take care of her personal needs, housecleaning and pet walking??

  26. Sonia Keenan May 23, 2018 at 9:46 pm - Reply

    I’d rather be a caregiver than the client. No privacy in your own home is one of the hardest things for clients. Caregivers do an amazing job, but remember, most clients would trade places with you in an instant. I haven’t meet a caregiver yet that would trade places with me. And it is a question I put to caregivers. I’m young enough to still want to walk, use the toilet, go shopping, and bath myself. But I can’t, so need others for help. And I hate it, being reliant on others. So, caregivers, even when you think it’s unfair, remember, you can go home at the end of the day.

  27. Pat Woods June 12, 2018 at 8:53 pm - Reply

    Who can I report my HHA to. They told me I would have the same aide but once they started I’m lucky if I get an aide twice weekly and really lucky if it’s the same one. They try and change my hours and they are really disrespectful. Help!!

  28. Sylvia July 1, 2018 at 12:30 pm - Reply

    I am a single person looking for a caregiver for a knee replacement. It has been hell to find anyone!!! Going through agencies are the biggest ripoff to the caregiver and the client. They basically have anyone sign on and the level of training is ridiculous. It seems the baby boomer generation is in for $$$ sucked from their wallets to find anyone private pay or agency that has any brains, common sense or qualifications. The first time I ever used an agency for short term I was sent a caregiver who was a school teacher who did not have the brains to set up a shower for me. I probably will just choose a rehab facility for a few weeks and give up looking for someone. There are probably some young, smart nursing student types out there who I would love to find but where???? I think most “caregiver” situations are looking for a job where the poor elder is dying in hospice, or dementia where they have little to do with these poor souls and they can sit and watch TV or be on their phones.

  29. Sherry July 10, 2018 at 1:46 am - Reply

    I’m homebound and yes I would trade places with the caregiver instead of being the patient just like the lady above I think it’s too much freedom on the job maybe is supervisors paid visits to the house while caregivers were on worksite but if you ask for like cleaning to be done our laundry or hey even get it a bath you can an attitude most of the time or it’s done like a 12 year old and you have a bigger mess then you take the extra money that you can put together and you all for it to someone to come in and clean are you offering to the caregivers to spend extra time to clean but because you can’t get up and go look at it nothing gets done not much this is happened repeatedly I’ve given money we could even give to those that have been good to us we’ve had a few they have been very good but not many jobs would let you spend your entire time on the phone watching TV are going outside to smoke are bringing your boyfriend your children your grandchildren and sometimes that’s okay and I understand but when it interferes with the whole time and you barely get anything done even something to drink you get halfway cleaned up and I mean halfway and that takes its toll after a while on the person mentally and physically I just don’t know where the care went and caregiving so many of them one why did they pick this field and if you really start asking questions most of the time they went through a lot of jobs or they haven’t had many jobs this is the first job I don’t think giving pay increase helps because I’ve seen it increase to give incentives still the same sloppy work let’s not to mention holidays holidays are horrible nobody wants even if you try to accommodate them and just take the minimum amount of time that you need just to get changed and cleaned up this starts to be a habit forming thing if you increase the pay It’s never enough the quality of work doesn’t change tomorrow I I have a new caregiver again I really don’t look forward to it there’s not a whole lot of do look forward to but I’m trusting God and I tried to do my best each and every day even when it hurts and even when and I’m not being cleaned up very good when the house is a mess when my food is is not edible I know there’s others going through the same thing or worse so God be with us all I pray for the caregivers and the those who need the care

  30. Brenda Miller July 20, 2018 at 11:35 am - Reply

    WHY CAN I JUST HAVE ONE CAREGIVER? I DONT LIKE ALL THESE STRANGE PEOPLE COMING TO MY HOUSE, I HAVE HAD THE SAME CAREGIVER FOR 4 MTS WHY CHANGE ON ME! I DONT GET IT.

    • Veronica June 21, 2019 at 5:53 am - Reply

      Hi, as a caregiver I would like you to know that I get how frustrating it is to have constant change. But, caregivers have lives as well and sometimes schedules don’t work for them, or have to leave a job unexpectedly, and sometimes even though it sucks there are those people who quit for no explanation

    • Pat Smith October 28, 2021 at 2:28 pm - Reply

      I know the reasons I leave are because often the client goes into the hospital for a couple of weeks or so..and when that happens the aide is transferred to another client . They usually have choices if they want to stay…but sometimes they dont.

  31. Joe King August 4, 2018 at 9:31 am - Reply

    Why Quality of Care is Inconsistent? It is very bad for us. Your writing is very informative and helpful.

  32. Shirly Klasen August 13, 2018 at 10:53 pm - Reply

    The love of my life for the last 17 years was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease nearly 4 years ago, at age 52. He had a stooped posture, tremors, muscle stiffness, horrible driving skills, and slow movement. He was placed on Sinemet 50/200 at night for 7 months and then Sifrol and rotigotine were introduced which replaced the Sinemet but he had to stop due to side effects. He started having hallucinations, lost touch with reality. Suspecting it was the medications I took him off the Siferol (with the doctor’s knowledge) In March this year his primary physician suggested we started him on Natural Herbal Gardens Parkinson’s Herbal formula which eased his anxiety a bit, i’m happy to report this PD herbal treatment worked very effectively. His Parkinson’s is totally under control, he had a total decline in symptoms, the tremors, shaking, stiffness, slow movement and speech problems stopped. Visit Natural Herbal Gardens official web page ww w. naturalherbalgardens. c om. My family are amazed at the change and rapid improvement. PD is not a death Sentence, DON’T GIVE UP HOPE!!!

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  35. ROBERT September 17, 2018 at 1:09 pm - Reply

    I HAVE HAD AN AID FOR TWO YEARS 3 DIFFERENT AGENCIES # 1 AID SAT ON MY BR SINK PULLED FROM THE WALL 3WANTED ME TO HIRE A CLEAUP CO WICH WOULD HAVE CHARGE ME A FORTUNE. .. CONTACTED A FRIEND WHO REPAIREDN IT FOR ME AND THE BR LOOKS GREAT. HOME HEALTH CARE AGENIES HAVE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS WITH DIFFERENT REPAIR CO(KICKBACKS) SECOND HAD HIGH TURNOVER AND POOR TREATMENT#3 AFTER 6 WEEKS W/THE SAME AID (GREAT CAREGIVER THEY CALLED ME ON A FRIDAY AND ANNOUNCED THAT MONDAY I WOULD NOT HAVE HER RETURNING. SINCE I AM ON HER FB ACCOUNT I CONTACTED HERSHE SENT BACK A SAD FACE AND WAS DISAPOINTED.. THEY WANTED TO GIVE NESOMEONE NEW AND NOW I WOULD HAVE TO PAY .52 PER MILE 30 MILES PER DAY 3 TIMES A WEEK 4.3 TIMES PER MONTH TIMES 12 MONTHS AMMOUNTS TO 2418.88 A YEAR. SINCE I AM A VA PATIENT THIS WAS A SCAM. THIS SHOULD BE IN THEIR COST STRUCTURE ASIT WOULD NOT THAN BE AN ISSUE FOR TH CAEREGIVEF.

    • Rose October 12, 2023 at 9:12 am - Reply

      Remember the saying:You get what you pay for. Cheap pay horrible service

  36. Jared September 24, 2018 at 12:28 pm - Reply

    These are great! Some issues are solveable and some might never be. You will always have issues when people are dealing with people.

    However, some home care software can fix these issues: caregivers can be held accountable with visit verification, time can be better managed with online scheduling, billing can be set to automatically go out monthly, and messaging capabilities can save for call outs.

    A home care software like https://caretime.us can help address some, but NOT ALL of the issues.

    Also, you can find online training courses for caregivers and meal prep training too.

    Thanks for sharing this article.

    • Rose October 12, 2023 at 9:11 am - Reply

      You get what you pay for. Cheap pay horrible service

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  39. Web Honesty October 14, 2018 at 1:40 pm - Reply

    This article is clearly biased. It focuses the issue on the care providers and not the system as a whole. While the individual (caregiver ) is responsible for his or her own actions this is not just a problem to blamed on them. Low wages and lack of training is a major cause for the listed concerns. You know you get what you pay for. The agencies appear to be more concerned with getting their cut of the pay while do minimal to deserve it. Why does an agency feel its right to charge a client such a high rate? What exactly makes their take derserve such a high percentage of the hourly fee? They do what in the long run, payroll and staffing? So making calls and hiring gets an hourly cut? The companies are often taking over %50 of the clients fee while basically doing human resource work and very little at that. The workers in the field make less per hour than the companies earns for each client
    I have seen a break down as ridiculous as client fee $35 per hour, caregiver gets $11 per hour and agencies receives $24 per hour on every hour worked by caregiver. The companies want cheap labor so they can turn a handsome profit all while doing very little. Perhaps they should only charge a one time fee for a duration of time and hire better quality workers for better pay. And No $11-15 an hour is not quality pay. Also, clients have responsibility as well. Why do clients pay $30+ With half or more going to the agency when so many could directly hire and fire on their own.If they could hite directly they could pay more and find better quality All they have to do is a get a tax ID and use an app or computer program for time sheets and payroll. Insurances can be an issue but even that can be handled if a person can take sometime and do it for their selves or their loved ones. It just takes a willingness and some effort. But I will tell you why all this nonsense prevails. Because people are lazy and just want someone else to handle everything. And then complain how it’s not up to their standards. All while friends and family members who often live in the home do nothing or very little to help the person who needs care. There was a time when non of these services existed and it looks like that time may be coming back around. Young people today are not interested in changing YOUR mother’s briefs cleaning her house for poverty wages all while you sit back and do nothing to help but complain how it’s not good enough.
    Wake up people everyone is to blame for this client included .

  40. Jamie October 14, 2018 at 4:57 pm - Reply

    Hello,

    I have worked as a home care provider and always completed tasks daily. Sometimes I had clients who wanted me to do extra tasks that my job and its very hard to say no to the client but if I did say I am not allowed they will get very upset. Little do some people know some of the agencies have a time limit on aides of being in homes. At times if we go over our limit we will either be late for other clients and we do not get paid for any overtime. I worked for an agency that was funded by the State and there were very strict rules. We could not go over certain amount of hours if we did it was basically a “ooh well sorry” and we didn’t get paid. So some people were working for free when going over. Some people did not mind because of how they cared for their clients. Home care workers will be needed more in the future because of the aging in the country. One problem is they do not get paid as much in a lot of areas.

    • Rose October 12, 2023 at 9:18 am - Reply

      Most or majority of client and clients family members like that always take advantage the Caregivers

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  42. Shirl October 25, 2018 at 6:55 am - Reply

    It is beyond frustrating when the HHA does not show up on time or does not show up at all. My parent is a stroke victim, he is unable to go to the bathroom alone, get food / drink alone. We depend on this agency to send the HHA to provide this care They do not call when the aide calls out for their shift, they have no back up plan for when the HHA is ill. All we ask is that they call us, we could make other arrangements so that we can get him to the bathroom and give him lunch.
    The agency does not seem to understand the impact on the patient when the HHA is not there when they are scheduled. I really thought that my Dad was going to have another stroke yesterday because no one showed up. He had to go to the bathroom and no one was there. Personally I feel that it is emotional abuse!
    Caring for my parent is so easy, you take him to the bathroom, empty the urinal and give him lunch that is already to go. He is in his right mind, easy to get along with, he is funny and smart. Easy two hours for any HHA. It is beyond difficult to come home from work and hold your parent as they cry, they cry because of the way they are being treated, they cry because they DO NOT WANT TO BE IN THIS POSITION. They have feelings, they have dignity.
    I want to scream, hey agency, guess what, YOU ARE GOING TO BE ELDERLY, would you like to be treated the way your are treating your clients?
    This is long, sorry, it is just so frustrating and you have no where to turn.

  43. Stephanie November 2, 2018 at 11:47 pm - Reply

    This list is so true. What has bothered me lately is caregivers always on their phones. I know our phones do everything now but I think while you’re on the clock they should be put away except for emergencies or if you’re on a break. Great article!

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  45. Barbara Cooper November 16, 2018 at 2:30 am - Reply

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  48. Kyle January 6, 2019 at 2:06 pm - Reply

    Dirty Tricks Con Artist Caregivers Do:
    1. Sleep on shift, then stay late to get paid more. Worse, some caregivers will blame staying late on the patient. For instance, “patient/client voided at 5:00pm” when their shift ends at 5:00 pm. However, as in case cited, the family had hidden surveillance that showed the caregiver SLEEPING from noon to 5pm, while the non verbal elderly client sat in bed moaning. Never turned client. Never looked at client. And, client didn’t void at 5pm. Client voided at 434 pm and caregiver didn’t change client until 5pm. Then claimed an extra 30 minutes to do notes, when clearly the notes could’ve been STARTED during the hours the lazy lying con artist caregiver was snoozing. And these people want MORE PAY/ PLEASE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> do your job right before you even think you qualify for a raise. Get real. And if you can’t handle being a caregiver find another damn job. It’s that simple. Don’t put people’s LIVES on line, you will get caught. People watch you when you don’t even know it. Stop abusing and neglecting vulnerable people.

  49. airbnb management sydney January 17, 2019 at 9:20 pm - Reply

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  50. Elsa Coco January 31, 2019 at 12:45 am - Reply

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  51. Penelope Smith February 2, 2019 at 12:42 am - Reply

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  53. Barbara Cooper February 23, 2019 at 9:02 pm - Reply

    It is true about the complaints from health care assistant. It is important as well for a nursing home to choose and train very well their employees to avoid these following complaints to ensure that the patients wou.d have a satisfying experience with their health care assistant.

  54. Lillian Schaeffer February 28, 2019 at 5:11 pm - Reply

    Thanks for letting me know that it’s best to find a caregiver who is punctual. My mother needs some care if she’s going to stay at home. Maybe it would be best to find someone who is always on time.

  55. Angel Bogart March 15, 2019 at 12:10 am - Reply

    I’m glad that you mentioned that caregivers could really get clients crazy when they spend more time on their phones than on senior personal care. It would sure make Grandma really angry if she needed her adult diapers changed and her caregiver’s busy making video calls with her husband during work hours. It would be best if senior facilities could impose really simple, but strict rules to limit cellphone usage to the most urgent emergencies. Thank you for your reminders,

    • Tami Newman April 20, 2019 at 5:31 pm - Reply

      Question. What does the client do when the services are done in their home from a home care agency?

  56. pj March 19, 2019 at 5:26 pm - Reply

    That is very interesting, I do tend to notice #4 being issue quite a lot

  57. Newport Home Care April 10, 2019 at 2:33 am - Reply

    Thanks for providing this kind of queries containing different types of complaints. This will really improve ability and functionality of a caregivers. Also, one can adhere before hiring caregivers.

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  59. Vins April 15, 2019 at 8:16 pm - Reply

    I strongly agree on the above points and it’s really sad that not everyone who chosen this career path exercise what they’ve learned on their training.

  60. Tami Newman April 20, 2019 at 5:37 pm - Reply

    Home care agencies need to look at these complaints and stop blaming the client and only believing the aide. The agencies lie or make excues to clients about the reason that the aide didn’t show up. The excuses I mostly get is either they don’t know why, they don’t want to go that far or they can’t find anyone. It is all BS to me. They just don’t hire enough staff with the right credentials. Such a shame that the client has to suffer.

  61. Angel Bogart May 3, 2019 at 7:43 pm - Reply

    I really appreciate it that you mentioned that the best in-home care services provide clients with on caregiver to ensure a single point of contact to avoid miscommunications and to ensure responsible care. This is just what my parents want for my grandparents to enjoy with their professional caregivers. By providing them one each, a man and a woman respectively, my grandma and grandpa are assured that they are well taken care of and that all their needs are met while they stay in the safety of their Carnelian Hills country home.

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  64. Katty June 11, 2019 at 3:03 am - Reply

    Hi, Such a wonderful article!!!

    These are very common complaints when it comes to home care clients. Although there are many reputable home-care agencies that offer home care services but it is difficult to make a choice as numerous option available.

    Keep up the good work and I am looking forward to your next post!

  65. Aminul June 29, 2019 at 7:46 am - Reply

    Hello,

    Appreciate your well-organized writing. So true about home care business.

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  66. rocco king July 9, 2019 at 2:34 am - Reply

    I appreciate your effort. And understand totally what you have told. thanks for sharing.

  67. rocco king July 9, 2019 at 2:38 am - Reply

    Home care can be a rewarding business to operate both financially and emotionally. I appreciate your effort in this regard. thanks for sharing.

  68. Dennis Sanchez July 17, 2019 at 3:39 pm - Reply

    It never occurred to me that some caregivers will come late to the clients are even leave earlier than they should. I’ve been looking around at different home care companies for my parents who need some help at home. These tips you shared will help me find a reliable company to hire.

    • Tai January 4, 2020 at 4:40 am - Reply

      Contact FreedomCare. And you will never regret it. Their HHA are treated with respect. A happy staff will give best customer’s satisfaction.

  69. evelyn rosa August 12, 2019 at 7:56 am - Reply

    Thanks for sharing this, it was really helpful.

  70. Clara October 30, 2019 at 10:27 pm - Reply

    Last week my client asked me to put my name on his car insurance, he cant drive. But he has a handicapped accessible van. And he got mad when I told him I couldn’t. This week he wants me to leave an hour later than usual so I can take him to appointments. He has been snippy with me. He has 3 other caregivers. I am the one with the most hours… I am exhausted…I clean, cook, bath, run him around to do errands, laundry, …I do secretary work..000000000000000. ..there needs to be boundaries in home care like any other job. Simply because of the burn out factor…I was reading where someone said that you should do whatever the clients ask. I have been doing this for years and sometimes it gets ridiculous.I have had clients get up set because I wouldn’t jump at their beckon call because I was in the middle of doing something..I would say..”give me a minute”..and they would get a attitude…. I have had them after I had done everything I could think of had 15 minutes to spare.. start thinking of petty things for me to do..like fluff pillows..or asked me to clean her bathroom floor with a tooth brush. We are not there to be at their beckon call, we are there to make their lives easier.. not there to take all of their or their families responsibilities..Im home care not maid care.. I have babysat grandchildren that their kids left for a minute..cleaned up dog poop and litter boxes…and helped to clean out closets..I worked in a Nursing home and wasnt expected to do all that I do. I took home care because it was suppose to be easier..but it is becoming clinical..with more and more clients that have severe chronic medical conditions.. they bring in the nurses.. and then the care giver is lifting, pulling, cleaning urine bags, monitoring stats, doing work that used to be considered nursing home.. but because it costs more to live in a nursing home..and most dont want to lose their homes.. they figured out a away to cut costs..which includes wages for those doing home care. Its really not fair if you think bout it..most of us make a little over minimum wage, no benefits.. no time off.. no holiday pay..no vacations..yet we cant work over time..but we are considered sub contractors, they figured out a way to screw us. And yet everyone is complaining except us…because if we complain we aren’t meant for this type of work.

  71. Sally November 7, 2019 at 5:18 am - Reply

    Wow! Great article! Finally, a place where the clients can sound off! Thank you!!
    I’ve seen forums where the aides are sounding off on their clients and I thought wow, so there you go. That’s proof that they don’t care about their clients or they wouldn’t feel that way. I could never get on a computer and talk about the sick elderly I was taking care of. It would bare on my conscience. Even my case managers from Council on Aging says it’s bad in the healthcare industry across the entire country. I’ve had home healthcare aides now going on 4 yrs and it’s not good what I’m seeing in women, especially those in their 20’s. They are not trustworthy, they lie, steal my foodstamps, just caught one stealing $8.00 from my debit card and $13.00 from my EBT. I can still turn her in, but I’m so sick and in pain I don’t feel like the hassle. I don’t want her to have a record, but I know most people would be more than happy to turn her in. These young women are slick like that. They’ll steal a little at a time. Hoping the older people don’t catch them. Oh I catch them every time.
    And it’s not just the aides, but the healthcare companies act like their pimps. They’ll argue with me when I try informing them about their employee, so that lets me know the healthcare companies put their employees before the clients. That’s 7 healthcare companies in the Cincinnati area. It’s not good what I’m seeing. If they lie and steal from you, they don’t care about your health at all! I’m good & friendly to everyone who comes to my home, but most are lazy, wants me to sign their time sheet without finishing their work. They’ll come in late & leave early. One would call me & say she couldn’t get a babysitter, and I didn’t call the healthcare company, so for 3 days that week she wasn’t coming to work, didn’t call off at the company & showed up on the 4th day for me to sign her paper. But I had talked to the healthcare company & they said no, she didn’t call off this week. So, I wouldn’t even open the door for her. People like that are dangerous.

    One sat on the phone for an hour talking to her daughter in her native tongue, but I could hear her daughter speaking in English. I couldn’t care less what they’re saying. What I cared about was she was stealing my hours. Never again!! Do not let these aides get away with that. They’re deliberately seeing how much they can get away with us. And she was 54 from Ghana. She lost my keys & I had to pay for a new lock because the building manager didn’t have a key to my door. Then she used my debit instead of my EBT for my food. I ended up paying over $100.00 that month because of her mistakes. One put cans of pop in the crispers in the refrigerator breaking the crisper & now I’ll have to pay for that, if the apt. bldg. manager sees it. One would close the bathroom door to clean it, and I could hear her rummaging through my drawers in the bathroom with all my makeup & perfume and things. Things come up missing. I mean these people are lowlifes to do this to sick people who don’t have the physical strength to get out and get a job like they can. One girl had the nerve to tell me she eats steak every day, after stealing my food stamps. I’m sure she does.

    They’ll talk about their low pay just to prey on you to give them gas money. If you can afford it that’s different, but these women took their job knowing how much they’d earn, so they should do it without complaining or quit. They can take that off on their taxes every year.
    Why take a job in the healthcare industry, if you don’t have love in your heart for the sick & elderly? They don’t have pride in themselves or they would do their best. The Bible says if you take a job you should do it for whatever pay you agreed to. To all the aides, stop abusing, robbing & taking advantage of the sick and elderly and do your job. And shame on the older clients who take advantage of the hard working aides. I’ve heard of it, but I think that’s very rare from the seniors I’ve met. There are a few good women who were my aides, but they were not in their 20’s and each one was a Christian. I miss those ladies. I blame Medicaid for not paying more for these aides. But like I said, if you agree to the pay you should do the job. And you should never apply for a job to help the sick & elderly unless you have love for them. The real abusers are in Washington, D.C. They don’t care about the sick. What a joke being played on Americans.

  72. Afton Jackson January 3, 2020 at 11:55 am - Reply

    I agree that some caregivers function better than others, but it is true that not everyone is consistent in their work. My wife and I are retirees and I think we will need minimal elderly home care soon. It would be nice if we get to contact caregivers who can help us out.

  73. B January 30, 2020 at 10:30 pm - Reply

    I have contracted these services for my husband and it is very frustrating. I am grateful for the help but wonder if we could function better without it. My biggest problem is how intrusive their presence is. I wish they would sit in their phones. Instead they are reading with the light on or watching tv it’s incredibly annoying they don’t ask what we need

  74. Spencer Pearson February 10, 2020 at 4:22 am - Reply

    Thanks for compiling this one. It will be very helpful both for home owners and home care companies.

  75. Karan Joshi February 10, 2020 at 6:17 am - Reply

    Thank you so much for sharing this information about Complaints from home care clients it’s very amazing and helpful for me.

  76. spencer pearson March 25, 2020 at 2:29 am - Reply

    Thank you so much for sharing this information

  77. John Voorma June 25, 2020 at 10:27 pm - Reply

    Lack of communication, I have ask for informations 3 week ago and am still waiting for a answer, it seem to me that if you level, they are not interested I have contacted 7 providers they all promise to contact me, up to now nothing

  78. George August 29, 2020 at 3:01 am - Reply

    Well….looking at most of the posts, there seem to be one thing in common and that is NO CARE.

    Patients are blaming the care workers and the care workers are saying that they do not get compensated.

    The thing that is missing is LOVE. Love is free but then again we are not talking about love but a duty.
    A duty to whom?

    You got it! Its about money money and more money. Because cry as much as we like, there are bills to pay and care agencies are quiet because they have to pay that money.

    Nobody cares except the ones who want that care or else those providing it will eventually go to heaven by exceeding their responsibility but Ia m afraid there is no love there except for pity.

    • Zoe October 13, 2020 at 10:39 pm - Reply

      The caregivers ARE being compensated. They accepted employment at a stated wage with defined tasks. If that wasn’t enough compensation for their time they shouldn’t have accepted the job.

      • Rose October 12, 2023 at 9:31 am

        Well most often patient and patient family members treated caregivers like a housemaid,overworked them that the reality they underpaid and undervalued caregivers and have a guts to complain . They. Want caregivers to do chores does not part of caregivers job. The miss understood the word light housekeeping. Patient thought caregivers must clean the whole house like a housemaid. Take note caregivers and housemaid are separated job title

  79. julius andrew October 6, 2020 at 2:48 am - Reply

    the consistent care is a good one, as well as the PTO section. With this article, we get to read about home care clients both from the article themselves, as well as in the comments. All very useful and will be keeping this in the back of our minds with our new home care agency. Thanks to everyone!

  80. Zoe October 13, 2020 at 10:36 pm - Reply

    I pay an elevated wage for my home health aid and it’s been a nightmare. Now I know nobody wants to hear from the client’s end but there are 2 sides to the story.
    1. Regardless of how much a carer is paid they accepted a job with defined tasks at an agreed on wage. In my case I pay $2 over the agency wage rate & give 2 paid breaks and a paid 30 minute lunch which my carer never returns from on time.
    2. I have a terrible time with my carer showing up on time or showing up at all. No call/no show is a common occurrence. It’s disrespectful & places the client in danger.
    3. Cell phones. What a nightmare. If a carer is using both hands to do whatever it is on their cell phone, they’re wasting my money.
    4. Tasks – washing a few dishes, making a cuppa coffee and taking out the trash doesn’t consume 8 hours.
    5. Carers who are constantly begging for stuff of their clients.
    6. Food – As with any job it’s the employees responsibility to provide their own food during the day.
    7. Asking to borrow money. It places the client in the uncomfortable position of saying no. Unfair.
    8. Bringing personal problems to work. Hearing constantly about a carer’s personal problems is the absolute best way to create tension between the carer & client. It places the client in the position of having to interrupt the carer and get them back on task. Not only that but client’s have their own myriad of issues that create stress for them. A carer shouldn’t add to that stress.
    9. Carers who run their own errands on the clock. No other job allows it. It’s the same for carers.

    I’ve had in home carers for years now and these are the issues I’ve had with most of the carers I’ve hired.
    I finally switched to hiring a housekeeper, a woman to cook for me and hiring a teenager to run my errands. It’s costing me half of that my carers have cost and I finally get the care I need. Switching has been an eye opening experience.

  81. Praveen Kumar December 4, 2020 at 3:23 am - Reply

    On-point posts about the reality of home care. Thanks for writing and sharing this post with us.

  82. Ela December 27, 2020 at 5:14 pm - Reply

    The caregiver even in breaking lunch dinner etc has to watch people with dementia. ,(Like security ) but security has really time for that and is paid with minimum wage in hour but caregiver is living and is paid with just 3 or even 2dollars in hour,

  83. Katelynn February 26, 2021 at 11:09 am - Reply

    So most of the complaints are based around the care giver being human and having needs too. Yikes.

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    • Jennifer Lagemann September 8, 2021 at 1:02 pm - Reply

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  86. Jeff Carbine November 9, 2021 at 10:25 am - Reply

    I liked it when you said that while most home care agencies work extremely hard to provide great care to every client, there’s still a great deal that can be done to improve care and ensure even better experiences for clients. My grandfather is 90 years old, and he doesn’t want to go home for the elderly. That is why we planned to get him home health care services. He will be taken care of from the convenience of his home.

  87. Lisa Howard November 16, 2021 at 4:14 am - Reply

    I have been unhappy with the homecare company that I’m with for a while now, as they seem to have an issue with communicating with me with regards time shift change or carer changes, also when some staff members are here with me they try and talk me into changing my days for certain tasks which do not suit me, and I get the impression that they are suiting themselves, also when I’m told the name of a carer to be with me in the morning and I say ok and I expect that carer to be here and not someone else unless I have been informed, which at the moment most of the time I am not informed of any changes, which I feel let down and extremely disappointed in the company

  88. Mats Wolff November 25, 2021 at 12:42 am - Reply

    I want to hire a caregiver for my mother since she has heart issues and needs to be taken care of at home. Its nice when you pointed out that a caregiver should have enough training and should not be on their phones all the time. Thanks for the article on things that a caregiver should avoid.

  89. Christina December 1, 2021 at 6:11 am - Reply

    I am the wife of a man who requires personal care due to his disability (Cerebral Palsy). Yes, we have seen many of these issues. My husband and I don’t really mind if a caregiver plays on the phone or watches TV — many times my husband enjoys just the aspect of hanging out with someone. We have had some poor caregivers in the past who either can’t actually do the physical labor they need to do or who are chronically late (or skip out and don’t show up). Those are more serious issues and could be very problematic. The biggest issues we have seen are actually not so much caregiver issues as it is AGENCY issues. We are required to call the care agency for ANY time change to our caregiver’s schedule — even though he’d gladly move the time for us (he’s a great guy!). However, we still have to follow protocol, which requires the middleman (aka. the agency). Then the agency doesn’t follow up. Example: today we called to have the caregiver come a little later so that we could enjoy a holiday activity together as a family. Caregiver showed up at the regular time instead. He never got a call from the agency. I have no idea why the admins of agencies earn the “big bucks” while the caregivers, who do the actual work, aren’t paid very well. Anyway, the “admin” of this agency tried to lie to me and then finally admitted she screwed up, but it didn’t matter… the evening was ruined for all of us. And more importantly, what if there was a client who was alone, depending on a home health care agency for support for basic needs, and then the caregiver didn’t show? I can’t imagine how my husband would survive without that help — or at least without us as a back up.

    I don’t demand a lot out of caregivers beyond punctual, responsible, and reliable. I’m not sure why it’s so hard for the AGENCY to do these things.

    And we’ve quit other agencies because of the questionable people hired (ie. one guy who was taken off of my husband’s case actually came to the house and banged on the door and yelled at my husband, even though he knew my husband was fully disabled and vulnerable!!!).

  90. Mats Wolff February 9, 2022 at 10:05 pm - Reply

    I agree when you said to provide information for clients when caregivers call in sick to inform in advance. I recently found a new job and I want to hire someone who can take care of my elderly mother in my house. Thanks for the information on daily in home care and I hope that I can find someone trustworthy soon.

  91. Marian A. Burnett March 5, 2022 at 11:14 am - Reply

    I am a fan of informative content, especially when it’s this good. Your views are interesting and I really like that. Thank you for making your article clear and easy to understand.

  92. Lee P. Carrillo March 21, 2022 at 6:28 am - Reply

    How you managed to take this informative article and turn it into an interesting piece of writing is simply amazing to me. after reading this article i get to know that more about home care services and it’s amazing

    • Julie Redd March 21, 2022 at 12:26 pm - Reply

      We are so glad you like it, Lee! Thanks for reading!

  93. Zoe April 6, 2022 at 4:37 am - Reply

    After reading all the complaining carers comments I wonder why they haven’t changed fields. I’m coming from the client side. I hire, pay & oversee my own carers. I constantly have problems with my carers showing up late, leaving early & expecting to be paid for a full shift. They complain.. constantly.. about any & everything so a point I’ve come to feel it’s just a way to milk my clock. When I said.. no more texting/facebook time on your phones while you’re on the clock you would have thought I’d just imposed some torturous sentence on them. I have a housekeeper who comes in 3x a week and her complaint is all the messes the carers make for her to clean up. I don’t hire her in to be their maid service. My carers have very light duties. Help with bathing & dressing, occasionally going with me to appointments, doing laundry & running errands. I provide lunch for my carers yet they won’t even wash up their own dishes or clean up behind themselves. That’s not even touching the theft issues I’ve battled. Tell me, who is taking advantage of who?

  94. Mats Wolff April 12, 2022 at 12:33 am - Reply

    Its great when you said that most caregivers are trained to perform basic cooking and cleaning. I recently found a new job and I want to hire someone who can take care of my elderly mother in my house. Thanks for the info on home care and I hope that I can find someone trustworthy soon.

  95. Beverly April 20, 2022 at 2:10 pm - Reply

    Stop asking questions regarding a patients personal life. No ones business but patient and personal family.

  96. concierge services April 27, 2022 at 3:17 pm - Reply

    I am glad that you come up with this kind of article. I appreciate this a lot and I found it very informative and worth to read. Thanks for posting.

  97. Mats Wolff May 12, 2022 at 6:56 am - Reply

    I agree when you said that caregivers should inform when they call in sick. I recently found a new job and I want to hire someone who can take care of my elderly mother in my house. Thanks for the things to avoid in home care and I hope that I can find someone trustworthy soon.

    • Julie Redd May 16, 2022 at 3:53 pm - Reply

      We are so glad you found this article helpful! Thanks for reading and best wishes as you find the right fit for your mother.

  98. Nidhi June 10, 2022 at 5:39 am - Reply

    nice information , keep it up.

  99. Bright June 29, 2022 at 4:40 am - Reply

    Wow, Your post is very nice and I want to thank You for sharing this as it has been very helpful

    • Julie Redd July 6, 2022 at 1:43 pm - Reply

      We are so glad this post was helpful to you! Thank you for reading!

  100. Frances July 5, 2022 at 4:29 am - Reply

    Thank you for sharing this wonderful article on your website. It contains a lot of information and am really grateful for it.

    • Julie Redd July 6, 2022 at 1:40 pm - Reply

      We are so glad you liked it, thanks for reading Frances!

  101. Michelle Melendez August 4, 2022 at 3:59 pm - Reply

    From someone who was on both ends of the spectrum, I read a few on here. True clients and their family take full advantage of the caregiver. True they get paid lower than minimum wage and their job is not guaranteed. they can have 40hrs then the client goes to the hospital they now have 5hrs. They can’t live like that. When Covid hit, the nursing homes all got Covid pay but the home care workers got nothing till almost the 2nd year. I had to fight for my staff to get, what they deserved. We do the best we can to find a good fit for the client, I try to find a caregiver who fits their schedule. Everyone complains about something. Two sides to a story and then there is the truth. You can be the best caregiver ever and you tell the client no once they throw dirt on your name. There are some caregivers who work more than 2 or 3 agencies and do try to get away with sleeping or sit chatting on their phone. Just have to weed them out. always one bad apple or two. I heard every story possible, out there from clients and caregivers. No one is ever happy. Remember caregivers are there to care for the one person they get paid to take care of. Not the whole house family and pets included. Want a housekeeper hire Merry Maids. Want a full course meal order take out. The state times each task for the care of 1 person. If you want them to have full quality care, leave the caregiver alone and let her complete the tasks that need be.

  102. Rose Coleman August 23, 2022 at 12:58 pm - Reply

    I live in Jonesboro Arkansas
    I am 76 years old. I have COPD.I do not need someone to help with my bathing or walking, although I do use my cane.
    I need someone to keep my house free of dust.
    I have several agencies who has sent me aides.

    They steal, they are lazy
    They tell the agencies, she just don’t remember.

    Aides are paid more than I get on my ss check.
    They need to follow protocol, as in other jobs. No phones, no setting down and gossiping

  103. Robin Whitlock October 3, 2022 at 10:38 am - Reply

    You will never make a decent living working as a Home Health Aide. Agencies need good aides, but sometimes you can get a bad client that refuses to open the door when the aide shows up for their shift. You can have a client that refuses care such as bathing, and other adls assigned. You cannot force someone to do something against their will. You can offer the service later on, but what can you do if they refuse. I worked with one client that wasn’t very pleasant to work for. Communication between the agency, client and HHA wasn’t good. The first day I spent about thirty minutes making calls to the agency that wouldn’t pick up their phone. I had no other contact information for a family member that could assist. I could have left, but was told to wait in my car once someone finally answered the phone. Finally, someone was able to make contact with the client and I was let in thirty minutes past shift starting. One time of this happening, I could forgive, but I noticed this happened at least two days out of the week. This agency was not one for answering calls. Sure, they would take a message and claim the person will receive the message, but it never happened.
    I haven’t worked for this agency in nine months because I don’t trust going back there and this not happening again. Once an agency proves to be incompetent in communication, I’m completely turned off. Not to mention those of us who do want to work and do the right thing by our clients, but the agency seems to be the culprit because no one knows what is happening with these clients. Agencies have their slick ways as well such as hiring an aide for a hard to place client. When this aide fails in this endeavor, then they are not assigned another client. The onboarding process can be a tedious process, and your personal information is out there for grabs along with not getting called back for cases. This is why you have aides that are signed up with two or three agencies because if you don’t get called for work, you will have two or three others to chose from. Bottom line, we have bills to pay. We care about our clients, but homecare is not free. Not to say the least, but one client wanted me to service her washing machine by removing the lint from some contraption that could have easily been broken. I told her to call the repair service for her washer. Later, she accused the aides of breaking her dryer. This type of job is more trouble than what it is worth. It’s a lot of aggravation in some cases. Family member and clients will burn out the good aides by excessive demands not included in the care plan. There was one case where a client had an aide mowing the lawn and threatened to fire him if he didn’t do it. Finally, the aide told the agency what happened. I had one case where I was washing dishes for an entire family. I was also cleaning the bathroom that everyone used. Until better working conditions and benefits are paid, people are going to continue to leave this profession if you want to call it that. Home Health Aides and Certified Nursing Assistants are certified and licensed through the Department of Health, Board of Nurses. However, some pinhead is still listing us as domestic workers and as a domestic worker, you are not entitled to the same protection as other workers. Some agencies are wanting us to contract now so they can get out of paying employment taxes, social security, medicare tax and other taxing purposes. If I would have been complacent and stayed in this line of work, I would not have had no retirement plan or social security to retire.

  104. Taylor Abrams October 19, 2022 at 12:57 pm - Reply

    It really helped me when you said how clients are getting frustrated with having caregivers assigned to them who wait until they are told what to do and are discovering that their requested duties are not being accomplished. My father wants to hire private in-home care for my grandmother who will help her with certain things she can no longer do. I’ll keep in mind to tell him to hire reliable home care to ensure that my grandma’s needs will be met.

  105. Lily Bridgers November 19, 2022 at 8:23 am - Reply

    I adore the fact that the majority of caregivers are skilled in simple cooking and cleaning. My mom and my grandma’s siblings have been considering in-home elderly care ever since her dementia diagnosis. I appreciate the information you have provided on the benefits of senior care, and I will share it with them right now.

    • Julie Redd November 21, 2022 at 11:55 am - Reply

      Thank you so much for reading, Lily!

      • Anne Parks January 12, 2024 at 10:21 am

        How do you find a community living facility that does care and not just forge paperwork so they can sit on their .. phone and complain about doing their jobs. Love the work, having a hard time finding a DODD home with ethics that care.

  106. Lily Bridgers December 21, 2022 at 2:06 am - Reply

    I fully agree that since carers sometimes provide clients with their sole social connection, they have a special chance to not just make clients feel less alone while they work. This is great information because my mom’s been thinking of having her own home care agency. I feel like they’d also benefit a lot from a Homecare License service though so I’ll tell her about that as well.

  107. Taylor Abrams January 1, 2023 at 10:21 am - Reply

    I found it interesting when you said how the generational divide between the client and the caregiver should first be bridged. My grandmother frequently laments her boredom and loneliness. To make sure she gets the best care and meets plenty of new people, I’ll search for the best in-home elderly care packages.

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  111. Elle Jones April 6, 2023 at 11:25 am - Reply

    You made an intriguing point about first bridging the generational gap between the client and the caregiver. My grandmother often complains about being lonely and bored. I’ll look for the top in-home senior care plans to make sure she receives the best care and meets lots of new people.

  112. deepnursingbureau June 6, 2023 at 2:36 am - Reply

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  114. valerie morgan August 7, 2023 at 4:59 am - Reply

    oh, my. i chanced upon this article. i’m grateful. i’m so glad to know… my experiences.. are understood and believed . i am sorry so many experience them. my experiences have been…. really dreadful. i could type for hours. . but the number one … thing i want to say is… these care positions are very frequently filled by the otherwise.. unemployable. and not even trained… in any way to aid us.. their clients. and that’s common knowledge. because we … dont matter. not enough. and the grifting…. expecting to be fed.. get off early.. constantly on the cell phone” where’s your t. v. ?[ i dont have one] i had a grown man clean my stove with the same rag.. he cleaned the toilet with!!!! i had a woman …. who excused herself for a meal in the deli… and left me with my torturous arms to do the grocery shopping alone. thats just a few examples. it took me2.5 years … and three…agencies… to get an aide that could mop a floor. who would help at the store. who was capable of carrying on an intelligent conversation but understood i need ed help with housework. not someone to cheer me up. doing the housework .. cheers me up. i have stage four polyarticular arthritis. in other words i have arthritis all over my body . life is pain. every use of my arms hurts. now because of my spine it is difficult to stand. i dont want someone come in here and talk to me about her sexuality … or her favorite restaurants .. or tik tok . i get five hours a week. i have no children or grandchildren . no family. i need help . most of my aides .. caused more work for me.. than they did. oh my. one young man broke something every time he showed up. never paid for nor repaired. he took the job because it was the only way he could get paid to live on his phone. old people dont complain. they are afraid.. that being ungrateful.. what little they get will be taken away. say what you will about jeff bezos and amazon.. but it saved my life, maybe. the only way i could get food. im hopeful the delightful young woman.. who is also a mother of four.. can stay with me. she got more done in a 2.5 hour shift .. first day.. than the others did all month. im serious. most aides are ..not helpful. and their agencies … care even less for the clients. its a grift. these state funded programs were created, i believe not as help to the elderly.. but as job creations for the otherwise .. unemployable. we elderly, especially disabled elderly.. are just being stored away. til we die. we are subjects of comedy. and disdain. at least by the aides sent to me.and for that matter , our society .

  115. Louise Past August 12, 2023 at 9:36 am - Reply

    As a FAMILY caregiver that has had to deal with most of these services for 20+ years, I have found very few that really care so when we have found ‘good” caregivers we do anything we can to hold on to them, including tips and special gifts. I will say that most of them are what I call “couch sitters”, ignoring my family member most of the time. We have had theft, so lock your things and important documents up. Most sit on their phones, smoke out in their cars, hide in the bathroom with their phones once not allowed. Oh and for the lady that complained about pets, their pets probably treat them better than you do, they’re the one thing that gives them comfort and empathy. I got a great laugh out of some of the comments from some of the typical caregivers here and have one thing to say to them: “If you think you deserve better, go find another job! Think about how you would like to be treated if you were in their shoes.” These services need to start paying “surprise visits” to clients homes to see what’s really going on. Now for those “great” caregivers kudos to you, there are many needs that some have that aren’t included in a care plan that they go above to help with.

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  117. John Smith November 10, 2023 at 3:32 am - Reply

    Home Care Pulse’s article on the “Top 10 Complaints from Home Care Clients” is an eye-opener. Addressing issues like communication, consistency, and caregiver training, it provides valuable insights for both providers and clients. It’s crucial for the industry to tackle these concerns to enhance the quality of care. A must-read for anyone involved in or seeking home care services.

  118. synergyphysiotherapyclinic December 18, 2023 at 9:47 am - Reply

    Much obliged to you, homecarepulse, for tending to the ‘Main 10 Grumblings from Home Consideration Clients.’ Your bits of knowledge are important for the two guardians and those looking for care. It is admirable that you are committed to improving home care services. Appreciative for the educational substance that adds to the prosperity of clients and parental figures the same. Anticipating more significant experiences

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