Home Instead Senior Care review: Avoid like a plague 78

I work for HISC England the UK, I agree with all complaints about these franchises paying peanuts to what they charge the client’s, I work for a client who has ms paralysed from the waist down and, diabetes, epilepsy and have to handle medication and boy the client takes about 30 types of meds daily. The job is full on I have to cook clean sort clothes, book hospital appointments, phone doctors, phone wheel chair people, pads, order medication, phone the chemist dentist etc this is on a ongoing weekly basis, they have family but they don’t care they think because you get paid to look after them for 6 hours a day it’s your duty, spoke to my manager saying it is not worth the pay for what I have to do and that some of the things I should not be doing that I do, they just shrug their shoulders and look at you funny.
I should have had a raise for having nvq for the hourly rate this is stated in the contract, spoke to the manager about this on a couple of occasions they said they will pass it on to the franchise owner its 4 months, so I mentioned it again to the manager they said they will forward my written email again hey presto still no response. and now the mileage they only pay 15p a mile and say it has to be over a 20 mile trip and you don’t get paid for the first client you go to, so when you do 70+miles a week out of your own pocket wear and tear on your car, training what training a few videos hey presto you are a caregiver, and when they lose a client and your hours go down they don’t care to replace them I would leave but the job market in the UK is bad and most care agencies are the same it’s about time the governments set out proper working rules for higher pay for carers and mileage allowance, its states that HISC incours a lot of money and time and effort in its employees that’s a lie they hire anyone and as for training it sucks outdated videos, my opinion is they are in it just for the money yes but hey your staff are your business and they have answers for everything but money I suppose I’m a lucky one for having a job lot said for the UK market at present ( MAN ITS HARD)
Ps I have worked in care for many years but some of the staff they higher I wouldn’t even let them look after a dog they don’t have a damn clue and HISC just let them loose .the government should set higher standards for private agencies, for one all staff working in a care environment should work to a degree of some sort .read the comments that disagree with ours they are from franchise office staff they would though wouldn’t they, sounds like most are the same from the USA to the UK we all can’t be wrong over and out your fellow caregiver .

Evansville Indiana branch is the worst of the bunch! You have two working int he office called myrna and shannon, they send out the people they dont like on the worst jobs, then lie saying the client doesnt want them back, which I have called the client about, and they never said no such thing! These two are lying ###! Dont go to work for them!

myrna and shannon of evansvile indiana homeinstead are lying ###!

I'm a current employee with this company and a full time student as well. I couldn't agree more on the posts in regards to no training and the office staff being highly unorganized. Also, I even checked with my referencs and in the Evansville Indiana location, none of the office staff contacted my references. How scary! I also have noticed that most of the "caregivers" are NOT professional and have no clue what to do when they go into a clients home because they haven't been trained at all. The office could be managed better by a pack of monkey's. I have no other reason to say these things because I still in fact work for them, but this is just a terrible company all around for everyone.. employee or client. Avoid this company and look elsewhere!

My mother is in the hospital sick with pneumonia after two weeks of falls and myself not being promptly notified by the caregivers. One of the Home Instead office employees insisted that my mother go to the hospital and I am grateful for her excellent compassion and attention to the matter, however, this is unacceptable behavior that Home Instead sent caregivers to my mother's home. The caregivers are obviously not trained, do not care, and even overdosed my mother own pain pills. This poor care is only a reflection on the owners. Then they send my siblings an email telling us to pay the bill. Mother has long term health care insurance.

Well, this is eye opening. Thanks to all who posted here, whether from the caregiver, agency, or client perspective.
I recently started working for an HISC franchise and have been shocked at how I've been treated. I do not feel like I'm treated with respect at all by this agency (or at least this franchise, which for shorthand I'll refer to as the agency. I know they are independently owned and operated. Also, I do understand they have a lot of costs: bonding, insurance, advertising, etc.)
They fell all over my resume (independent caregiving for 2 years), charged me to do a background check, said they'd pay $10/hour, which was fine b/c I thought I'd be working for just a couple of clients around 40 hours/week total, told me they'd introduce me in person to each client (go out there with me), then immediately offered me work: three 24-hour days with a client they had not yet met, who would not let them in the house before I would arrive, and I would be provided only an air mattress on the floor those three nights! I'm a very plus-size person, and not a kid anymore. I knew I'd likely have very sore/stiff muscles after sleeping on an air mattress (and could just imagine it deflating immediately, then I'd be sleeping on hard floor), straining my knees getting up off of it repeatedly, and then possibly straining my back later in the day helping the client if I were tired or stiff, and have 48 hours of stiffness, tiredness and risk to my body to endure. And not be at my best and alert for the client if I didn't sleep well. So much for respecting employee or client safety! If it were my agency, I'd gently tell the client they need to provide a proper bed for the workers' safety and to be refreshed and do their job well for the mother the next day. The clients had had caregivers in there from another agency for a year! Then I found out I was not going to be paid for 6 hours of sleeping time per night. Hey, if I'm not sleeping in my own bed, I'm working. They pay a "flat rate" of $120 or so for a 24-hour shift. That's ~$5/hour! Is the client billed for that time I'm sleeping over? They kept insisting I "commit" to the hours, so I said then I'd just work 2 24s, because of all the unknown variables (for all they or I knew, the client could be living in squalor, filth, who knows.) After that, they said they would bring in someone else to be the primary caregiver for that client, because I hadn't agreed to work 3 24s on that first job with air mattress and unseen client home. Turned out I liked the client, and the home was nice, but asked the client's daughter, at her request for any suggestions, if a hide-a-bed could be provided (turned out they were somewhat well off, but weren't willing to provide a hide-a-bed b/c they didn't want a bed in the mother's living room--a 1-bedroom house--though the mother needs round the clock care now.
As soon as I got home, exhausted, no sleep for 2 days (I lay on the couch the first night, which was shorter than me, couldn't sleep), I was asked to fill in for another CG, and asked how soon I could get there, and told to "RUSH!" Most of the work since then has either been 12-hour shifts ($67 if sleeping is allowed), or 1-2 hour shifts, with lots of driving, typically, to each, and almost always on little or no notice ("Can you be there in 15 minutes? Rush!" with no time to pack lunch and dinner, or a night bag, and not wanting to go hungry and then grab unhealthy fast food--all I can afford on a CG's pay of a few hours here and there--on the way home.) They have never introduced me in person to a client, or provided training other than a DVD and some booklets. "Training" involves another untrained CG from the previous shift telling you cursorily what to do when you arrive, and the trainee is not paid for that training time (even when it's been a half an hour.)
What concerns me most of all is they have said I've called them with concerns or suggestions about "every" job (not true for most, but true for a few), out of concern for my client's or my safety (i.e. a bed for the first job, or concern about trip-and-fall or fire hazards for a client, or dangerous client (aggressive, dementia) for 12-hour overnight awake shift (too long to be at one's best and safest for CG or client.) So now I feel like I cannot call them about or suggest/request anything concerning the client's or my safety - which is scary. They have made it clear I am not to make any suggestions to the agency either on my or the client's behalf. This is not treating the front-line CG employee with respect: as if we have a brain and insights from being there, hands-on with the client, for the benefit of the client, CG, and company. I have an excellent college education and critical thinking skills, am used to doing problem-solving and making wise decisions, am highly responsible, helpful, hard-working, and safety conscious, which apparently they do not want and in the case of safety insights or ideas, they resent. So now I only have been called for 4 hours' work this week (client requested me back) but the drive to the client's house eats up half the pay, so I'll realize a whopping $18 for 4 hours. It's like pulling teeth to get hours with them, unless it's 12-hour shifts sometimes. They have overhired for their convenience, and the CGs suffer. The one thing I like is that I really care about the clients, and almost all of them have asked me repeatedly when I would be back. The agency has repeatedly told me that clients really like me. One always tells me she feels like she has made a new best friend, and I feel the same about her: she's wonderful. I always work very hard and am diligent, trying to do as much as I can for the client, not sitting on my duff nor "tuning out" on the job.
I figured out to tell the agency I can no longer go to jobs on no notice: I need 2 hours' notice, and a bed to sleep in. I also spoke up for that 12 hour (dangerous client/fall risk) shift (with a new, adjacent 4 hour shift) being divided into two eight-hour shifts, which they didn't like, but hey, it's safer for all. I think they refused to break up the shifts into two 8-hours just to stand their ground, even though the two other CGs didn't want to do 12-hour shifts, either, and are very concerned about the client's and their safety. After I made that suggestion, the client slapped one of the CGs after the CG tried to force the client to do something, so what does that say?
To HISC francise operators, treat CGs with respect. A CG with insights and suggestions, and problem-s0lving abilities, is trying to do a great job. Cutting off that source of information flow could really put the client, CG, or agency at risk. Value the insights and suggestions we have for ensuring safety and happiness of CGs and clients, it is to the benefit of the agency. Listen to and value what your CGs have to say. It might really protect the client, CG, and agency, so ultimately it's in your best interest. The agency may have insights we do not, but we may have insights for a particular client situation that you do not. Treate your CG as an intelligent and insightful member of the team, not as someone who is supposed to shut up and obey, especially regarding safety issues.

I agree, that while franchising a brand can lead to some operations running more poorly than others, Home Instead is one that actually screens potential owners as methodically as any employer would. Not everyone that has the cash to open an office is granted one, and if an office is not complying with the company mission or there are enough complaints to raise eyebrows, they can and will have their franchise taken away. On the point regarding Caregiver pay, the caregivers are generally paid half of what is billed, in my office slightly more than half, and the other half is divvied up on the tremendous overhead we have. You need to remember, we have to carry major insurances on our business, bond our caregivers, run top of the notch background checks and randomly drug screen every quarter which nickle and dimes the $10 per hour that generally goes to this. No one in our office is rich, not even the owner who like the previous poster said makes about 10 cents on every hour of service. What you are paying for is the absolute best caregivers we have available in our areas--that we have taken the time and expense to screen, bond and train. Additionally, the administrative staff at every office I am familiar with acts as an ongoing geriatric care manager by constantly reassessing needs and providing other resources when a need is observed. It is literally taking my breath away to read such terrible things about a company I stand behind so voraciously. Please, readers, do more when looking for elder care than read angry letters written by disgruntled employees.

I too am a Home Instead employee. In a lot of ways I can agree with other employees that have posted their bad experiences but in some ways I have to defend Home Instead as well. As far as the employee complaints go of not checking backgrounds, references, etc. I can say that (and as it's been mentioned already; each office is independently owned and operated so what one does might not occur in another) my background and references were absolutely checked and verified. I was also fingerprinted, drug tested, and had to have a TB test (my only complaint with that was that I had to pay for the TB test and I feel that if an employer requires tests, they need to pay for them, and I believe my state's labor laws require this as well and I should report it but just haven't). So, in that respect, they do a good job; however, if someone is arrested or using drugs after that, it would be very hard for them to know because they never do yearly updates on backgrounds and fingerprints nor do they do yearly or random drug testing. So, as long as you make it past the initial hiring phase, anything after that is likely not going to be caught.
In regards to training; yes, it's terrible. When you're initially hired, your "orientation" and "training" consists of nothing more than a few hours of reading pamphlets and watching videos and then answering a "test" but, keep in mind, that test asks questions in order of the video/booklet and is verbatim to what was said in the material. You can easily complete the "test" while watching the video and just answer as you go along. It's impossible to fail and there's no real critical thinking or decision making involved and those 2 things are exactly what you're likely to face on the job. The "hands-on" portion of training was just as bad. They take about 10-15 minutes to show you how a "gait belt" works but there's no real experience gained; it doesn't nothing to show you how to do that with the severely obese, handicap, or otherwise impaired persons and come on; when you're working with the elderly, you're bound to run into those issues. With that said, I've been sent into homes of people who have serious mobile impairment and use a wheelchair, slide board, or other device and I had no real hands-on training with how to transfer. I've had people in hospice care who are completely bed-bound and the only training was again, watching a video and reading a booklet and then answering a few "test" questions. There is no hands-on training on how to change things like Depends or other adult diaper brands, how to properly wipe a client after they use the restroom, or how to bathe/sh0wer them properly if their immobile or have other issues where they can't help you out with their own personal care. So, while the videos and books are informative; if it were me and my loved one, I'd want someone who had hands-on training and practice not just some random person who was handed a book. Not to mention, it doesn't give a lot of caregivers much confidence going into those situations and not being comfortable performing those tasks is a recipe for safety issues just waiting to be cooked.
My office also has awful communication issues. Sometimes I'll get 3 or 4 phone calls in a single day, all from different office staff, wanting to know the same thing. There have been numerous instances where someone will want me to stay over a little longer to help with a special project or other times they've asked me to leave early because family is there visiting and I'm not needed. I'll call the office and let them know and then I'll get phone calls from 3 different people wanting to know why I stayed over or why I left early. They document nothing apparently. It gets very frustrating sometimes to be on my day off and have to answer phone call after phone call from them simply because they can't communicate. The information they give out about the people we're working for is also just as bad. In their defense, I can understand that they go out for a consultation and can only go by what the family or customer is telling them but other times, it's completely inexcusable. I once was called and asked to work for a lady who allegedly only needed basic services such as help with cooking, laundry, running errands, and the like. I was told there was no personal care needed and that she got around pretty well but just needed a little extra help a few days a week. I agreed to take the assignment but when I arrived, that was completely not the case. This woman could barely move. She had to be transferred to and from a wheelchair to get in and out of her chair, the car, the dinner table - everywhere. She also required full bathing assistance and with using the toilet. She had open wounds and sores all over her legs (diabetic) that required constant monitoring and care (which because we're non-medical, we're not supposed to be doing). I immediately called the office and let them know but I was asked to stay anyway. No one from the office ever came out to reevaluate the situation or provide training or anything. They just expected me to keep going to see her. I finally had to call them and say I could no longer stay with this person and that she needed a home nurse or a nursing home and it was my professional opinion that our agency was not equipped to handle her level of care and needs. From what I hear, they just found another poor caregiver to go over there and deal with it. My office says that it's their "policy" to reevaluate customers needs on a regular basis but they never do. We've had people pass away and their remaining spouse is still paying the higher rate for 2 person care or we've had people who get progressively worse and need more care and caregivers' pleas to reevaluate have gone unanswered and I believe it's for 2 reasons. One is that if they're too much for our company to handle, referring them out to a proper place of care would have lost them money! Also, most office pay on a tiered scale; the higher the level of care, the more per hour a caregiver makes. If they agree, with a caregiver present, that the level of care needs to be increased then they have to pay that caregiver more per hour whereas if they just raise the rate for the customer, the caregiver never knows because we don't see customer invoices and they are essentially working for less money while the office lines their pockets with the higher rate. One instance that I took particular issue with was a person I was working with on hospice. She had 24/7 care and I was with her for 3 days and then another caregiver was there the other 4 days. During my 3 days of shift the person took a serious downturn and was becoming very near death. I called her hospice person as well as her family and they call came over to say their last good-byes. I also called my office to let them know and my shift was over in 2 hours so I wanted them to call the on-coming caregiver and let her know what was going on because the last time she was there, the client was still in good spirits, talking, and a completely different person. I didn't want the other caregiver to walk in on person passing away with no advance warning. Well the caregiver showed up and she fell to pieces. No one called her to fill her in. I had to leave my shift to a caregiver who was in tears because she wasn't able to handle a person in that state. The person passed away 5 hours later and the caregiver was a mess. It was completely unacceptable to me that they didn't forewarn her and give her the option of staying home or me the option of staying since I was the one who had been with her during the downturn and just finish out the last moments of care with her. I also wouldn't trust anyone in the office any further than I could throw them. I've seen and heard with my own eyes and ears them flat out lying to caregivers and/or customers when they've made an error and been caught. I've had issues with pay; I too have been promised on more than one occasion bonus money for taking a particularly hard shift or working last minute to fill in for a sick caregiver or other issue. I've never actually seen that bonus money. When I ask about it I'm told it will be taken care of but it never comes. They also claim to offer to pay mileage for anything over 20 miles. I've driven up to 85 miles round trip for some shifts and have never seen a dime in mileage pay. Again, I ask about it and they apologize and say it will be on my next pay check but it never comes. There have been several times when I've not been paid at all. Friday comes around and I expect my paycheck to show up and it doesn't. They always have an excuse;the computers are on the glitch or we had some issues with paperwork that we're getting sorted out. It once took them 5 weeks to get me caught up on a missed paycheck. I was just about ready to report them to my state's labor board on wages when it finally came. I could go on and on about issues with communication, poor treatment, and otherwise shady dealings but I think you get the idea.
On the defense of Home Instead, those that complained about no notice before your hours are cut; it's common sense really. I was also informed at hiring that they could not guarantee hours. I mean think about it; you work for seniors. They pass away, they have to go to nursing homes or assisted living. They have limited finances, etc. All are things that can severely impact your job security. My office requires a 2 week notice from the customer and the reason they do that is so that they can try to provide the caregiver with a little notice as well. But, they can't control what a customer does. I've had people that I've cared for just up and leave. No notice, nothing. Home Instead can't control that and their only chance for recourse is to sue the customer for breach of contract and try to get that 2 weeks paid to them so they can in turn pay you for the hardship of not having notice but lawsuits are expensive and most Home Insteads are small businesses that don't have a ton of money to fight lawsuit after lawsuit unless it's a serious breach. They'd spend far more money in attorney fees than they'd make by getting their 2 weeks pay back. It's just not a good business decision. It sucks for the caregiver but it's understandable and, at least for me anyway, caregivers are informed that hours are not guaranteed. Also in their defense I have to comment on the pay. While it is low by comparison to other jobs, you have to understand the issues behind it. First off, there is the cost to the seniors. A high percentage are usually on a fixed income. Unless they've invested and saved well during their lifetime or are lucky enough to have insurance that pays for home care or long-term care; many of today's seniors cannot afford rates any higher than they already are. Home Instead also has to pay for the office staff, the insurance, the background checks, the fingerprinting, the "training" materials, they also give out things to clients such as binders that caregivers record each shifts activity in. Home Instead also has to incur costs to outside sources such as phone-based or online time card companies that keep track of your hours and that's not to mention the pay for the actual caregiver and, I don't know about other offices, but mine offers some benefits, they're minimal but still a cost for the company to incur nonetheless. So, while the pay, at first glance looks very low, I honestly think that they are at least honest in their dealings there. If they raise our pay rates then they have to raise the rates for the customers and most just cannot afford it and would have to cancel their care. Home Instead would go out of business very quickly. And if you look around at competitors in home care I think you'll find that Home Instead at least does pay their caregivers more than most places.
On another downside of them, I do believe they violate labor laws in many areas. Having to pay for our own TB tests, I've seen them lie on unemployment claim forms and tell the unemployment staff that caregivers are turning down offers for work when they've never actually been called for work. I've seen caregivers that were sick come back with full clearance from the doctor to return to work but they are denied jobs because Home Instead feels they are a "liability." I've seen caregivers denied assignments based solely on their race, sex, or age and NOT their qualifications or experience. The excuse is that the client requested it but Home Instead needs to man up and tell the customers that basing jobs on race, sex, and age is illegal and that they will instead place the best qualified caregiver for their needs with them. The "Human Resources" department knows nothing of HR laws. They simply do whatever they can get away with to save them money or get rid of employees they don't like or want around any longer; sometimes the employee is well-deserved to be let go but other times, I've seen employees "dismissed" for no reason other than they're a man and, since the biggest majority of the business is with senior females, they rarely have work for them but then when the male caregiver files for unemployment they play the "turned down job offers" or the he chose to "self-terminate" game. I honestly think that if any of these caregivers had access to attorneys or the money to pay for them, many Home Insteads would have been sued out of business a long time ago just on HR violations.
To those commenters such as TLCaring, knb815knb, nsmomma, megf05211, it's clear you all are franchise owners or at the very least work in the office. Nsmomma, if you're meeting "hundreds of owners, staff persons, caregivers and clients" then you're obviously again, an owner yourself or working in an office position because those opportunities are certainly NOT provided to the caregiver. The only time caregivers meet one another is at the rare trainings in the office or perhaps a company Christmas party. You're not fooling anyone into thinking that the caregivers are invited to events where that many employees from the US or international offices are in attendance. And your plea to those seeking elder care to look beyond "disgruntled employees" is ill-advised. Like Mhedgemon said, caregivers are the backbone of the company; they're the ones that will be going into peoples' homes and if they're not happy - the client won't be either. You can do a search for Home Instead and find these types of complaints from employees all over the internet. If it were just one site with a few people complaining; yes, it might chalk up to "disgruntled" but when you have consumer board after consumer board with hundreds of caregivers reporting such bad behavior - something searching for elder care should most certainly take it into consideration because how the caregiver is treated and in turn feels will most assuredly transfer over into their loved ones' care. The solution is for franchises to take these things seriously and make the adjustments needed and then they'll stop seeing such huge amount of "disgruntled" employee. And Meg, you're obviously a staffer in the office and quite frankly - that is one terrible way to speak if your intent was to defend your company. You've done nothing but reiterate the rudeness of the office staff that so many caregivers here have complained about not to mention show your disrespect for caregivers as well as your immaturity. Knb815knb, you too have done nothing but make your office look bad; it's a good thing we don't know which office you're in. If your attitude is that bad - not to mention your complete lack of grammar, punctuation, and spelling skills, that says you're probably pretty incompetent and just another source of irritation for caregivers and clients alike. If I had to count on you to keep me around; I'd have for sure been gone a long time ago. Mhedgemon; it appears as though you're one of the few owners on this board who are really using these complaints to open your eyes and see what needs to be fixed (although a little more professional in your posting would go a long way). I applaud you for being able to read all of these comments and no get offended but rather see there is a pattern of valid complaints and vowing to take them into consideration and run your business with that in mind.
So, to sum up, while I had to defend Home Instead in some areas of the complaints, all in all - I've not been very happy with how they handle many situations or how they treat me. The reason I stay? Because I truly love seniors and, in the end, the office's incompetence is tolerated only by my love for and my desire to help our seniors. I'm college educated, worked in a high paying, professional field for many, many years and rose to the top of the ladder. But, life isn't always about money. I had the opportunity to quit and find something I actually enjoy doing for a change. I chose senior care. The office staff and way things are ran can be a real pain in the butt and I get really tired of their disrespect, hiring of juvenile office staff that can't spell their own name but think they know everything, and their incompetency but when it comes down to it, I'm the one going into the home and caring for the seniors and as long as I can say that I've honestly helped someone out each shift and feel good about what I've done, then that often outweighs the frustrations of the office staff. I just document, document, and document more (date, time, name of person in office I spoke with, and get as much in writing as possible) so that when the ceiling falls on their antics (and it inevitably will), I have proof that I've done my best to report everything and in essence, leaving them in complete responsibility for their actions to let the chips fall where they may. So, too all you hardworking caregivers; keep it up.

I too have worked for HISC, for over 5 years now and I am saddend to read such stories of client & employee discontent. My experience with HISC has been most rewarding and positive, of course there will always be a few "bad apples" to any organization but doesn't mean that the whole company is defective. I have had some wonderful supervisors and fellow caregivers throughout the years. I can only hope that those "bad apples" get dealt with per each franchise. - I love my HISC ( great people to work with & for here in Texas)

EVERY HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE IS INDEPENDANTLY OWNED! If you feel you were not treated fairly you really should have addressed your complaints to the corporate office. They need to know that there are things like this going on out there. I currently work for HISC, I believe in this company! They care for seniors and their Caregivers. It saddens me to read these comments as this is not the way we run our office. In the future if you are posting to complain, please direct your complaints to HISC CORPORATE! Help to rid a great organization of the bad apples!

I so wished they had a like and dislike button on some of these post... I have to say that probably the ones defending Home Instead are higher up on the food chain in this company! If I wasn't afraid of getting fired I would use my real name!

I so wished they had a like and dislike button on some of these post... Its obviously apparent that the ones defending Home Instead are higher up on the food chain of the company... If I was not afraid of loosing my job ( that I desperately need due to the economy) I would use my real name!

Wow, they checked me out thoroughly all the way back through my life as a teenager.I was also electronically fingerprinted. So far they have been very professional.

I applied for a position at Home Instead and had to pay out of pocket for all the paperwork, background check, fingerprinting, dot records, tb test, physical. When I went in for orientation, they gave me a pee bottle. They asked me if I was taking meds. I said no but I did take a 1/2 mg of clonazepam to help me sleep the night before. I am a senior citizen and was denied employment because of this. I didn't have the money to pay for all the tests, but it was required and I had to come up with the cash. I'm glad I read the complaints about this place and I glad I'm not working for them.

I had to hire home health in June 2011 for my father who was wandering away from home and needed watched since his wife wouldn't do it. (I live out of state). Although the staff were all very sweet, some of them came dressed very inappropriately (shorts and sleeveless tops) and their degree of training was extremely uneven. Also, they insinuated themselves and their private opinions about my family, whom they knew nothing about, into the situation, making things twice as hard for me to handle. One of them paniced at an outburst my father had, and called me, not knowing how to handle it. They slept downstairs on the night shift, leaving my dad pretty much at the mercy of his wife and several flights of stairs. I had to repeatedly ask that they keep their private opinions to themselves, and suggest if they were not going to stay awake at night, perhaps we should go with a different agency. Unfortunately, my father was eventually placed in a nursing home, due to a phone call placed by one of the aides. This has been a dreadful experience.

MegFO5211 most certainly works for Home Instead...

I won't really say my name and information, but I work for the Home Instead Senor Care Franchise in San Francisco. I had gone to their orientation and the rest of the Ither hiring process loops just to get hired and eventually I did get hired, but I was promised many promises as an employee here and that was that my salary would be really good that I would constantly get work, but they really fell short on their promises. I was getting paid $10.24 an hour and I was working less than thirty hours a week. I wondered why caregivers like myself, were getting paid far more less. We are out their in people's home changing diapers, changing catheters and putting up with house cleaning and cooking, we should be getting paid more than $10.24 an hour for the work we do. Caregivers should at least get paid $15.00 an hour for the work that they do so that they don't starve and so that their rent can get paid, but these people in the office they don't care two cents about the caregivers at all. I've encountered caregivers that haven't been called to work for at least four to six months out of the entire year! Some caregiver were even promised reimbursement for their car tickets due to having had difficulty finding parking and because some clients don't allow them to leave in order to move their car they end up having to use the little pay check they receive to pay that entire parking ticket off because the office would nIt reimburse them. These people in the office know very little knowledge about elderly people and they don't have the patience to even deal with them. I had one client that was on hospice and anIther who was going through a tough transitional decision regarding a family member in their lives and bIth these clients complained about "Jill". The one on hospice said that Jill was really cold and just so pushy about offering more services. He recalled that their was one incident in which he had asked 'Jill" to make him a cup of tea and she rolled her eyes at the client. The client had expressed to me how much he didn't like her and he told me " everyone in your office is all about dollar signs." I feel and I just know everyone in that office is full of crap. It's all about money. They all have fancy cars and nice clIthes on while the caregivers are living off their small pay checks and $5 star bucks gift cards that don't really mean anything. Most It the caregivers end up living off government assistance just to survive and this is a reflection in how the office views and treats their caregivers. This isn 't a very honest franchise to work for, I think Cathy Murphy the one that is in charge of this Franchise should really make some changes, but I feel that the witch is just turning a blind eye to what is really going on here. Whether they read this or nIt it does nIt really bIther me as long as I am giving my perception and my experience of the truth then I know those that feel the same can relate and know we are all on the same boat here when it comes to Home Instead!

Did anyone here have trouble filing for unemployment? Banned from a facility for no reason? Trouble with part of the non-compete that suggests that if the employer believes the employee breached a policy that they have the right to contact current employers and/or any other entities? Just curious. I'm not a lawyer btw...

I was a caregiver and then moved into the office as the "administrative assistant". I then had to do the bookkeeping, scheduling, some client introductions and consultations becasue the owners here were home "cooking" for some luncheon. I had to have my phone attached to me at all times. I would be at my other job and receive multiple phone calls from my bosses and caregivers and clients. I was reprimanded for not answering the phone one time while I was at a dr. appt. with my daughter. I had no time to myself let alone my family. We finally hired an assistant, she happened to come in second to me hiring originally. I became the full time scheduling coordinator. I would get sent out to cover shifts that our caregivers couldnt do and then get a talking to because my office work wasnt getting done. UMMM im out Caregiving... so to top things off, I just got fired for refusing to work overtime for the third weekend in a row. My owners overbooked themselves heavily after I had left the office for the day. I went to work my other job and was told that I needed to work for HISC that weekend and cover these shifts. I said I could not and Monday morning... I was told I couldnt handle being the scheduling coordianator... This franchise had new owners so maybe that was part of the problem... but to some of you... I know for a fact that all references are not checked in our area, I know for a fact that all backgrounds are not run prior to working in our area, that CPS and APS are not checked in our area, no fingerprints are done in our area or drug screens. They do not pay for training time, and put "green" caregivers out with no experience. I had to do that multiple times due to pressure from my bosses to get things covered. Then the bosses would insist that we not put a "warm body" out there yet... they took on more clients than i can have that perfect match for. I believed in home instead and this franchise let me done. But I can only post on this franchise and my experience here. Yes, i have had trouble with unemployment as these owners have refused me pay owed, travel mileage, reimbursement for my clothing I had to wear but pay for myself that they took out of my check. I have worked in the medical field for many years all over this town and now I have had to pursue legal means, they are trying to destroy my name in the medical community. I have saved all the texts as proof of what they did and said to me about why I was fired so to those haters... whatever... Im sure there are nice franchises out there but this one up north in Montana is NOT one of them!

I called Home Instead to get a quote for a home caregiver for my great uncle in Southern California. And man was Home Instead expensive. I know they talk about screening their employees and all that but is it really worth DOUBLE what other people are charging? I'd love to hear anyone else's stories, but Home Instead should be called Poverty Instead.

I would not ever recommend this company to no one anymore ! Reason is I worked for this company for over 10 years with the same client so we had a bond like most people have with their own mother, but then the company took me away from my client and then she was very upset with the company and she even agreed that the company was just taking her for her money because as you can tell from this little experience that this company really is MISLEADING the PUBLIC with FRAUDULENT ADVERTISING about their caring companionship with the clients Plus they won't even help with the Clint's medications which I think is very important at this age in life. I as the caregiver did nothing wrong they just wanted me to quit but I'm not a quitter and to this day they still can't tell me what my employment status is...and it's been 8 months now...Hum.. And yes I did talk to an attorney but this case was not worth my time and money, but I will be filing complaints with the BBB, CC, CCS and the Department of Justice just so the public will have some real inside info before they hire this company for their LOVED ONES and their SAFETY.

I work for Home Instead Senior Care and Recruiting and Retention Coordinator, and I would be FIRED if I hired someone before checking their references. All six. We train appropriately for the level of care that we supply - we are a NON-medical agency, providing companionship, light housekeeping, medication reminders, meal preparation, etc. All of our CAREGivers are trained or being trained in practical, useful ways to deal with clients who suffer from dementia, as well as the basic equipment found in many client's homes. But how much training do you need to learn how to tidy up the house and fix lunch? I question the original post's veracity, simply because we rarely send a CAREGiver to a nursing home on a regular basis, except perhaps to comfort/feed a client as they recover before they return home. And, I'm sorry, but if you are so "brilliant", why have you worked in so many places? Any idiot can post anything online (yes, myself included ;>) - if you have questions, look for local references that pertain to your local office of HISC.

For a company that is making a huge profit they have little scruples when it comes to their employees.
They should be able to provide real health insurance as well as other benefits to their caregivers which would allow them to attract and keep experienced, quality caregivers.
Women are victimized by companies like this.

I agree with the complaints about the training, they just give you a few books to read. They do not answer the phones in the office, if they do they do not get the message to the correct person.

My wife left a law practice after 40+ years. She had always wanted to be a nurse. She works for one company where she takes care of 3 independent special needs clients. But even there the BS and unprofessional people in management positions is appalling. They have replaced testing equipment because it could show damaging results, etc. Hence, I was trying to locate another position for her BUT IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION that when I do a background check on all of these health care agencies they all appear to be run by inept management. What a pity! Even when someone tries to do what is right for their client upper-management screws it up. Some of these individuals don't even know the procedures they are in charge of. This is why I always do a background check on these agencies. Unfortunately, they all appear to come from the same mold. Their attempts to state that these inconsistencies only exist at a few locations is absurd. Government enforcement agencies are also to blame. "Oh by the way" we will be conducting your 2-year review in a week. What ever happened to surprise inspections? This appears to be the standard rather than the rule.

I used to work for home instead they are a very horrible company to work for. They charge the elderly $22 while I only made $8.75 an hour . I worked for them for 2 years and not one employee raise. They treat there caregivers bad. And over charge there clients. The owners of the local home instead drives a mercedes and all of the office staff dress really nice. There training is bad and if u get blamed for something they don't care

They suck

Home instead is the worst When I had concerns with the staff I made it known so that they could address and fix like not showing up to care for my mother and not letting me know until 30-45 minutes after the shift was to begin---but as soon as they have a concern they do not let you know so that you can address they just pulled out leaving my mother without care. The staff is not trained on anything other than house work I had to train on the hoyer and how to change my mother and her bed with her in it due to her being bedridden. What makes it so bad is that when I became aware of an issue (without any information from them) I brought it to their attention and fixed it within 24 hours. They are unprofessional, they clearly do not appreciate taking care or cleaning the behind of any person of color ( oh by the way I am African American) and they do as little as possible..DO NOT BELEIVE THE COMMERCIALS ! I have never felt about anyone the way I feel about these people right now.

I've read almost all these reviews, I just had a big disappointment with the 83814 branch. I know very well about the franchise gig; thank goodness some may be far more ethical, common sense inclined or worthwhile than others. I found basic desk staff to be grossly unresponsive (this is dangerous in itself depending on why you called to reach someone) and branch wasn't altogether forthcoming with me, tried to donkey tail pin certain jobs on me I could not align with the CAREgiver job descrip nor my rate of pay. When both myself and the clients I was basically heaved into capitulated to common sense and my own urgent incompatibility, and the owner disagreed, I was so lucky when the family pressed the worrisome issue. My biggest one with HISC here was obviously being ignored, but judging by the ownership from them I do question I would have gotten any strong resolution. Most of the CAREgiver jobs I was served were CNA cases...and my basic common sense relay is to pass along the advice to do your research, ask the fine print questions before you accept- with any homecare agency or job.

Yes Home Instead Of Oakmont was very rude to me on the phone. Lisa I ask he about my care giver she told me to get another agency and don't forget to call the VA. Yes I'm a veteran and no one every talk to me like that Tom Holleran

People are inherently greedy...that being said, not all people are greedy. Franchises are like people, they are only as good as the people who run them. Before you sign a contract for services or take employment with one of them, do your homework.

Thank you for the advise because I am in the process of setting up a Home Care Agency . It seems current employee in our city is paid $9.50/hr
I hope we can pay the employee $11.50/hr if we can afford it. Because the start up cost to begin a Home care agency(non-medical) is about
125, 000-150, 000. I was told it 'll take 6-13 months before it can be up and running. We decide to go with a Consulting firm instead of a franchise.
We wants to help the seniors to remain home and help to provide jobs for the younger generation

I've worked for many company's and many homes and believe me.I've seen it all, I've also walked out of company's because I havnt agreed with things I've seen or heard I've done car since I was 16 I'm now 34 and have recently this year started with Home Instead. I think the company is ran very well and they pride there selves on employing the right employees. We are never asked to go into a client if we have never been before we are always introduced and shown the ropes before any other call is carried out. Our clients have regular faces daily and all our clients are always notified of any changes. We as employees are looked after very well. We are always praised for the work we do and always rewarded if our work shows above and beyond. Home Instead is a company that always works together as a team to male both clients and staff as happy as they can.

For $25k a month you would think the technicians would do more than just sit on the couch on their phones. I asked to have several techs be removed from the schedule and I've been ignored for months, in fact they put these people on the schedule more frequently knowing they do a poor job.