SC HOME HEALTH NFP

H

Home Skillet

My uncle died because they we're negligent in finding a replacement after the worker quit and he went almost a whole year without a helper at home.

K

Kira Halliwell

TL;DR: If you need help with household cleaning but don't live alone, Help At Home isn't any help at all. My 75-year-old mom was approved through a separate agency to receive a Home Care Aid (HCA) and given the option to choose Department of Rehabilitation Services or Help At Home. She chose Help at Home based on knowing other people who received their services and said they were amazing. She doesn't need help with things like bathing or getting dressed, she just needs someone who can help with household chores - a fact that she made clear before she was even approved. I (37, with scoliosis and AuDHD) am basically her live-in cook, and do some housecleaning, but I can't do everything because of easily triggered back pain. As much as I have tried, I just couldn't help with the housework to the level she needs/wants, a fact that she also mentioned before being approved, and part of why she sought out the separate agency that approved her for services. She was approved nearly three years ago, but only just today learned that the services she needs - various housecleaning chores - are services that their HCAs are only allowed to perform if certain conditions are met. Help At Home's rules, at least the ones pictured posted to the fridge, make it clear what the HCA can and cannot do. What they do not state, however, is that while the HCA can clean the bathroom, for example, the HCA cannot clean a bathroom if it is used by more than just the client. The HCA can only wash dishes if those dishes were used strictly by the client. Had someone mentioned these restrictions prior to her being approved, she likely would have cancelled her services before they began, but they were mentioned by no one. For nearly three years she's had HCAs who had no problem taking care of housework that, at least according to Help At Home, they weren't supposed to do; housework that my mom would have been doing herself if physically able. If I could review those HCAs individually, most except the most recent would receive four and five stars. I'm attaching the list of "HCA Dos and Don'ts" that they require to have posted, and nothing in the list reads as though HCAs are restricted from doing the task if the client shares that space with anyone else, able-bodied or not. My mom is now considering cancelling her services due to these previously unknown restrictions because what would be the point in having them send someone who isn't supposed to do the things that she needs to be done just because she happens to not live alone? It makes sense to have rules protecting HCAs from being exploited by stating HCAs cannot do tasks asked of them by anyone other than the client, or that they cannot clean spaces not used by the client, but stating that an HCA cannot clean a space that the client shares with others is nonsensical, especially when the client would have been doing that cleaning themselves if capable. If Help At Home, or similar agencies providing similar services, are going to have these kinds of restrictions in place they need to make it very clear with the client before services even begin. Ideally, they should look into whether or not those people living with the client are genuinely able to perform those tasks; just because someone is able to walk without mobility aids doesn't mean they aren't disabled in some other way.

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Amy brown

my dad had help at home before he passed away. i loved his worker that he got after hr went into hospice. the worker was amazing and the staff in office went above and beyond to make sure his needs were met!!

N

Nicole Horve

Update: The supervisor called and listened to my concerns and apologized for our experience, which I appreciated. They can not provide the level of care that my dad requires so we will not continue to work with them. If you use them be very clear with them on your expectations and what your needs will be. The VA approved respite hours as well as a Home health aide for my dad. Due to having had to get another agency to to provide the home health care then this agency could provide I went with another agency for the home health aide. I made it very clear to Crystal that I wanted to keep them for respite and had an appointment scheduled for today. No one showed up. I call the agency and was informed that the VA did not allow 2 agencies. The manager I spoke to, Krishana, said it was a failure on both our parts for not communicating. I should have confirmed the appointment and she should have called to tell me they had been cancelled. So my telling Crystal 2 weeks ago that I intended to keep them for respite was not enough. I should have called to confirm when I had no idea that it might be cancelled. Caregivers who are doing everything they can to keep a loved one at home should not have to be clairvoyant in knowing what has been done by two agencies who neglected to communicate to the people they were supposed to be serving. Shame on you for blaming the customer and not taking responsibility for your lack of communication.

L

LET IT SNOW

I am (was) a new client of Help at Home and my experience with them has not been a good one. I asked for a home aide that did not smoke, not only did I get a home aide that smoked, she smoked heavily. I have allergies and asthma when the aide showed up she reeked of cigarette smoke and I began to cough every time she came to my home. She also had cats and brought cat hairs into my home on her clothing, I had to clean every time she left my home. She also drove all around town one morning when I sent her to the store which is literally across the street from me, it should have taken her 10 minutes or less, instead it took her over an hour! I assume she decided to drive around to rack up more miles on her car because she is paid for mileage. That was my last straw. I called Cherita at Help at Home in Springfield, IL to tell her I needed a new home aide she would not return my calls. This is the way an agency that serves the elderly treats the elderly by not returning their calls. I am done with Help at Home. Never again will I hire this agency. I cannot recommend Help at Home. Elderly customers beware, go elsewhere. Help at Home deserves zero stars, but there is not an option for that.