In December 2023, my elderly father was hospitalized and then transferred to an in-patient rehab…read morecenter through the end of the month. I decided that I needed some supplemental help once he returned home. I researched several agencies online checking Yelp/Google reviews, BBB information, licensing information and company websites. I developed a list of three agencies to contact based on my research.
I contacted the first agency. It did not go well. I was shuffled around to different people; meetings were set up, then cancelled; calls/texts went unreturned; interviews were set up and candidates never showed/cancelled at the last minute; etc. After two weeks, I had had enough. Next up, Family Matters. I re-visited their website and downloaded the free In-Home Care Guide which required me to input my contact information. After fully reviewing the guide, I picked up my phone to call them and my phone rang before I could dial. The caller identified himself as Andrew from Family Matters. I laughed and told him that I was just about to call Family Matters. We spent the next 30-45 minutes discussing my father, his likes/dislikes, his personality, the qualifications that we were seeking in a caregiver, and the list of tasks/responsibilities the caregiver would perform for my father. Andrew indicated that he had a caregiver in mind and would call me back within the hour. I asked him to e-mail me a copy of their care agreement to review in the meantime. Within 5 minutes, I received the care agreement. Within an hour, he called to inform me that they had the perfect caregiver for my father and that she could start shortly. The caregiver, Marcia, that was placed with us was EXCEPTIONAL!!! She was a perfect fit for my father and was highly qualified. She was with him for about 15 months, and we cherished the time that she was in our home caring for my father. We would have loved to have had her with us until the end of time, but she retired. We were very happy for her, but sad to lose her as we had both grown very fond of her.
Following her departure, Family Matters tried to find a replacement, but they were unable to find a good fit for my father in terms of availability to work the schedule that he needed, personality, skill set, and qualifications, so encouraged us to work with another agency. Although we were sad to no longer be working with Family Matters, we appreciated them being up front with us and putting our needs above their own. We engaged another agency who placed a caregiver with us for about 5 months. When she left, we contacted Family Matters to re-establish contact and query them about a replacement caregiver. We were told that Andrew had moved on and were introduced to Ashleigh, the new Account Manager. As before, we reviewed all of our requirements with her and within an hour, she had a great caregiver for him who started with my father the following week. That was a little over two months ago and his new caregiver, Elsie, is FANTASTIC!! Ashleigh maintains close contact with us to ensure my father's needs are being met, inquire about his health, and visit us in our home.
There are a lot of independent caregivers & caregiving agencies out there. Some are not good, some are reasonably good, and others are exceptional. Family Matters and the caregivers that they employ, in our experience, are all exceptional.
If I had to summarize the reasons I would recommend Family Matters to others in need of a caregiver, I would state the following:
1) The entire staff including, Account Managers, Staffing Managers, Receptionists, and Caregivers are extremely friendly, caring, polite, professional and responsive. If they say they are going to do something, they do it and do it within a reasonable amount of time. If a problem arises, they are on it quickly and it is resolved swiftly.
2) The staff does an exceptional job of listening to all requirements, qualifications and needs to best match a caregiver with the client
3) The caregivers have very good professional experience, qualifications, training, certifications, and licensing
4) The agency does all of the leg work, so you do not have to do so. As caregivers are employed by the agency, the agency conducts all recruiting, interviewing, background checks, references, licensing, training, benefits, liability insurance, time keeping, and manages the caregiver's payroll. They also handle billing, so you receive an invoice for each period which can be paid in several ways, including autopay.
5) They communicate in several ways and will accommodate their communications to the method which best suits the client
6) You can tell that the employees are treated well and that the management cares about their well-being. Everyone really enjoys working there and it shows.
7) Family Matters has many resources available on-line
We highly recommend Family Matters to any person or family member looking for in home care for a loved one.
