I can't say enough good things about Always Here! From my very first interaction with Brooke to…read morethe aides they send us. They are professional, thoughtful, caring. We have worked with Always here since early 2020 to assist my 101 yr old mum. She gets around well for her age, she has become quite forgetful and needs more and more assistance. They have been able to scale up and down very quickly depending on our needs. The support helps my mum and my sister, the primary caregiver. The service is costly, but we are getting what we pay for. Thank you to the team!!

Always Here is exactly who you want taking care of your family. We tried a different home care…read moreservice before Always Here, and the difference was astonishing. Brooke (President) and Katie (Case Manager) were compassionate, flexible, and helpful. They found ways to increase the number of care hours when my mother's condition worsened suddenly. They helped continue care safely when my parents were exposed to covid by another care service. And the caregivers they engaged were more than caregivers. They became friends and family to my father, which was especially meaningful at a time when everyone is isolated due to the pandemic. I highly recommend Always Here!

When my elderly father fractured his pelvis I flew in to manage his care. We quickly realized that…read morethe rehab facility was crushing his spirits. When I mentioned home care to the facility staff, even they said patients tend to recover more quickly at home. What we didn't appreciate was just how difficult it can be to care for an elderly person who can't walk. They provided us with a list of home health care providers that I cross checked with yelp. Crazy how few reviews there are for these types of businesses. After doing some research and contacting three different providers, I chose Home Instead. From the moment we contacted them our life started getting easier. Cassandra quickly set up an appointment for the owner, David, to come to the apartment and meet my father. He asked the right questions, listened, and provided us with a range of options to choose from. Zero pressure. The primary health aid, Leroy, quickly became like part of the family. David remained actively involved in managing my father's care--even while on vacation! And as my father gradually began to recover, they were very flexible in dialing down the service. The only advice I have is to set clear expectations up front about what kinds of help you would like the health aid to provide. The brochure promises the moon, more than any single health aid could reasonably be expected to provide. But be upfront about what help you need. That way it doesn't get awkward part-way through treatment if expectations aren't being met. This is particularly important if there will be more than one provider managing care. Overall we were very pleased with Home Instead and will definitely be contacting them again should we require additional care.

After a hospitalization, my 94-yr-old mother needed round-the-clock care at home. For more than 5…read moreweeks, friendly, dedicated, caring, knowledgeable and dependable professionals came to our home. Each of them took excellent care of her, encouraging her as she slowly regained her health and mobility - and allowing me to get the rest I so desperately needed. I learned from them the best ways to continue her care on my own, and enjoyed their company immensely. They treated both of us with courtesy, respect and compassion. I can't thank the management, schedulers and caregivers enough for taking such good care of both of us. With them, it really IS personal!

Visiting Angels are great people to work with. They are very responsive to requests and able to…read moreprovide advice and help tailored to our mother's needs.

I use Visiting Angels to look after my mother while I live overseas. So far I am overwhelmed at…read morethe response my mother has had to the quality of care she receives. The people who look after my mother are incredibly kind and loving. We've used other agencies and had other folks in our home that are just there to go through the motions... Visiting Angels provide TRUE companionship for the elderly. They talk, the listen, they care and the respond. Most importantly for me is that I have a great caseworker who keeps me in the loop with things that occur in the house. She is a great resource for suggestions on how to handle tricky situations and also a great resource to coordinate things like food deliveries and other things that take place in the house while I am away. If you are reading this you have a loved one that needs support, it is a stressful situation and you sometimes feel like anything you do will be a mistake. I'm here to say that Visiting Angels eliminated so much of that anxiety for my family. Please engage with them and see how they can do the same for you.

This review is specifically related to the Protective Services Program, which failed two times…read more The first time occurred in June. On Thursday, 6/20/24, a neighbor had a car accident. On Friday, 6/21, the car was still there, but no one could locate the neighbor, which was a deviation from that person's routine. Plus it was a very hot day. Initially another neighbor called the police, but they were understandably reluctant to break the door down and no one could reach the neighbor so I left a message when the Protective Services Program office was open. Eventually someone else was able to contact someone within the city government, who sent the police and fire department. They got in through the window and confirmed that the neighbor was not inside. Someone from the Protective Services Program called me to follow up because of emergency services' involvement. On Tuesday, 6/25/24, the Protective Services Program finally returned my call. The second time is ongoing. On 9/25/24, I called the Senior Legal Help Line to verbally file a report of elder abuse for my Mom to investigate how she suddenly became permanently disabled after staying at Windrose at Weymouth, an assisted living residence (ALR). They stated to wait 3-5 days before following up directly with the Protective Services Program, which had jurisdiction because Mom was living in Cambridge at the time of the filing. They never proactively contacted me with an update so either the Senior Legal Help Line misrepresented their obligation or they don't have to do their job. It only occurred to me to follow up as she was dying so I called and spoke to Isaiah Castillo, who stated that the the Protective Services Program referred it to DPH & gave me the phone number and case number. I stated that DPH does not handle ALRs. I called, & DPH confirmed that they did not have the case & did not have such a case number. I called Mr. Castillo back and asked him not to call me until he had something more concrete. He never did. Today I was instructed by an outside office to talk to the Director of Protective Services Keith Adams. He said that it was referred to DPH and the Ombudsman. I told him that I did not believe that the Protective Services Program referred it to DPH. I insisted that he call with me on the line to confirm, which he did. DPH confirmed that they had a case for my Mom, but it was not with Windrose at Weymouth. So his first answer was wrong. I emailed the Ombudsman, whom I knew. The Ombudsman called me immediately to say that he would not be the one to handle the referral, and referred me to go on Mass.gov to file a public records request. The Ombudsman was familiar with the state level supervisor of protective services and said that he would report how Somerville Cambridge Elder Services' Protective Services Program was incorrectly referring people to him. I called Kevin back with the information who was so cheery and unperturbed at being wrong about everything that if he was ever right, he probably would throw a party and put himself on the cover of Time Magazine as Person of the Year. In the end, he said that to protect the reporter of abuse, under MGL19A, people are not allowed to discuss the investigation even if it is completed. I am a lawyer, but this area is not my subject of expertise so I asked him if the law needed to be changed. On this point, he was silent. As the reporter of possible abuse, I do not feel protected. In the end, we are expected to trust that despite all evidence to the contrary, investigations are occurring and people are doing their job when they cannot prove it by knowing basic level of knowledge such as which agency does what and which forms to fill out. The only ones receiving protection are the investigators if they are not doing their job or the wrongdoers if they are abusing the elderly. Maybe people like Kevin are doing a great job, and he is just having a bad day, but if he is not, may he receive the quality of service that he and his agency offers. Mom died on 11/22/24 at 6:48 pm.

If you need assistance or any kind of help from this group, let me tell you, you are in big…read moretrouble. This is a very dangerous group. Run away as fast as you can - they will not help you, they have no staff, except "management," of course. They have lots of that! And expect nothing because you won't get it.

We went there for SHRINE appointment. The lady took our appointment was very nice and very helpful…read more We got all the information we need for our retirement insurance choices. Hope they continue to offer the service without getting cut by the latest WH administration. The services are vital for the seniors

There customer service was get i was unprepared and not ready but they treated me like a human…read morebeing and not a sloppy unprepared person i respect that greatly they tried everything they could to help and because they helped me when I just didn't have the mental capacity to now im looking forward to our appointment haven't had treatment like that in awhile

I've used several great home health agencies for my elderlies and Bayada is a standout. They do…read morecost a little more but you get what you pay for. They always come through for us with high quality home health aides when we need support, even when we have a last minute situation. Also we are Covid-conscious and they are always willing to wear appropriate respiratory protection. I see mixed reviews from other states and I can't speak to that, but here in Massachusetts I highly recommend them.

From the owner: BAYADA Home Health Care in Charlestown, MA provides personal care, household support, and…read morecompanionship for seniors and adults who require assistance to enjoy independent, safe, and fulfilling lives in the comfort of their homes. BAYADA's caregivers are trained and equipped to provide care to those who need or prefer a higher level of one-on-one attention and care, such as those with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. Whether you or your loved one reside in a private home, assisted living, or independent living community, BAYADA provides the services you need wherever you call home.