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.

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!

Such a great company! They are so good with last minute changes and requests. We called for care…read moreand they were able to put together 24/7 coverage for my family member with only a few days notice. We called every other agency in the area and they had the lowest rates with much better service. It feels personalized and not corporate which is what we were looking for. 10/10!!

My grandmother is 88 and our family was looking at nursing homes. We decided to try private nursing…read morefirst and honestly it changed everything. Cross County has nurses available around the clock and we never once felt like we were on our own in the middle of the night. She is still home, still comfortable, and honestly doing much better than we expected. Cannot recommend them enough!

Beacon Hospice was an absolute blessing to our family during one of the hardest times of our lives…read more They cared for my grandma with so much compassion, dignity, and respect, and they supported us just as much as they supported her. Every nurse, aide, and staff member we worked with was kind, patient, and truly attentive. They took the time to explain things, checked in often, and made sure my grandma was comfortable and never felt alone. It never felt rushed or clinical, it felt personal. What stood out most was how much they genuinely cared. They treated my grandma like a person, not a case, and that meant everything to our family. In such an emotional and overwhelming time, having a team we could trust brought us so much peace. I will always be grateful for the care Beacon Hospice provided. I can't recommend them enough to families who are navigating hospice care for a loved one.

Beacon Hospice provided the most outstanding care in the toughest time. Everyone I interacted with…read morewas very knowledgeable and understanding as well as informative. Truly some of the best staff.

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!

The update is that there is no update. It has now been 4 years since my father has been on Mass…read moreHealth. Zelma Lacey House still does not accept his entire Mass Health benefit as payment for his rent. They still say that he needs to be in a special room for that. They still have not put him in that room (and the idea that he would need to move for that is unfair anyway). So they are still charging full rent minus a discount for getting his full Mass Health benefit, and asking his family to cover the very substantial difference. Shameful. The reason this is two stars instead of zero is that he's still happy there. He likes the staff, the residents, the food and the activities, and I have no complaints about the care he gets, only about the financial situation.

For the past 8 yesrs, my relative lived at Zelma Lacey House. Having a number of physical and…read morevisual impairments which might have limited her participation in every day activities, ZLH went out of their way to include her with other house members and to make her feel welcome and at home. She was part of a bigger family there. They knew her favorite foods, music, and passions (the Red Sox). After being diagnosed with cancer and undergoing debilitating treatments, I was unsure she could continue to remain there. The staff assured us over and over again that she could stay there until the end, after all this was her "home". Each and every member of the staff was like family, always positive and helpful to the very end. They were there for all our family in ways I would have never expected. They put their hearts and souls into their jobs and she was the beneficiary of their dedication. I found them all to be amazing. Their kindness will never be forgotten.

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.