You will notice that the company has mostly favorable reviews. But notice also that all of these…read morereviews are from five years ago. Since then, the company has changed names, and I believe changed management. I suspect that the quality of service from this company has greatly deteriorated while the price has inflated. My experience with "TheKey" has not been favorable. In their favor, they did send me a very competent and compassionate caregiver. My wife has dementia and needs a caregiver for several hours a day. So why am I complaining? Mainly about their pricing. About a year ago, we began using their services at a price of $37 per hour. I thought this to be high, especially when I learned that the caregiver was paid about half that. In November, 22, they raised this price to $39 per hour. with a $1 per hour wage going to the caregiver. At the end of March, without notifying me, they jumped the rate to $41.34 per hour, This time, our caregiver informed me that they did not increase her wage at all. Thus over the last 4 months, they have raised their rates by about 11%. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf the overall consumer price index by about 5% over the year ending in March 2023 and the price index for medical services has increased by 1%. Within the last 4 months, this company has increased its prices by 11%. And we can't blame this on labor costs. While they raised their price by more than $4 per hour, it appears they raised the wage rate of the caregiver by a total of $1 per hour. It appears that although the caregiver does all the work, and the company which offers little or nothing in services charges more than twice what it pays the caregiver. On the rare occasions when our caregiver could not come, they were not able to send a substitute, and one time even billed me for the day my caregiver couldn't come. My inquiries about billing were passed on from the local office to some higher authority, who either would not respond or would respond after long delays. Because I was pleased with our caregiver, I was willing to pay a substantial ransom to the company that matched us, but their last price increase without notification was for me the last straw. I have now closed the door on the Key. After this experience, I have learned that there are a number of experienced and competent caregivers in Santa Barbara, who work independently. One can pay these people far more than they would earn from the agency and still save serious money. I suggest that anyone in need of caregiving services look around for an independent caregiver. '

After researching different companies, I found three that provided services in the Santa Barbara…read more(and surrounding) area and interviewed all of them. The company that stood out the most was Home Care Assistance (HCA) based upon their detailed responses to my page-long questions, ability to provide a customized care plan for my parent and provided outstanding services for a reasonable price. It's been close to a year that I hired Home Care Assistance (HCA) to provide 24x7 care for my parent. I've been extremely happy with the Caregivers, and more importantly, my parent still has the same staff for the entire time! To be honest, I thought this industry has high turn-over. I think it has more to do with the corporate structure in staff retention than any other variable. Other positive things I have experienced, HCA management is always more than willing to work with you to 'tweak' your client care plan based upon current realities. Specifically, Shari Asmann (former Care Manager, now their Operations Manager) ensured that her staff communicated potential risks and issues that my parent experienced without hesitation. In consultation with Ms. Asmann, we devised a communication strategy between her, the Caregivers and my brother and I. If something happened, it was quickly communicated to the family. As a result of this positive communication, I was able to quickly address minor issues before they became a real problem due to the strong relationship between HCA and the family, Caregiver commitment and their professionalism. Ms. Asmann also allowed me to actively participate in the interview process for my parent's Caregiver position. She did the initial 'vetting' and let me ask a number of poignant questions. Through good times and bad, I could be assured that HCA would respond proactively and meet my family needs without hesitation. I can literally say that HCA has been there with my parent through fire, floods, family legal challenges, my parent's health problems and so much more. Of all the problems I have dealt with in the past year, Home Care Assistance is the one constant I can count on and didn't need to resolve. I'm sure there are many managers like Ms. Asmann that work for HCA and have the knowledge and experience that can provide assurance to you that you're hiring the right company. My recommendation to you is at the very least contact Home Care Assistance for an interview and you'll see exactly why I hold them is such high esteem. If you do thorough research and interview companies like I did, I'm willing to bet Home Care Assistance will rise to the top. It's stressful enough to need to hire 24x7 care for a loved one. I cannot emphasize enough that hiring the right company can help at least alleviate some of that stress. Give them a call, it's really worth it!

I love my job as a CNA/caregiver at Helping Hands (and I'm not just saying that)…read more I really appreciate this company, and I like all of my co-workers. Everyone at Helping Hands continuously works to build each other up. There's so much teamwork and love that goes into every clients care. Our clients recieve excellent care by all our wonderful caregivers (And, no I didn't get paid to say this! Haha. My office doesn't know I'm writing this review )

This is the worst company I have ever seen. They trashed my whole house, i.e. divots in all my…read moregood, beautiful tile on floors and sinks. My expensive good jewelry is missing. My kitchen is a mess--many utensils missing. Things broken or damaged, i.e. tupperware, small glass bowls, many important keys are missing--I will have to call locksmith to regain them. The list is endless. The clothesline is now broken. The carpet is trashed, especially in patient's room and needs to be cleaned now. Towels and sheets were just taken without OK from me. Adhesive labels, telling that was on each cabinet and drawers, were stuck on. Caregivers were rude or indifferent to me (wife of patient). I could go on. I will be writing a letter to this company

Tina and all of the care-givers at Right at Home are amazing! They took excellent care of our…read moreailing mother and she was comfortable accepting the care. I recommend Right at Home without hesitation!

My mom and stepdad were in a terrific assisted living place in Santa Barbara, but with the lockdown…read moremy mom needed extra care and company. Right at Home Santa Barbara was recommended to me as a top home-care place by the clinic at their assisted living. Right at Home Santa Barbara is a beautifully run small company that excelled at matching up caregivers with my mother. I don't have to tell anyone with a beloved elderly relative in assisted living how difficult the lockdown was. But the caregivers who worked with my mom were not just compassionate and vigilant about her well-being, they also did her nails, fixed her hair, took her out for a spin in her wheelchair, accompanied her to doctors' appointments, washed her clothes, helped her to the dining table for her meals - and they were wonderful company. My mom became close friends with two of her caregivers and my husband and I came to love them, too and they will always be a part of our life. After my stepdad passed away in June 2021 and we were still in lockdown the extra care and company from Right at Home became more important. On Christmas day when our CA governor wouldn't allow me to have this important meal with my mom I wept. But when her caregiver sent me photos of the table she'd decorated and I called and my mom and her caregiver were laughing and having a great time - I was overjoyed. My mom passed away in July. I miss her terribly but I take great comfort in knowing how good her last year was. If you need home-care or have a relative who needs it, call Right at Home.

Wish I could give a Zero. Star…read more First phone call was brilliant. I asked several times if they covered my area and they checked and said yes. I had a bit of a struggle getting the referral to them but 24 hours later it was with intake. I didn't hear from anyone for several days and when I finally was able to get someone they said it was still in intake. Only when I called back and pressed hard and asked for a supervisor did they tell me that they DO NOT serve our area. Valuable days were wasted on waiting on them and my Mom suffered in that time. Shame on them!

PT and monitoring. The physical therapy was very helpful in maintaining movement. The quality was…read morealways excellent, courteous and polite. I always felt better, if a little sore for a while. Communication was easy and effective

I was having a very bad and emotional day after a doctor's appointment and I just happy to see the…read moreBrightStar Care office on the first floor. I went in...I dont even know why. When I entered, Case Manager Katherine Coats and RN Anna Bury were so welcoming and supportive of my trauma state. They made me feel understood and turned what could have been a horrific day into a day of hope. It wasn't their job. They didn't know me. I'm not a client. But if that's how they treat a complete stranger in crisis, then rhis is the right company for your loved ones. Thank you. Katherine and Anna and Brightstar Care!

I was applying for administrative support person at this company. They did a screening phone call…read morewith me, then said they would set up a Zoom. I had to follow up to make sure I got a Zoom link. They gave me the link on a Monday afternoon for a Tuesday morning interview. Without sending me an email or giving me a phone call to cancel, they just did not show up for the Zoom. They sent a message on Indeed that they had hired someone else. I have no issue with them hiring someone else. My issue is that they disregarded the time that I take to prepare for an interview. Then neglected to tell me that they had canceled it. Very rude and very unprofessional. If they do not believe my time is valuable as an interviewee, I doubt they would take my time seriously as an employee. I would also be skeptical that they care appropriately for a person needing their type of care. I would never use their services as caregivers. Public relations manifest in many ways.

Being independent is one of the most important things for my mother. With some recent health…read moreissues, it became clear that she would need assistance. On the suggestion of a friend, I contacted Senior Planning Services and they walked me through the different options available. We decided to go with Lifeline Alert, which will allow my mother to live independent and gives us peace of mind that if she falls, we will be alerted right away. Cassi, from Senior Planning Services made the whole experience very comfortable for my mother, and help her get past any resistance that she had. After installing the device in my mother's house, and walking us through the operating system, she took extra time to chat with my mother and helped her feel comfortable with this next stage of her life. Not only from my experiences, but from that of friends, I highly recommend Senior Planning Services.

I called for help recently with SPS and got fast expert care tailored exactly to what we needed for…read morea short duration with the thought of longer care in mind. Our care manager was kind and worked to get what we needed rather than just what someone else might think was needed. Our manager has decades of experience. The best part is that they are really interested in their clients as real people with real interests and history! Highly recommended!

As a Senior Mover Manager I have had many occasions to work with Peggy, Katarina and Kathy- the…read moreTeam at Senior Living Consultants. In addition, most recently, on a personal note with a close family member who was in need. The team at Senior Living Consultants takes each clients' situation individually and helps guide them and their family through the chaos and fragmented information and advice available with senior living options in Santa Barbara. They hold each clients' hand with empathy, knowlege and care. Providing an invaluable service at a stressful time. Just in time and just right! Thank you SLC! This at no cost to the client.

Cathy Murillo helped me find placement for my 95 year old father. I needed to urgently find…read moreassisted living for him in the Goleta area and within 24 hours from calling and speaking with Cathy, she emailed me 4 choices. I immediately checked out Westmont and moved him in there 2 weeks ago. Senior Living Consultants saved me so much time and research, and Cathy saved me days of trying to find places. WOW! What great service and there is no fee associated with working with them. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Hospice of Santa Barbara gave my mom the best of care! Me and my family are so grateful for the…read moreentire staff ( Rocio, Leslie and our great social worker) All three of them went above and beyond their call of duty. I would highly recommend hospice of Santa Barbara to anybody who is looking for care for their loved one.

Hospice of Santa Barbara is a well oiled machine to dispatch people who are ready to GO!…read more We were assigned a team of professionals that educated us how to get started with the process of Death with Dignity. My life partner, a multiple-cancer survivor and I were pleased to have HSB in our corner in the most challenging time in our life. Their process made possible to navigate this path with ease. It is never too early to call them to get informed and prepared. Thank you so much for the care and competency in which process was carried out. Jacqueline Lopez