Home InsteadReviews of homeinstead.com

As others have said, this company is all about the money grab. They told my parents that notice was two weeks, which it is for care visits, but to cancel the whole service is FOUR WEEKS! what an absolute rip off. I would caution against using these people as they are VERY expensive compared to other care providers in home.

Home Instead used to care about their clients and staff years ago, but now all they care about is the money. Lucky for some clients there's caring support workers that get things done behind managements back. I wont go in to full detail but I wouldn't recommend this place to work or to care for my loved one.

It's a scam....and not worth a penny of the fortune it cost me and my nan.....there's only the 2 of us and that's the way it's been for well over 20 years but tbh it was her social worker who was useless (surprise surprise) as my nan was in late 80s at the time and suffers bonnet syndrome (a hallucinatory condition similar to dementia but its often people who are blind/partially sighted who suffer from it)....I was in hospital because of a SA by overdose but obv was in no condition for business bs (I'm also classed as a vulnerable adult) and so we royally got done over and I wish I'd enquired or done more as we were referred to them not the other way around and so assumed it was a free service and we're never told it would more or less leave us destitute...they did next to nothing when they arrived...

AS PER MY REVIEW FOR HOME INSTEAD UK: Where to start?! My late Gran's niece caused the initial mess by sticking her nose in where it wasn't wanted, or needed, and tried to arrange alternative care for my then 95-year-old Gran behind my back (without doing any actual legwork!), even though I was dealing effectively with Gran's care already (and had done for nearly 20 years). Furthermore, at the time of these events, Gran was being cared for in hospital but immediately prior to this had been in respite care in a care home, since she had ailments that meant she could not live at home and the outlook was permanent care in a care home, NOT home care. I was Gran's carer/next-of-kin/POA. The Manager of Live-In Care, Home Instead Glasgow, Stirling, Perth, Ayr and Falkirk (whom we'll call S) started visiting Gran without my knowledge to discuss live-in home care, and I only found out about these visits by chance - just in time too. S ended up preying on Gran - a very elderly, weak and vulnerable person - directly with unethical and aggressive sales tactics, and I believe this is because Gran told S that she had money that her late husband AND late son had left her, and because she had been deemed as having mental capacity, even though she did not have the capacity to manage her own financial affairs - I dealt with this side of things as her carer/POA. S hid behind Gran's 'capacity' which became her line of defence. I had to step in to stop the nonsense before it went too far. In the end, I sent a MASSIVE complaint email to the Care Inspectorate who passed it to management at Home Instead. The Group Operations Manager sympathetically acknowledged and apologised that the situation had caused me stress and worry, and though S lied through her teeth about her conduct, he prevented S from continuing to pursue this lead. In addition, due to my concerns about S, I had to ask that hospital staff, care home staff and the social worker alert me should they find S speaking to or visiting Gran. SPECIFICS: S did not feel the need to get in touch with Gran's POA/next-of-kin (me), or do a financial assessment, or carry out a risk assessment at Gran's house, or have anyone witness conversations or join in with meetings, nor was she intending to have anyone witness the signing of any forms/agreements (which thankfully never happened but it was close - my Gran couldn't even see the forms!!) S was hesitant to provide me with information when requested (financial or otherwise), and there was no information left for Gran at the hospital or care home for me to see. From conversations with her, I don't believe Gran fully understood the costs, what having a live-in carer meant for her and her home, e.g. what service she was to receive and what changes had to be made to her home, and what privacy and security concerns this arrangement could cause. What information I did finally receive from S was vague. S was pushing to start the service only a week and a half after I got in touch with her (once I found out what was going on) even though Gran did NOT have an agreed discharge date from the hospital and there was NO agreed plan for her continuing care at that point. S caused great confusion with hospital staff who thought Gran had home care arranged when she did not. S even had the gall to ask me for a set of keys to Gran's house and sent me a Direct Debit form to complete! I was SPEECHLESS. I'd never even met the woman and I was to let her and who knows who else into Gran's home?! Plus, as if all of this isn't enough to put people off, it turns out that carers are not always fully qualified to SVQ Level 3 and are often working towards this - therefore you could end up with a 'carer' who started at college yesterday. Don't worry - you can REQUEST A FULLY QUALIFIED CARER (yes, I was actually told this). Please be very wary of Home Instead and DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE LETTING SOMEONE LIKE 'S' OR AN UNQUALIFIED CARER INTO YOUR FAMILY'S LIFE. *I have emails to prove the majority of the information I have provided in this review, which were used as evidence for my complaint to the Care Inspectorate. Other conversations with S were by phone. None were in person.

Terrible care staff

Called tonight to inquire about some rates for my aged mother and was told it was late at night and what did I need. The woman that answered sounded like she may have been drinking or something else. She said it's after midnight what did I want about homecare. I explained where I was was still in Canada and nowhere near Midnight She hung up on me. SUPER BAD CONDUCT very disappointed will never use this company ever!!!! This is how their sales team reacts can't imagine if you had an actual problem wit a loved one. SO SORRY I'm not in your time zone maybe don't offer late hour service quotes. Seems obvious to me this company only wants a quick high priced sell.

Do not use this company I wish I’d read the reviews before I engaged Home Instead. I too found them charming and cooperative until the contracts were signed, at which point service declined rapidly. The managers claimed to know their carers but in fact got them from a pool, chosen after one zoom interview. One of our live in carers was basically a teenager who’d had no experience of running a home and spent more time on her iPhone than engaging with my wife. Eventually she locked herself out after my wife had had a fall. Another one was rude and insubordinate, telling me she could pack her bags whenever I asked her to do anything she didn’t want to. I once came home and found her sitting several feet behind my wife who was partly dressed, in her wheelchair, not talking to her, because she’d got distressed by the way the carer had handled her that morning. Invoices were supposed to be monthly. Two weeks after I’d terminated our contract I hadn’t had a single invoice so I added up what I thought we owed and sent an email. This had to be followed up a week later and finally I got a response. Home Instead’s administration, like their level of care, is appalling.

Have worked for this company for a while. Terrible training, incompetent management, badly organised, under paid and erratic hours. Don’t care one bit about their staff and employ half wits who couldn’t look after a goldfish rather than a person. Can’t divide work up properly, move people around clients so they can’t develop a bond and tell lies when a client doesn’t want them anymore or asks for a new cared. I wouldn’t have them near a relative of mine.