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.

We were most impressed with the staff as we were guided through the home health care process…read moreoffering post surgery support. The aide who came to our home for two weeks was professional, knowledgeable, responsible and a gentle presence. We highly recommend Always Here Home Care.

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!!

We needed nursing for my grandpa after his stroke and we tried several companies before we found…read moreCross County. What really sets them apart from the other agencies we tried was their responsiveness and willingness to help us with any problems. The owners, Nathan and Alyssa, are available 24/7 for anything we need, like actually anything. We even called them once because my grandpa had a skin issue and we couldn't get a dermatology appointment the same day. They called every dermatologist in a 2 hour radius and manage to find us one! That's just one example of many! The care is great, rates are lower than other agencies in the area, and they have a generous 24h cancellation policy!! We will continue to use them and we highly recommend!

Cross County is amazing! We needed a home health aide last minute to help care for my grandmother…read moreand they were able to find someone for us the SAME DAY. My grandmother has advanced Alzheimer's and can be very difficult to work with, but the nurses and aides are so patient with her. They also have nurses who specialize in working with Alzheimer's patients and their knowledge is invaluable. I genuinely believe they make her day better. CC is reliable, affordable, caring, and my family will never use another company!

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.

My mother lived here for a year and a half. She had dementia-- as do many of the residents--- and…read moreshe was hard to manage, but the staff did nothing to make it easier. They looked for a reason to get rid of her and when she had a bad flu and had to go to the hospital overnight they refused to let her come back. Then they charged full rent for her empty apartment for three months, pretending that they would "re-evalute" her. When they finally admitted that they would not take her back-- mainly because, I think, they found someone else who wanted her space--- they told me I had to pay to have her belongings removed. I went there to do it in person and they refused to even help me carry trash to the dumpster. It's a lovely looking facility but the staff is heartless. Find another place if you can.

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.