Visiting Angels

Visiting Angels (VA) (Kirkland Wa) provided generally good care for my 80 year old friend with dementia for approx 2 years. There were difficulties with hiring and retaining good caregivers that resulted in several unfilled scheduled shifts. I usually found out after the fact or at the last minute. To their credit at my insistence VA improved communication regarding shift coverage issues. Missed shifts were at least partially due to the pandemic and general shortage of caregivers. Coverage difficulties was also the result of caregivers not wanting to clean up incontinence messes (which I understand - did it for years myself) that are part of the job they signed up for. Ultimately Visiting Angels terminated service citing employee safety issues from incontinence clean up.

I gave VA weeks of advance notice about my planned trip and received acknowledgement and assurance that they would continue service in spite of incontinence difficulties until I returned.

Failure!! Visiting Angels quit the day after I left town and literally abandoned my friend after promising to provide care during my absence in writing. There was no "plan B". I didn't receive word about this until a week later after my return. When I got to my friends home he was literally lying naked on his mattress covered in his own feces. He ended up in the hospital but is now recovering. He needs full time care and is now in a Memory Care Facility.

Beware!

Visiting Angels provided me with a wonderful care giver after I broke my wrist and needed surgery. It was difficult to think about having a new person in my home because I was coming home under sedation. I had to have complete confidence in the person caring for me. All my expectations were met and exceeded. The office staff was friendly, helpful, and professional. My care giver was thorough, proactive, and accommodating. I would not hesitate to recommend Visiting Angles to anyone who is in need of home care services. I was very pleased with the care I received and will use their services again in the future should the need arise.

The Visiting Angels home caregiver agency provides services to the elderly, and in my case, the not-so-elderly. Visiting Angels is the nation’s leading network of non-medical, private duty home care agencies. It is an alternative to assisted-living facilities and nursing homes.



I came to Visiting Angels after a substantial pelvic surgery left me in a wheelchair, needing twice-a-day care in my home. I am an otherwise independent woman in my early fifties, and I needed to get some help while I waited out the mandatory six weeks of wheelchair recovery. I needed the angels to be my legs, because I have a two-story house and couldn’t get downstairs to feed myself or my dog. I couldn’t get the mail or water my plants, wash my clothes, or take a shower without supervision.



The Visiting Angeles representative who came to meet me at the hospital was prompt, professional, and friendly. She took note of my needs, and she assured me that she could find angels to take care of me for the six-week period. One of my requests was that they like dogs, as I have a very enthusiastic four-year-old golden retriever.



I met a variety of Visiting Angels to fill two-hour blocks of time: one for the mornings, and one for the afternoon, and finally, another for the weekends. Three of the angels were in their twenties, and one was in her early forties. It didn’t matter. As I met them, all seemed competent and skilled. I was uncomfortable with only one of the perspective angels I met, but Visiting Angels took my reluctance seriously and quickly found someone else for the shift.



I wrote up a list of what I wanted them to do, and the angels worked together to provide seamless care. Because they were at my house for periods of two hours each, there were times when they were finished helping me before the two hours were over. If this was the case, I asked that they walk my dog, water my struggling tomato plants, and do some rudimentary cleaning. I was never disappointed with their help. They did everything cheerfully and enthusiastically.



If you are in a similar situation where you need home-assisted care, I would highly recommend Visiting Angeles. They are dependable, and their staff is professional and experienced. They are ready to do exactly what you need, and they do it with good humor and efficiency.



I was born at the end of the “baby boom” generation, and I have the impression that more of us will need “at-home care” when we are not quite ready for an assisted-living situation. With these angels to help you, you can be sure that you’re going to get the best care for yourself (and in my case, for my dog!).