Gentiva Personal Care - Vacaville, CA

Carol Sue Robison

My husband receives caregiving and grooming help for 14 hours weekly. His caregiver is friendly, kind, calm and professional. She relates well with him and with me, as his wife and primary caregiver. When substitute caregivers have been needed, they also have been excellent. Carol Sue Robison

Spicer

My husband is eligible for 10 hours a week care through his benefits at the VA. We live 33 miles from the Gentiva office in Vacaville where most of the care givers reside. This makes it difficult for not only the care givers to drive 30 minutes to get here, but difficult for the office to find personnel to assist my husband. Rita and Lili do a fabulous juggling job whenever we have to change the schedule. You are most fortunate to have caring and efficient personnel. Our experiences with the caregivers that come to our house has been excellent. I have a list of daily tasks which they check off when completed. Walt especially enjoys the walk with the two of them and our Carin Terrier Fendi (she came with that name). Through the years we had only one person that didn't workout, I reported to the office, and we never saw her again. Gentiva is an enormous help to our family: efficient, friendly and caring. Thank you Rita and Lili

#1wife

Our caregiver is great. She works with my husband 35 hours per week, and we both enjoy her time with him. Communication with Gentiva is pleasant but a bit rough in certain areas. Care notes are an example, as they are written up daily, but rarely collected. All in all, Gentiva provides the best services we've had over the past 5 years of needing in home care.

Shirlee

I was very satisfied with Gentiva Personal Care. We only had one person that came several times a week. He did an excellent job. I would recommend the company for the help I got from them. I compared them to several other places, and it was as good or better than most other places. Mostly I dealt with the person who came. Anytime I called Gentiva, I had no problem if I had to cancel an important appointment or if I needed to add one more, they had no problem with it. Their service was mostly just staying with my husband while I was gone.

Jim Holloway

Gentiva has supplied caregivers for me for the past fifteen years. The Gentiva staff have always been very responsive to my needs. The supplied caregivers have all been extremely punctual, honest, efficient and caring to all my needs. I highly recommend Gentiva Personal care to anyone needing reliable, honest and caring staff into their home.

Joe

My wife is using Gentiva Personal Care for close to a year now. I use them about 24 hours a week. The people that they send out are very good. I think the service level is probably average or above average. They cancel the last minute sometimes and they can't get a caregiver. They could improve on the skills of the people that come out. They deal with mainly dementia patients, but sometimes the people that come aren't real sure how to work with somebody with dementia. They provide companion care, they prepare meals, and sometimes, they do light housekeeping.

coffeecam

Amazing, agile, helpful, responsive service - I appreciate their understanding and care when I needed 24-hour care for my dad. Rita was especially kind to me at a time when I was completely stressed, attempting to care for a parent who lives 400 miles from me. Parent loved the caregivers, and I really loved the assistance.

Carol Gieg

People at this agency have been over-the-top, patient and reliable. This, in spite of my anxiety regarding my husband, who has dementia at a young age. They’ve been flexible and supportive, and I could never say enough about their caregivers. I am blessed.

Lorrie

We have been using Gentiva Personal Care for five days now. I'm impressed with their responsiveness. I can tell that they are trying very hard through trial and error to get the best caregivers that will align with my father's personality. He's very mistrustful of people, so trying to find that caregiver that he will allow in is very difficult. Gentiva has been very good and responsive to my request, and I'm very pleased. I would use them again if I needed to. My dad doesn't really want to be watched or controlled. He wants to live his life, and he's not looking for a companion, but some of the caregivers have been miracle workers. He will invite them to speak with him and sit down and actually have a conversation. He's very independent even though he's losing his memory and he likes to do things for himself. He does his own laundry, but he lets the caregiver on Saturday to start a load of laundry for him and then fold it and then actually let her put it away, and I almost fell off my shoes. She took such good care of him on Saturday and Sunday. My dad invited the caregiver to sit in the living room with him rather than leaving him his personal space, so that's been really good. The nighttime caregivers have been very responsive and making sure that he doesn't wander. They have been very responsive to making sure that he's safe and things like that. They've called and texted when they're unsure of how to best help my dad. It's only been five days, but I'm very pleased. They've been communicative. They let me know in advance like a week-long calendar of who the caregiver will be on that time. They had a nice binder with the care plan in it. I actually had written up fairly extensive notes on the different shifts and what his schedules are during the week and during the day. My father lives in a gated community, so I need to let the front gate security know well in advance or they won't let them in. Gentiva has been very responsive and communicative, and I really appreciate that. I'm very pleased, and I hope it continues like this.

Provider Response

Marilyn

I'm working with Gentiva Personal Care for my husband. He is disabled. They send a person out four hours a week. She takes over for me for that day and she does a really good job. They've got really good people. She washes my husband's clothes. She folds them up and put them away in the drawers. She does all the dishes and vacuums. They take care of the house and the area that I would have to take care of for my husband's sake. They're very good at it. One time my caregiver called the office, and they sent somebody else. There was no problem with that. She is always on time, and she never leaves early. She's working from the moment she gets there to the time she leaves. She is really good. The staff in the office are very efficient. They've been very nice and very sweet. However, I had a little bit of trouble scheduling. They don't want me to not have anybody come. They have to have somebody come one way or the other because they need their money. This had only happened once, and things worked out fine.

Provider Response

Laura

What I like about Gentiva Personal Care is that they're coming out three days a week for us, and they're making sure my father is up and getting his breakfast and making sure that he can get where he needs to go. The caregiver is very nice. She is young. When we ended up trying this service, my dad kind of liked her the best, so we asked if she could come, and she does come. She seems very nice and attentive to what he needs. There was a time where I had to email the company because it seemed that my dad was wanting them to come and sit and visit more than doing the little things that they kind of needed to check on and get done while they were here. Ever since then, things are done and the caregiver is writing me notes and telling me everything that she has done, like checking my father's bedding and his bathroom, making sure any little bit of laundry is done, and then making him something to eat while she's there. Those are really the most important things. There's always room for improvement, but they're doing very well. There was one day when they called me and said that they could not get anybody, and it was stressful. I said, 'Please let me know because we're not there and my father needs help.' It was disappointing because they replied back saying that they could not find anybody for that day, so that was scary. But since then, they have been on time, and they have been here when they're supposed to be here. So far, so good. I really appreciate the service, and I'm hoping that we can afford to get more days for my father. I really appreciate the care and the companionship that they're providing him.

Provider Response

ReviewerRD#0518cc

I have been using Gentiva Personal Care for about six months now. The first two women they sent me were incapable of doing physical work. They really should be interviewing people before they just send them out. I could walk faster and do more things than they could, and they were supposed to be helping me. They finally sent me people who could do the physical work, but they were very rude to me. They talked down to me. They did what they could do, but the things they said were very rude. They helped with cooking and cleaning around the house. They helped me with errands, phone calls and things like that. At first, I had somebody coming every day, and then I got better and better, and so it tapered off to where it was just two days a week. Finally, I got somebody that was able to do the work physically and that is not rude. However, the people at the agency gave me somebody else. They got me a replacement up until the very last day. I needed the help the most on the very last day, and my caregiver knew that. They took my caregiver away and sent her somewhere else. My caregiver didn't show up, and so I called her and said, 'Where are you?' She said, 'Didn't the office call you?' I said "No, nobody called me." I called the office and they're like, 'She had an emergency with one of the other clients, so we'll try to find you somebody else,' which they never did. You don't take one worker off one client and send that to somebody else because another client is crying emergency. They also need to hire workers that are able to do the work physically and mentally.

Provider Response

Sujit

I'm using Gentiva Personal Care. There are many sides that I like and don't like. I never got somebody permanent for a long time. We like to have one person sitting the patient so that the dementia patient does not get confused every day who is coming to help. At the very beginning, we had one person and that was very good, but she was detected with a brain tumor, and she had to leave. Since then, every week, we have one person for two days, another person for three days, and then another one for one day. For a dementia patient getting different people on different days, almost every week, is the bad side of it. Another bad side is that there are many different characteristics of caretakers. My wife is not bedridden. She is slightly a dementia patient, she is very mobile, and she wants to move around and walk around, but she makes mistakes. So at the very beginning, my request was to give us somebody who will be able to walk with her, but so many times we've got people who cannot walk up and down the road and a few people just sat down. As soon as we complained this is not fit, we've got a replacement, so no complaint there, but the changing of the people affects my wife. Every day, she said, 'Who is coming here? Is it Stacy? Cathy? How does she look like?' The good side of them is that, most of them are well trained, and most of them know what to do when they're at home. I never dictate what they have to do, but many of them did brain work which means puzzle solving, doing card playing, or word forming. Some of them were very good. They also clean our house in their spare time. They make breakfast for us, and they get my wife involved. Professionally, I have very little to complain about or almost none, except that I would have preferred somebody to continue with permanently. They are willing as much as they can. I also prefer somebody slimmer and not very bulky because they cannot walk on this hilly road here where we live, but they are doing the job without any problem. I have no complaint about their professionalism. Most of them are very good and professionally efficient, except one or two I found that are not good.

Rosie

I am using them. I like everything about them. My caregiver has been here all this time. She is here to help me take care of my husband. It's great. I'm very, very happy and very, very satisfied with them. My husband is content, and that's the main thing. I want him to be content, and now that he is on hospice, it continues. He knows her and recognizes her. The care is just wonderful. Everything is fine. I have no complaints. I have no problem with my caregiver. She is easy to get along with. She is really nice, and she cares a lot about my husband. Everything that he needs, or she thinks he needs, she's there right away. She's so good that they have a lot of other patients who want her, and I can't let her go. She's going to stay with me until I no longer need her. The people at the agency are very nice, too. If something comes up or whatever, they'll give me a call. It's very seldom but that happens. Nevertheless, they're always really nice when I talk to them.

Provider Response

Martina

I've been using them for my dad. What I like best is the office staff. They are always available, and they listen to my concerns and act on them. They always communicate if there's any issue, but other than that, I don't hear a lot from them. I actually prefer it that way because I don't want to be constantly called. I have a variety of caregivers. The current one I have is nice. She listens to my requests, and she's flexible. If I need changes, I don't go through the caregiver, but I go through the office. If my regular caregiver can't make it, they always provide a substitute, so I appreciate that. They're flexible. They will work with my schedule rather than their own schedule. They help my dad with personal care and with meals. My dad is bedridden, so anything he asks, the caregiver pretty much does it. I have nothing to compare them to, but within the past year, they've really come up. The staff is always available for you and to work with whatever your needs or requests may be.

Provider Response

Evelyn

I have been using them for my husband close to four years now. The people in the office are easy to speak to. There have been several caregivers, so there's a lot of different personalities. Some have worked very well, and some have not. I've just requested someone else because the most recent one I had, had no initiative whatsoever. She would come twice a week and I had to tell her every visit what she needed to do that day, and it was always the same thing, but I had to consistently go over it, and half of the time, she didn't do everything. That hasn't been addressed. My husband got to go out of town to his brother's, so I don't have a need for one a week from tomorrow. By then, I'm supposed to have a replacement. We had three caregivers that have been just really, really wonderful. All three of them would find things to do. They weren't like just sitting around. They looked for things to do while they were keeping an eye on my husband. They didn't last very long though. Most of them moved on to other places to work. They really didn't help him do anything except maybe help him prepare his food.

Ellie

I am a client of them and I've been using them on and off. The people are very good at companionship as well as their other duties. They have to stay up all night because I wake up a couple of times, like at 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Scheduling and billing are very good. I'm very satisfied. The caregivers are all very gentle, kind, and very helpful. If I give a holler, they're there in a second. I would recommend them without hesitation.

Dania

We have them for my dad. We have been using them since 2019. It has been great. With my scheduler that I talked to now, Amelia, there have been times when someone can't make it, but she has found someone to step in. There are times when she didn't even have to tell me because she already got someone for him that could fill in, so I didn't even need to stress out and know that so-and-so couldn't make it. It's been good. It's been great at times. We've been very lucky with the caregivers that have been assigned to come in for my dad. They come four days (Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays) and all those days, my dad needs to have a shower because he has bowel incontinence. They shower him, they do his laundry, and they'll clean up the kitchen. They've even left me notes like, 'The vacuum cleaner doesn't work,' or there was a power outage in the bathroom and let me know. They keep an eye out on things. They'll fix him like snacks, make him like eggs or something in the morning if he's hungry. They look out for him. My main thing in going to them is that it would relieve some stress off of me of having to shower him and be here to look after him because I have a family and it's hard, so they've been a Godsend, and the two ladies I have right now are fantastic.

Chris

I have been using them for three months now. They've been able to get me a stationary caregiver, so my mother doesn't have a lot of switching around, which has been very good. They have been helpful in that regard. If a caregiver can't make it, they're able to find another caregiver that can at least make it for the day, which is very good. The caregivers have done a very, very good job in caring for my mother, not just getting their meals, but conversing with her. They also do light laundry, which was beyond my expectations because I always do the laundry, and that was a nice thing they have done for my mother. They have been very, very attuned to her needs, and helping her with her exercises, games and memory games and so forth that I have available for her.

ReviewerRD#06321

I have been using them. The Vacaville Office is fine. My beef is with the corporation. I do not like the corporation since Humana acquired it. They've raised the rates, and they are very difficult to deal with. I'm talking about this giant corporation. I think this is true of any smaller service that's acquired by a big corporation. Billing is very difficult, but as far as the people that work in the office, they genuinely care, and they try to send people that they think will be more tailored to the client. They're always available by phone. Sometimes on the weekends, if your caregiver doesn't show up, it's hard for them to find another one, but that doesn't happen very often. I've been with them since 2012, but they've changed their name so many times, but I don't think this is unique. I suspect they've all been bought up by now like most smaller companies. I liked them when they were smaller, but maybe that's my bias, and the contract that they just wanted me to find is incredibly one sided, which is the first time I've seen that contract. But I have a caregiver who is perfect for me. She's been with me over two years now. I need that consistency because of my medical condition. She works hard and does her best for me. So on the more personal side of this, I'm doing well, and I think the Vacaville office is great. She does my shopping, my laundry and my errands. I'm completely bed bound. They have those what they call chart nodes, and they have to turn it in. I'm one of those blessed few people that have long-term care insurance. She does bed bath, hair washing and a lot of personal care. She doesn't hover over me, which I really like, because my brain is working fine, so I need a certain amount of privacy too, so we get along. I've had a lot of turnovers in the past, but mostly when their personal lives take them either out of employment or whatever, so those times are very difficult, but they do their best to try to find someone because they know what my situation is. She's competent and that's important. She has to drive quite a distance to come every morning, and she's always prompt. She arrives promptly and she leaves promptly, and we know what to expect from one to another, which is important.

Provider Response

Robert

I have been working with them for about four months now. My mom was very suspicious at first, but Brooke has been a wonderful companion for her, and so my mom feels very comfortable now having Brooke come into the home. My mom was anxious at the start, so for me that's a wonderful testament of Brooke's ability and Kindred's ability to take care of her. It's just companionship for the most part. My mom got dementia, and she gets confused easily, but for the most part she dresses herself, and she has her own life, but she's a little lonely, so I have a woman come in. Brooke comes into the house four hours a day four days a week just to keep my mom company and to help her with her chores and those kinds of things. Brooke is caring and generally compassionate. She is a nice person. Billing and scheduling were very flexible. They've been very kind. It automatically gets billed once a month to a credit card, so we've got no problem.

Provider Response

Deborah

The overall experience with them is very good. The main reason we got them, although they do other things, was to bathe my father. They do light housekeeping, and I asked that they start shaving him and I think they're starting. Mainly why we got them for showering as my father has bowel incontinence. They are flexible. I've requested pretty much like on holidays and they pretty much accommodated that. They can't always get somebody, but at least they try. We have two caregivers, one comes three days and one comes one day. I have the most interaction with the one that comes for three days, and she is quite good. I'm also satisfied with the other one, but I don't know her as well. I'm satisfied with the two caregivers that we have now. The caregiver takes a personal interest in caring for my father. She does good work. She is willing to take suggestions. She has a nice outgoing personality, which is good for interacting with the person being cared for. Those are the kind of traits that I'm looking for.

jblazar

Kindred at Home do not perform COVID-19 testing on their employees. All they do is a temperature check and ask if they are feeling sick. This is almost completely worthless for determining whether they are infectious, since many, if not most, infected people are asymptomatic. This is especially bad for the vulnerable people who are most of their clientele. We declined to have them visit us.

Provider Response

Richard

I have been working with them. It is for my mother. Mom got paralysis, but she does a few things for herself. As far as doing things for me, they change her if she needs to be changed. Also my mom needs her meals prepared as she does feed herself. She gets transferred from the wheelchair to the bed and they bathe her. If she messes up her linens, they clean it up, and they wash her clothes sometimes. Mom is comfortable with most of them. We got this foreign lady named Tiffany, who is our regular Monday through Friday girl, and she loves her. She is really cool with her. My mom has had conflict with a couple of other ones but given her condition, sometimes it is her as sometimes she gets very frustrated. The reason we got a lot of health care is because my mom is falling out with everybody in the family because they are not understanding her mental situation. The guys here, they don't take anything negative I say. They always figure out a solution for it. If I say this is something I don't like, they will address it and they will try to fix it.

Victor

I have been using them for 6 months now. It is for my father and it has been great. Theresa is a really good person. She is concerned all the time. She calls when she doesn't have to check in on him. That's a really nice job and I appreciate all of that. They clean up, they cook him breakfast, they make coffee and then they cook him lunch before they leave. They also clean up and do his laundry. My father is very comfortable with them. They're professional and they do a great job; you don't have to worry about anything.

DF

We used them for three months for my late mother. The lady that got us set up with the service was very professional, very easy to work with and she got things arranged. We had a variety of caretakers. Some were better than others, and some of the personalities didn't work so well with my folks. When we asked to replace somebody because it wasn't a good fit, they accommodated our request, so that was a positive. A negative was that it wasn't as consistent as it would have been ideal. We had to change caregivers multiple times. I don't think we ever had a full week of care with the same person every day. These caregivers are never going to be as proactive as a natural family member would be. We brought them in specifically because some of the household habits were not safe nor healthy, so they had to go up against the man of the house and tried to change things, but none of them really wanted to do that because it was uncomfortable. It is not really a complaint, it is just that the truth of getting them to care for the elderly people when elderly people are stubborn and the caregivers only have so much talent and ability to influence them. My mom was comfortable with some of them, and there were a couple of them in particular they really liked. One of them retired, so we couldn't keep her any longer. Kindred at Home was very good at accommodating our request and keeping in touch with us if things were shifting.

Maria

My friend used them for eight days. She had a really good experience. She really liked all the ladies that came. They're all very nice and pleasant. She was comfortable with them. They provided excellent care.

Anonymous3

Caregiver is well-trained, knowledgeable in communicating with client. Knows what the client’s needs and dislikes. Very thoughtful when the client is in a bad mood. Help converse, standby for the client when showering, dressing and toiling. Also reminds client to take medications. Thank you for all your help.

Marcia

Kindred represents the upper echelon of home health care services, an efficiently run organization that operates like a taut ship. Dependable, competent caregivers and very responsive management (Nick F.). They made considerable effort to always accommodate our needs.

Provider Response

Donald

There have been a few mistakes, but overall, they have done an excellent job.

Miss Velma

The setup process was quick and easy. The caregivers assigned: Anna, Cashanta, and Katie, are all wonderful women. Anna is most exceptional. We are very pleased with the services. Billing might need a little work; credit card was supposed to be billed automatically and it was not. Minor issue

Provider Response

Danielle

I am a happy client. Kimberly is happy, cooperative, thoughtful and trustworthy. She does everything well and follows directions well. She carries a quiet and happy demeanor. I enjoy our special relationship.

Mary

Elyse is very capable. She is always on time and never rushes the patient while trying to perform an activity. She is very knowledgeable about how to transfer the patient and how to dress him easily. And she is willing to teach me (spouse)! Always write down time and type of medication.

Anonymous2

We have been pleased with the services. Our current caregiver is very good as she is able to understand our needs and follow through. Thanks!

Anonymous

We love our caregiver and feel that she is part of the family. We are so grateful for everything she does for our mom.

Michael412368

Kindred Healthcare has provided me with excellent services. Their personnel are always professional and kind. I am always notified of the name of the person coming, and they always show up with visible ID and professional attire. The service they provide is top notch, and I would recommend them highly to friends and others.

Susan372501

Sabrina is an amazing caregiver. She goes the extra mile for us and always provides the best care.

Lynne621366

Very happy with the service! The caregiver is a great help to my mother. She even identified a change in her condition of health that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Taller

Deshawn is a great help to my husband. I don't know what we would do without his help.

Hedrick

For the most part, the caregivers are very warm and personable.

Dorothy602883

We love our caregiver and we look forward to her coming in. If it wasn't for her, my condition would not have improved as much as it has.

Mize

The caregiver is very kind and takes initiative.

Anonymous325060

Outstanding caregivers, very helpful and friendly. They help around the house as well as with my wife. The office is responsible to any questions or concerns.

Bob Hedrick

Excellent care for my wife. The few human errors in scheduling (very, very few) were quickly corrected

Charlene048717

The service was very good. They drove me around because I am the caregiver for my husband and I broke my foot. I had them help me with laundry, housework, putting us together, and driving us around because I couldn’t drive. The caregivers were very nice; some of them were just wonderful, and there was just one person that was personable and wouldn’t do anything unless I told her to do it, the others took it upon themselves and started doing it. They were very accommodating and it worked out really well.

Jo Ann N836520

I have nothing but good to say about Kindred at Home. My husband thanks the world of "Rhonda" and wants no other for a relief.

George742833

We are very pleased with my caretaker Makayla and Carolina. Thank you very much to Jasmine for all your help and others in office, Theresa.

Norma26

They are very professional and very good. They were very accommodating and the workers were actually educated. I am happy with them.

Santy

It was recommended to us, and we chose it for my dad. The aide that was sent basically was guarding my dad to his appointment. She was doing the housework and helping him walk.