Around The Clock Companion Care

Pros

• The people are nice.
• ATC care was exceptional.
• Every single person they dealt with was wonderful.
• Everyone showed up when they said they would and were kind and caring.
• ATC is highly recommended.
• ATC is considered the best in Bakersfield and Kern County for patient care.

Cons

• Around The Clock continues to hire caregivers weekly while cutting hours for the existing, hardworking staff.
• The in-office staff are disrespectful and unprofessional.
• A staff member almost ran a stop sign, and the manager's reaction was dismissive, as if nothing would be done.
• A home health aide used dirty gloves to remove a dressing and touched multiple surfaces, risking infection.
• Scheduling and communication are inconsistent: visits are missed, rescheduled poorly, and discharge paperwork is delayed.
• The company charges for additional services without clear disclosure, potentially damaging patients' credit.
• Post-surgical follow-up care is described as dwindling and poorly managed, impacting recovery.
• The overall care experience is unreliable, with patients often not receiving timely or adequate treatment.
• One reviewer criticized that only RNs are sent, rating the service poorly for that reason.

Review

Across the Clock, or Around the Clock as some reviews call it, emerges in these accounts as a company capable of delivering caring, hands-on bedside help on good days, but hampered by inconsistent management, scheduling chaos, and troubling lapses in safety and communication on others. The chorus is clearly mixed: there are caregivers who show up on time, are kind to patients, and provide meaningful support, and there are other experiences where patients and families feel ignored, subjected to unsafe practices, or left to fend for themselves when plans fall apart.

Several reviewers pointed to a core tension in staffing: the company continues to hire new caregivers every week while cutting back hours for the already-hired team. The result, they say, is a feeling that experienced, reliable caregivers are being squeezed or replaced by new hires without consistent oversight. Beyond this, the office environment itself is described as disrespectful and unprofessional by some families. The sense is that even when compassion and goodwill exist among frontline staff, the administrative side can undercut trust and safety, leaving patients unsure of who will show up, when, and how problems will be handled.

Safety concerns loom large in a couple of the most detailed experiences. One reviewer recounts being nearly hit by a staff member's vehicle and receiving a dismissive response from the manager - no names were requested, and the issue was essentially swept aside. The same review questions a broader culture about taking safety seriously, implying that events like near-accidents could be a routine risk if not properly addressed. These anecdotes frame safety as more than a clinical concern; it's about accountability, clear communication, and following through when problems arise.

Medical follow-up, especially after more invasive procedures, is another area where opinions diverge sharply. A spine surgery patient describes a discharge plan where a nurse was expected to visit to assess an incision and change a dressing, but instead a physical therapist ended up visiting with limited wound-care supplies. The incision assessment was described as poor - gloves used in a way that risked contamination, with gloves touching a patient's back after crossing through devices and paperwork, followed by a quick switch to fresh gloves before dressing. The patient emphasizes that infection is a major concern after surgery, making the lapses feel not merely inconvenient but potentially dangerous. The subsequent scheduling chaos - visits promised for the coming week that are delayed or canceled, with an impression that the patient's ongoing needs were not being prioritized - adds to a sense of frustration and fear around recovery.

This experience also highlights a broader pattern of inconsistent communication and planning. After attempting to cancel services when the care plan didn't meet insurance terms, the patient encountered a last-minute attempt by a physical therapist to come by anyway, followed by a discharge paperwork request, and finally a lack of follow-up from management. The patient's conclusion is stark: despite acknowledging that staff can be overwhelmed, the ongoing management failures make the care feel unstable and unsustainable, especially when contrasted with the high-quality care they received elsewhere (like Kaiser) during the acute event.

Another recurring thread concerns transparency and billing. One reviewer warns about additional charges for in-home services that aren't clearly disclosed, and about experiences where unresolved billing questions translated into credit issues. The tone here is cautionary: even when the clinical staff are gentle and capable, unclear charges and billing disputes undermine trust and can have lasting financial consequences for families already navigating difficult health journeys.

Yet not all reports are bleak. A different set of reviews paints a picture of exemplary, reliable care in which nursing and physical therapy visits are consistent and timely. One family describes a pattern of care that included three nursing visits per week, two PT visits, and caregivers who consistently showed up as promised, often handling emergencies with calm, quick responses. This experience includes compassionate, patient-centered attention during late-evening emergencies and a robust sense that the care team had the patient's best interests at heart. In these stories, Around the Clock is described as "the best" in Bakersfield or Kern County, with praise for the way staff meet patients' needs and treat them with kindness and respect.

There's also a pointed critique from another family who gave the service a one-star rating, specifically expressing disappointment that the nurses who came were all RNs (rather than other types of caregivers). This signal suggests that for some, the level or type of nursing staff matters deeply, especially in home settings where hands-on clinical tasks and the ability to coordinate with other care elements are essential. The one-star note sits alongside longer, more favorable testimonials, underscoring the theme that patient experience with Around the Clock is highly variable and often depends on the specific nurse, the particular day, and the administrative context surrounding each visit.

The most comprehensive, cautionary account centers on a long-standing, systemic pattern of scheduling and communication failures. This reviewer describes a two-year relationship with the company that began with a simple, seemingly straightforward two-hour visit window for each nurse - 12:30-2:30, 2:30-4:30, and so on. Yet day-by-day and week-by-week, the patient faced visits scheduled "when she's available" rather than according to the patient's needs or doctor's orders. Referrals from doctors would sometimes fail to make it into the Around the Clock system, or be forgotten altogether. Holidays and weekends became periods of prolonged gaps in treatment, leading to wounds that worsened because there was little to no treatment in those critical windows. The director of nursing and the owner were cited as offering standard excuses about nurses having family emergencies or call-ins, even as the patient observed that temp RN agencies exist precisely to fill sudden gaps - implying a failure to plan ahead and to secure reliable coverage. The patient ultimately warns others to shop around and to keep a close eye on scheduling, discharge procedures, and follow-through, because misalignment here can meaningfully impact recovery and health outcomes.

Taken together, these accounts reveal a company capable of delivering genuine, high-quality care under the right circumstances, with caregivers who are attentive, skilled, and responsive when everything is aligned. But they also reveal systemic vulnerabilities: inconsistent leadership and communication, scheduling instability, and a billing culture that can obscure costs and complicate payment and credit. The most compelling takeaway is not a simple verdict of "good" or "bad," but rather a portrait of a service whose value depends on the specifics of who shows up, how well the office coordinates with clinical staff, and how effectively patients and families are able to advocate for clear plans, safety, and accountability. For families facing serious medical needs, it appears crucial to verify coverage, confirm appointment windows, discuss safety and dressings upfront, and maintain a dedicated channel of communication with both clinical teams and management to ensure that care is consistent, transparent, and aligned with medical guidance.

This area of Bakersfield, California, offers a convenient and diverse range of amenities for senior living. With multiple physicians and healthcare facilities nearby, including Kaiser Permanente and The Heart Center, residents have easy access to medical care. Pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens are also within close proximity for medication needs. In terms of dining options, there are popular chains like Chick-Fil-A and Chipotle Mexican Grill, as well as local favorites like Moo Creamery. For recreational activities, parks like Jastro Park and Beale Park provide green spaces for leisurely walks or picnics. Public transportation options are available through the GET Bus Southwest Transit Depot for easy travel around the city. Additionally, cultural entertainment can be enjoyed at theaters like Fox Theater and Reading Cinemas Valley Plaza with IMAX. Overall, this area offers a convenient and vibrant environment for seniors looking to enjoy their retirement years in Bakersfield.

Physicians

• Kaiser Permanente - Discovery Plaza (0.1 miles)
• Diabetic Foot and Wound Center (0.1 miles)
• Nanoknee Institute (0.2 miles)
• Hear Again 2 (0.2 miles)
• Rehabilitation Medicine (0.2 miles)
• The Heart Center (0.3 miles)
• California Retina Consultants (0.4 miles)

Pharmacies

• Bakersfield Family Medical Center (0.5 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (0.8 miles)
• Walgreens (1.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2 miles)
• Wise Buys Drugs (2.4 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.5 miles)
• V & G Collective (2.6 miles)

Restaurants

• Moo Creamery (0.5 miles)
• McDonald's (0.7 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (0.8 miles)
• Jollibee (0.8 miles)
• Coconut Joe's (0.8 miles)
• In-N-Out Burger (0.8 miles)
• Chipotle Mexican Grill (0.8 miles)

Cafes

• Panera Bread (0.6 miles)
• Dutch Bros Coffee (1.2 miles)

Places of Worship

• St Philip The Apostle (1.3 miles)
• Laurelglen Bible Church (2.6 miles)

Parks

• Jastro Park (1.6 miles)
• Beale Park (2.1 miles)
• Emerald Cove Park (2.7 miles)

Transportation

• BNSF Railway Co. (2.1 miles)
• GET Bus Southwest Transit Depot (2.3 miles)

Theaters

• Fox Theater, Events Line (2.4 miles)
• Reading Cinemas Valley Plaza with IMAX (2.5 miles)
• Maya Bakersfield 16 (2.7 miles)

Hospitals

• San Joaquin Community Hospital (2.6 miles)