Familiar Surroundings Home Care in San Jose, CA

Pros

• The caregivers have been terrific.
• They are well trained, responsive, always helpful and kind.
• Rosalia Carpenter and Martha provided exceptional care and service.
• FSHC is a great company to work for.
• The staff from HR to the front office are friendly, professional, and accommodating.
• Mell is quick to reply to messages or calls, and the on-call team after hours is reliable.
• Denice is always a pleasure to talk to when contacting the office, and the training has been helpful.
• Angie and Remedios have been very professional and wonderful caregivers.
• Familiar Surroundings has been a wonderful help to families; highly recommended.
• FSHC is welcoming and attentive to the needs and concerns of families.
• Great service, great people, and great business.
• The managers and staff are amazing at communication; the caregivers are wonderful to work with; costs are reasonable.
• The services are prompt, reliable, and capable of providing emergency coverage when needed.
• Jessica has been amazing, going above and beyond.
• The weekly caregivers are on time, polite, and respectful.
• The administrative staff are communicative and responsive, and aides are reliable.
• Familiar Surroundings treats caregivers like family and provides top-notch care.

Cons

• One reviewer was disappointed, alleging the agency hires caregivers who lack experience and just sit around to get paid.
• A commenter claimed employees care very little about patients, the agency is grossly understaffed, and the customer service is terrible, noting a Christmas Day no-show.
• Another reviewer warned to avoid Familiar Surroundings, accusing the company of using caregivers to enrich itself and paying Walmart-level wages despite high living costs.
• An update described the administration as slow to respond, taking nearly two months to acknowledge a complaint and allegedly lying or deleting files, contributing to a poor rating.
• A reviewer cited unprofessional verbal abuse and a general lack of staffing, undermining the quality of patient care.

Review

Familiar Surroundings Home Care in San Jose is best suited for families who want a trusted, flexible partner to keep a loved one safe and comfortable at home. The service excels when daily living support, dementia-friendly assistance, or post-acute recovery is the goal, and when the family wants care that feels personal as well as professional. Reviewers repeatedly highlight caregivers who are well trained, responsive, and genuinely kind, with staff who become part of the caregiving circle rather than distant technicians. For parents with memory challenges, recent surgeries, or residents who simply need a steady hand with activities of daily living, this team delivers a dependable, homey experience that can ease the burden of family caregiving.

Those who may want alternatives include families facing needs that exceed ordinary home care. If 24/7 clinical oversight, rapid response to complex medical events, or highly specialized memory-care protocols are non-negotiable, a skilled-nursing facility or dedicated memory-care community may be a better fit. Budget-sensitive households should also compare overall cost against facility-based care, because even with competitive rates, the ongoing expense of in-home support can escalate. Finally, if consistent caregiver fit is a major concern and a few outliers have previously disrupted trust, it's prudent to explore options with stronger guaranteed staffing stability or a model that reduces reliance on individual aides.

On the plus side, the core strength lies in the caregiving team. Clients praise caregivers for thoughtfulness, patience, and reliable, on-time service, with office leaders who communicate clearly and promptly. The agency's staffing and training culture shows in day-to-day interactions, and residents who suffer anxiety or dementia-related agitation often benefit from staff who know how to redirect and engage without friction. Families cite quick scheduling responses, emergency coverage when plans change, and a willingness to tailor support to match rhythms of home life. The result is a caregiver network that feels like an extended family, with continuity that reduces the emotional load for family members.

Where concerns arise, they tend to cluster around caregiver consistency and occasional operational hiccups. A minority of reviews describe under-staffing or a caregiver who misses a shift, and a few accounts reference difficult interactions that are outliers rather than the norm. Those risks are mitigated by the agency's emphasis on rapid caregiver replacements, detail-oriented intake, and active, engaged office staff who coordinate care and respond to problems. Fees are described as competitive with peers, which helps keep the overall value proposition strong when the care plan requires routine, ongoing assistance. The pattern across most experiences remains overwhelmingly positive, with problems addressed rather than ignored.

Families can maximize success by starting with a clear, written plan: specify hours, tasks, and behavioral expectations; request a named care manager to act as a single point of contact; and pilot with short blocks of care to assess fit before expanding. Maintain open channels with the office - regular check-ins and timely reporting on what's working helps align expectations with reality. It also helps to have a backup plan for emergencies or schedule changes, as on-call coverage has proven reliable in most cases. With that structure, the strengths - flexible scheduling, dementia-capable staff, and a genuine focus on comfort and dignity - shine through.

Bottom line: Familiar Surroundings Home Care is a highly reliable, people-centered option for keeping a loved one at home in San Jose. It excels when home-based living is the priority and the need is for compassionate, well-coordinated caregiving that respects routines and dignity. It may not be the best fit for families requiring constant clinical oversight or perfect consistency in every shift, but for most families managing dementia, post-surgical recovery, or general daily support, the agency offers a practical, staff-driven solution that consistently earns strong recommendations.

This part of San Jose, California offers a convenient and diverse array of amenities for seniors. With multiple pharmacies, restaurants, cafes, physicians, theaters, hospitals, parks, transportation options, and places of worship within close proximity, residents have easy access to essential services and recreational activities. The presence of reputable healthcare providers such as the Valley Medical Center Clinic and Comprehensive Pain Management Center ensures quality medical care. Additionally, the variety of dining options like Pacific Catch and Fogo De Chao provide opportunities for enjoyable meals out with friends or family. The nearby parks offer green spaces for leisurely strolls or picnics in a peaceful environment. Overall, this neighborhood provides a well-rounded community with all the necessary resources for comfortable senior living.

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (0.1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1 miles)
• Walgreens (1.5 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.8 miles)
• Walgreens (1.9 miles)
• Rite Aid (1.9 miles)

Restaurants

• Pacific Catch (1.1 miles)
• Orchard City Kitchen (1.3 miles)
• Meso Modern Mediterranean (2.5 miles)
• Fogo De Chao (2.6 miles)
• Luna Mexican Restaurant (2.7 miles)
• King's Fish House (2.7 miles)
• Yard House (2.7 miles)

Cafes

• Philz Coffee (1.1 miles)
• Starbucks (1.5 miles)
• Starbucks (2.5 miles)
• Starbucks (2.7 miles)
• Nirvana Soul (2.8 miles)
• Starbucks (3 miles)
• Boba Pub (3 miles)

Physicians

• Obstetrix Medical Group (1.2 miles)
• Santa Clara Valley Speciality Center (1.7 miles)
• South Bay Allergy and Asthma Group (1.8 miles)
• Ear Associates & Rehabilitation Services (2 miles)
• Comprehensive Pain Management Center (2.8 miles)
• Shen Medicine Pediatrics and Associates (2.9 miles)
• California Skin Institute (3.6 miles)

Theaters

• Pruneyard Cinemas (1.2 miles)

Hospitals

• Valley Health Center Bascom (1.6 miles)
• O'Connor Hospital (2.6 miles)
• Valley Medical Center Clinic (3.5 miles)

Parks

• AT Dog Park (1.9 miles)
• Rubino Park (2.3 miles)
• Frank M Santana Park (2.3 miles)
• San Jose Municipal Rose Garden (2.6 miles)
• Vieira Park (2.9 miles)
• Houge Park (3.1 miles)
• William Lewis Manly Park (3.4 miles)

Transportation

• San Jose Diridon Station (2.5 miles)
• Santa Clara Caltrain Station (4.2 miles)
• Santa Clara Transit Center (4.2 miles)

Places of Worship

• Calvary United Methodist Church (2.9 miles)