Home Instead - Joliet, IL

Pros

• Home Instead is very professional to work with, and all shifts are always covered as promised.
• Management is available at any time when needed, and supervisors accompany new caregiver introductions.
• The company is easy to work with and provides reliable, peace-of-mind service for families.
• They find a perfect home care provider and are great at finding a better fit if needed.
• The 24/7 patient care help line provides great peace of mind.
• The staff and caregivers are professional, caring, and supportive from day one.
• Caregivers Mandi and Debbie are loving, caring, gentle, and compassionate.
• Stacie K is an exceptional caregiver and the agency provides excellent service.
• Training is outstanding; classes are valuable and Robin was awesome.
• The office staff communicates well and checks in frequently with the client.

Cons

• One reviewer described the experience as the worst ever and advised others not to hire here.
• They stated that all of the workers are lazy.
• They claimed that the office staff do whatever they want to do.
• They described the service as absolutely terrible.
• They said they would never hire Home Instead again.
• They reported that their house stayed dirty and that workers came in smelling like cigarettes.

Review

Across a range of experiences, Home Instead consistently emerges as a dependable partner in in-home elder care. Many reviewers highlight the company's professionalism and the reliability of staffing: shifts are covered as promised, management is accessible when needed, and the process of introducing a new caregiver often includes a supervisor to facilitate a smooth handoff. Several accounts describe how easy the company is to work with, noting that the structure and communication make it straightforward to arrange and adjust care as family needs evolve. The emphasis on dependable coverage and responsive leadership sets a reassuring tone for families seeking long-term support.

Several reviews tell stories about care that went beyond basic tasks, focusing on how caregivers helped keep loved ones active and engaged. One reviewer shares that a caregiver was wonderful for their father, regularly doing things for him and helping him stay active, which in turn benefited their mother as well. This sentiment - caregivers who contribute to both patients' daily activity and overall family well-being - recurs in multiple testimonials and underscores the value of caregivers who can energize routine and provide meaningful companionship.

The company's approach to caregiver fit also stands out. A key strength noted by families is Home Instead's ability to match a caregiver to the person receiving care, and to replace a caregiver if the fit isn't right. The availability of a 24-hour patient care helpline provides additional peace of mind, ensuring families have support at any hour. Reviewers praise not only the matching process but also the ongoing commitment to quality, with several mentioning that training and continuous improvement are part of the service they receive.

Caregivers receive specific commendations from families who feel their loved ones are in deeply capable and compassionate hands. Names like Mandi and Debbie appear in one account, described as loving, caring, gentle, and compassionate toward a wife with stage 7 dementia. Office communication is highlighted as well, with multiple mentions of timely and helpful updates. Other caregivers and staff members - such as Ester Maldonado, Crystal, Grizelle, Sidney, and Stacie K - are singled out for their professionalism and the positive relationships they built with clients and families. One reviewer even calls a caregiver "exceptional" and notes that the agency provides excellent service with clear, responsive communication from the office.

Training and professional development are frequently cited as strengths. Several individuals celebrate training experiences, calling a trainer's instruction the best they've encountered and praising classroom learning. Phrases like "Best training ever" and "Training class was awesome" accompany remarks about ongoing opportunities to improve care skills, including requests for more classes on CP. For many readers, these educational components translate into better day-to-day care and greater confidence in the caregiver-patient dynamic.

Long-term, trust-based relationships emerge in accounts from families who have relied on Home Instead for extended periods. One reviewer with decades of healthcare experience describes how, after an initial worry about home care, the team delivered consistent kindness and respect over five months, even helping juggle renovations and a chaotic situation. The primary caregiver is singled out as amazing, and the family notes their willingness to call on Home Instead again if the need arises. Another family expresses gratitude for the stability and support they've found, indicating ongoing satisfaction with the quality and dedication of the caregivers.

Of course, not every experience is uniformly positive. One review stands out as a stark contrast, describing the worst possible experience with Home Instead - accusing the workers of laziness and the office staff of doing whatever they want, with a dirty house and caregivers who smelled of cigarettes. This singular perspective serves as a reminder that experiences can vary considerably, and it underscores the importance of ongoing quality assurance and alignment between families and caregivers.

Across locations and over time, reviewers repeatedly affirm that Home Instead delivers reliable, flexible, and compassionate in-home care. One Joliet-based family, caring for parents who are 98 and dealing with dementia and Alzheimer's, expresses strong satisfaction with the organization's consistency, organization, professionalism, and dedication. The caregivers are described as great at adjusting to changing needs, while the family itself emphasizes the ease of working with the agency and the high level of confidence they have in the care provided. Other accounts highlight flexibility and responsiveness as key strengths, with families noting that caregivers are able to assist with a variety of tasks and hobbies, and that care has a meaningful, positive impact on loved ones' outlooks and daily lives.

In sum, the collection of experiences paints a picture of Home Instead as a service that many families rely on for stable, thoughtful, and adaptable elder care. While there are occasional negative experiences, the prevailing narrative emphasizes professional staffing, strong caregiver-patient relationships, robust training, easy-to-navigate processes, and a dependable support network that gives families peace of mind as they navigate the complex needs of aging loved ones.

Physicians

• Ahmed Hussain (0.5 miles)
• Joliet Diabetes Endocrinology (0.5 miles)
• Michael Dorning, MD (0.7 miles)
• ENT Surgical Consultants (0.7 miles)
• Lucy Dey (0.7 miles)
• Surgical Care Affiliates (0.7 miles)
• Associated Ophthalmologists SC (0.8 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (0.5 miles)
• Walgreens (1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.2 miles)
• Walgreens (1.2 miles)
• Walmart Pharmacy (1.5 miles)
• Walgreens (2 miles)
• Walgreens (2.1 miles)

Places of Worship

• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (0.7 miles)
• First Presbyterian Church (1.4 miles)
• First Baptist Church of Channahon (7.5 miles)
• Trinity Lutheran Church (8.4 miles)
• Minooka Bible Church (8.8 miles)

Hospitals

• Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center Laboratory (0.8 miles)

Restaurants

• McDonald's (1 miles)
• Golden Corral (1.1 miles)
• Walts Ice Cream (1.1 miles)
• McDonald's (1.2 miles)
• Fireman Ted's Bar and Grill (1.3 miles)
• Culver's (1.3 miles)
• Panda Express (1.4 miles)

Cafes

• Panera Bread (1.3 miles)
• Starbucks (1.5 miles)
• Panera Bread (6.8 miles)
• Steve Buresh's Cheesecake Store (7.8 miles)

Theaters

• Cinemark Louis Joliet Mall (3.5 miles)

Transportation

• Union Pacific Global 4 (4.7 miles)