Next Journey Homecare - Gary, IN

Pros

• They have been with Elder's for almost four years and love it.
• The office staff and the clients are wonderful.
• The aides who do show up Monday?Thursday are amazing and very helpful.
• The aides are dependable because they take charge of their schedule and location.

Cons

• The company is very disorganized and lies to clients.
• The hiring process is extremely long and requires multiple in-person visits.
• Scheduling and communication are inconsistent; it's unclear who will be there or when, and reminders are often missed.
• There is poor staffing coverage on Fridays and weekends, leading to unreliable care.
• They fail to adapt to changes and don't inform families promptly when shifts are canceled or called in.
• They contact dementia patients directly with changes despite the family's request not to, requiring repeated calls from the family.
• They frequently post new job openings but fail to hire or retain staff.
• Overall, the operation is highly unorganized, undermining trust in the service.

Review

There are sharply contrasting experiences surrounding Elder's, even within the same organization. On one hand, there are voices of appreciation that ring with warmth and loyalty. One person says they have been with Elder's for almost four years and genuinely loves it, praising the office staff and the clients as wonderful. In that view, the day-to-day interactions feel seamless, and the overall culture is welcoming and supportive. The sentiment is clear: when things work well, the experience is meaningful, and the relationship between the office team and the clients shines through in a positive light. The praise here centers on personal connection, a well-functioning front office, and a sense that the community the agency serves is cared for.

But a substantial number of experiences shared about Elder's describe a very different reality. These accounts frame the organization as deeply disorganized and, in several cases, untruthful or deceptive toward clients. The tone shifts to frustration and disappointment, with strong statements that the company is not good and that the problems are pervasive. The consistency of this negative feedback across multiple reviewers paints a picture of a system that struggles with reliability and accuracy, casting doubt on whether clients and their families can trust the process.

A central thread in the more negative narratives is the hiring process, which is described as extraordinarily slow and inefficient. According to these reviewers, the process requires several in-person visits - four trips to the office at the outset - before someone is even hired. They claim that what needs to be completed could realistically be done in two days, yet administrative delays drag things out. The frustration is compounded by scheduling and communication failures around essential steps, such as TB tests. One account notes the tester's availability is inconsistent, causing delays like being unable to complete a TB check because the office is closed on Fridays, and then learning that no nurse is present when the applicant finally arrives. This pattern is not just a minor nuisance; it is described as a systemic lack of clarity about who will be in the office and at what times, leading to missed opportunities and repeated reminders.

The criticism extends to how communication is handled (or mishandled) once someone is onboarded. Reviewers recount a culture of unreliable calls and shifting schedules, especially around weekend coverage. They describe a cycle where staff are scheduled, then call-ins occur after shifts have already started, leaving clients and their families in the dark about who will assist them. The absence of consistent weekend help is highlighted as a major factor, with some reviewers noting that new hires are scheduled for Fridays, only for that person to quit soon after, with no proactive notification to the family. The sense is that families are left in the loop only after they chase down information themselves, which is particularly distressing when a client is a family member with dementia and is very sensitive to changes in routine and staffing.

In one particularly pointed detail, the mix of care quality and communication issues is framed around a dementia patient. Families asked that caregivers refrain from calling her with changes or updates when staff call-ins occur, but it took multiple calls from the family to stop the frequent interruptions. The hours of communication breakdown are underscored by the fact that it required several attempts to shift the approach and finally get the agency to stop contacting the patient directly in certain situations. This example underscores a broader concern: that the organization's internal processes not only affect scheduling and hiring but can also impact the emotional well-being and stability of vulnerable clients.

Despite the overarching concerns, there is a counterpoint within the same reviews that preserves a note of candor about the frontline caregivers who actually show up. The reviewers repeatedly acknowledge that the aides who do come to work from Monday through Thursday are "amazing and very helpful." These staff members are described as reliable, capable of taking charge of their schedules and locations, and dependable in a way that brings real value to the families they serve. It's presented as a bright strand within a tangled system: when the agency can deploy those capable aides, the care experience is strong and reassuring. The contrast is stark: the people on the ground who actually deliver care can be excellent, even as the back-end organization struggles with coordination and reliability.

Ultimately, these reviews converge on a bleak assessment of organizational structure and process. They describe a pattern of persistent disorganization, with continuous job postings that never translate into stable, retained staff, suggesting a chronic gap between recruiting and sustaining caregivers. The sense from these voices is frustration not only with inefficiencies but with a perception that promises to families and clients are not consistently kept. The repeated observation is that, without reliable scheduling, communication, and staffing, the potential for high-quality care is often thwarted by operational missteps.

Taken together, the accounts present a nuanced picture: a dedicated cohort of caregivers who can deliver outstanding, dependable in-home support when they are present, paired with a broader organizational challenge in administration and scheduling that leaves clients and families feeling unsettled and underserved. The positive experiences hinge on the presence and consistency of capable aides, while the negative experiences emphasize systemic dysfunction - miscommunication, delays, and a hiring pipeline that seems misaligned with the urgent needs of families seeking consistent, reliable care for loved ones, particularly those living with dementia.

This area of Gary, Indiana offers a variety of amenities and services that would be beneficial for seniors looking to relocate. With several parks nearby, including Washington Park and Festival Park, residents can enjoy outdoor activities and leisurely walks in a peaceful environment. Additionally, there are numerous cafes and restaurants within a short distance, providing options for dining out or grabbing a quick bite to eat. The proximity to hospitals such as Methodist Hospitals and St Catherine Hospital ensures access to medical care when needed. Places of worship like Trinity United Church of Christ and Woodmar United Methodist Church offer spiritual support and community engagement opportunities. Pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy are conveniently located for prescription needs, while various physicians' offices provide healthcare services in the vicinity. Overall, this area of Gary provides a well-rounded living environment for seniors seeking comfort, convenience, and accessibility to essential resources.

Parks

• Washington Park (0.9 miles)
• Festival Park (5.9 miles)
• Central Park (6.7 miles)
• Wicker Memorial Park (7.6 miles)
• Beech Park (8.5 miles)
• Riverside Park (8.9 miles)

Cafes

• Great Lakes Cafe (0.9 miles)
• Sip Coffee House (7.2 miles)
• Starbucks (8.5 miles)
• Panera Bread (8.7 miles)
• Starbucks (8.7 miles)
• Panera Bread (9 miles)
• Panera Bread (9 miles)

Hospitals

• Methodist Hospitals (1.1 miles)
• St Catherine Hospital (6.3 miles)
• St Mary Medical Center Fifth Floor Cancer Ward (7.2 miles)
• Portage Outpatient Clinic (8.5 miles)
• Northwest Health Urgent Care-Portage (8.7 miles)
• Porter Portage Hospital Campus (8.7 miles)

Places of Worship

• Trinity United Church of Christ Gary (1.5 miles)
• St Mary Church (6.7 miles)
• Woodmar United Methodist Church (7.9 miles)
• Illiana Islamic Association (8.1 miles)

Restaurants

• McDonald's (3.4 miles)
• McDonald's (3.6 miles)
• Quaker Steak & Lube (4.1 miles)
• Denny's (5.1 miles)
• Wendy's (5.2 miles)
• Pepe's Mexican Restaurant (5.8 miles)
• White Castle (5.9 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (5.2 miles)
• Walgreens (5.4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (5.5 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (6.1 miles)
• Walgreens (6.2 miles)
• Walgreens (6.5 miles)
• Walgreens (6.6 miles)

Physicians

• East Chicago Dialysis (6.5 miles)
• Bone & Joint Specialists (7.1 miles)
• Lake Park Clinic (7.2 miles)
• Gn Endocrinology (7.4 miles)
• Pediatric Health Care Assoc (7.4 miles)
• Christina Huynh DO (8.4 miles)
• Family Surgical Solutions (8.8 miles)