First Light Home Care - Maryville

Pros

• FirstLight's staff are helpful, friendly, knowledgeable, and great communicators.
• Their care-giver service helps lower stress for families dealing with loved ones.
• The company is highly recommended and puts clients' needs first.
• Jessica Turner is knowledgeable and explains everything clearly.
• Jessica's lunch-and-learn sessions provide valuable information about veteran services and home health needs.
• The care team takes pride in serving veterans and understands their unique needs.
• Danika is professional, caring, and capable of delivering timely in-home care.
• Alex provides compassionate, dignified, and family-centered care during hospice.
• The staff are reliable, caring, and go above and beyond to ensure comfort and safety.
• The office team is wonderful - professional, accommodating, and responsive.

Cons

• One reviewer alleges the company left their daughter unsupervised for 24 hours after payment, with the caregiver sleeping six hours of an eight-hour shift, and waited five weeks for a refund, concluding they cannot trust the company to provide care.
• A reviewer characterizes the service as pathetic, noting a caregiver cancellation with no backup (especially on a holiday weekend) and even threatens legal action over safety concerns.
• A reviewer warns the service is absolutely the worst, citing incorrect invoices, repeated follow-up, poor communication, staff no-shows, frequent caregiver changes, and overall disorganization that left the family devastated.
• A reviewer criticizes the vendor's responsiveness, noting that the vendor's response came an entire year later.
• A reviewer complains that the company took their last penny and would not reimburse, leaving them unable to cover care costs.

Review

First Light Home Care of Maryville is best suited for families who want their loved one to stay at home with highly personalized, compassionate in-home support. The agency shines for seniors who value a warm, family-like team, rapid mobilization when needs change, and care that centers on dignity and safety - especially when dementia, hospice, or veteran-focused services come into play. It is a strong fit for households that welcome hands-on help with activities of daily living, light housekeeping, transportation assistance, and a responsive coordinator who stays closely connected with the family. The leadership is openly invested in building a local network of caring professionals, and that commitment translates into consistently attentive, respectful care that many families rely on during stressful times.

Those who may want to consider alternatives include families seeking flawless, uninterrupted coverage with zero risk of a shift gap, or those who require highly rigid billing processes and invoicing down to the penny. Also, households that anticipate ongoing, around-the-clock supervision without any holiday or weekend gaps, or those preferring a more institutional, facility-based setting, may find other options more reliable for their must-haves. In short, if reliability and financial predictability are non-negotiables, it makes sense to explore another agency or an assisted living arrangement alongside a careful cost-benefit comparison.

The strongest advantages - speed, empathy, and strong matching - materially offset many of the concerns that occasionally surface. Families repeatedly praise the team for being responsive, knowledgeable, and easy to communicate with during already stressful periods. The company's veteran-focused and dementia-capable care, paired with proactive outreach and in-home assessments, typically delivers a high degree of reassurance. Care coordinators like Danika and Chelsea, along with owners Ben and Angela, consistently demonstrate an ability to tailor caregiver assignments to personalities and needs, which sustains continuity and trust even as circumstances evolve. The portal-based scheduling and transparent communication further strengthen oversight for families who want visibility into who is coming and when.

Yet, several credible drawbacks warrant careful consideration before committing. There are documented episodes where billing mistakes or delays in refunds created frustration, and at least one account recounts a caregiver not showing up and poor backup communication. A few reviews describe deeply disruptive scheduling gaps during holidays or urgent times, with the implied consequence of increased stress for families suddenly needing dependable coverage. These incidents are not universal, but they are real enough to demand a clear problem-resolution path and a well-defined backup plan in the service agreement. They also underscore the importance of reserving a dedicated care coordinator, confirming backup caregivers, and maintaining active, ongoing contact with the office.

From a practical decision-making perspective, prospective clients should insist on a concrete plan: a primary caregiver match with a named backup, explicit hours, and a crisis-response protocol. Request access to the caregiver clock-in system and a written schedule that can be reviewed by the family; establish a guaranteed contact point for billing questions; and discuss how the agency handles sudden changes, sick days, or holiday coverage. It is wise to pilot the arrangement with a short-term period while confirming that the family's preferred care team can stay aligned with evolving medical and personal needs. Importantly, leverage the agency's veteran and hospice expertise as a resource to coordinate with physicians, hospice services, or benefits programs when appropriate.

In the end, First Light Home Care of Maryville presents a compelling value for families prioritizing compassionate, home-based care with fast-start capability and strong relational warmth. The main caveats - billing glitches, occasional care-gap concerns, and the need for robust backup arrangements - do not erase the genuine peace of mind that comes from a team that treats clients like family and adapts quickly to shifting needs. The prudent path is to engage with the office for a detailed, written plan, secure a clear backup and escalation process, and test-drive the service with direct input from the intended caregivers. For families that can align with those safeguards, this Maryville operation stands out as a trustworthy, human-centered choice for in-home care.

This part of Maryville, Tennessee offers a convenient and accessible location for senior living. With several physicians, pharmacies, and hospitals within a short distance, medical care is easily accessible. Additionally, there are a variety of restaurants nearby catering to different tastes, as well as cafes for socializing and enjoying a cup of coffee. Parks in the area provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and relaxation. The close proximity to the airport and transportation options make it easy for visiting family and friends to travel to and from the area. Overall, this part of Maryville provides a well-rounded community with amenities that cater to the needs of seniors looking for a comfortable and convenient living environment.

Physicians

• Blount County Health Department (0.3 miles)
• Maryville Pediatric Group (0.7 miles)
• Surgical Device Repair (0.7 miles)
• Appalachian Center For Women PC (0.8 miles)
• Summit Medical Group (0.9 miles)
• East Tennessee Medical Group (1.1 miles)
• Matthew Becker, MD, FACS (1.1 miles)

Restaurants

• Aubrey's (0.7 miles)
• Taco Bell (1 miles)
• Blaze Pizza (1.4 miles)
• Cracker Barrel (1.5 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (1.5 miles)
• Petro's Chili & Chips (1.5 miles)
• McDonald's (4.4 miles)

Pharmacies

• Blount Discount Pharmacy (Gill Street) (0.9 miles)
• Walgreens (1.1 miles)
• Kroger Pharmacy (1.1 miles)
• Blount Discount Pharmacy (1.2 miles)
• Blount Discount Pharmacy (Montgomery Lane) (1.3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.3 miles)
• Walmart Pharmacy (1.5 miles)

Parks

• Sandy Springs Park (0.9 miles)
• Lakeshore Park (11.6 miles)
• Anchor Park (12.3 miles)

Hospitals

• The Atrium Cafe at Blount Memorial (1 miles)
• Blount Memorial Hospital (1.1 miles)
• Blount Memorial Hospital Medical Fitness (1.1 miles)
• Summit Medical Group (1.4 miles)
• Blount Memorial Hospital (2.3 miles)
• Blount Memorial Hospital (2.3 miles)
• Peninsula Hospital (8.6 miles)

Transportation

• TYS Parking Garage (3.8 miles)
• National Car Rental (3.8 miles)
• McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) (3.8 miles)
• Tac Air (4.1 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (4.2 miles)
• Starbucks (9.1 miles)
• Kbrew (11 miles)
• Starbucks (12.5 miles)
• Sticky Rice Cafe (12.6 miles)

Places of Worship

• Outreach Christian Church (6.8 miles)
• First Cumberland Presbyterian Church (11.5 miles)
• Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church (12.5 miles)

Theaters

• Regal Cinebarre West Town Mall (12.4 miles)