Care Advantage Inc

Pros

• Care Advantage is described as a great partner in the Richmond community.
• The therapists are knowledgeable and focused on individual goals, helping clients achieve them.
• Care Advantage is viewed by clients as reliable and supportive, with staff that shows up and has their back.
• Reviews note flexible scheduling and hands-on support, including online sessions.
• Clients describe the staff as patient, kind, and very helpful.
• One reviewer praised RN Dan as excellent and informative.

Cons

• Their experience with Care Advantage was deeply disappointing due to concerns about aide quality and judgment.
• One aide used a plastic pot on the stove to make tea, setting off the fire alarm.
• Another left the grandmother home alone with the apartment unlocked because she clocked in early and left before the end time without telling anyone.
• Scheduling and communication were unreliable; shifts were canceled the morning of, and Care Advantage still sent a caregiver without notifying the family.
• An aide arrived an hour after the scheduled start time and refused to leave, yet they were billed for that visit.
• Billing practices were frustrating; aides clocked in early and left early, and clients were charged for 4.25 hours if an aide went slightly beyond four hours.
• The constant turnover of aides caused repeated re-explanations and added stress rather than providing respite.
• There were no-shows and inconsistent caregivers, with some aides not documenting properly.
• The administration was disorganized with high turnover across levels.
• In at least one case, a caregiver abandoned the patient with no notice or referrals, described as neglect.

Review

Care Advantage elicits a wide spectrum of experiences from families and caregivers alike, with threads of praise and concern braided together in a way that makes a single verdict difficult. On one hand, several reviewers celebrate the agency for its flexibility, genuine care from certain aides, and the sense that the company can mobilize a network of professionals in a pinch. On the other hand, a substantial number of accounts highlight ongoing reliability problems, safety risks, and frustrating billing practices that undermine trust and add stress during already difficult times. Taken together, the collection paints a picture of a service that can be a lifeline in moments of need, yet can also become a source of anxiety when scheduling, communication, and accountability falter.

A central theme in the negative narratives is the quality and judgment of aides, coupled with sporadic reliability. Reported incidents range from a caregiver using a plastic hot pot on the stove that triggered a fire alarm, to a caregiver leaving a house unlocked and the patient unsupervised because she clocked in early and left before the expected end time without alerting anyone. In several cases, reviewers described aides who were not adequately qualified or who did not stay consistently long enough to establish a stable routine, leaving families with the impression that care was being "filled" more than delivered with steady, attentive presence. In some reviews, a handful of caregivers stood out as excellent, but those caregivers were not consistently scheduled, which undermined continuity of care and made the respite period less predictable for families.

Scheduling and communication repeatedly emerge as fragile bottlenecks. Multiple accounts recount shifts canceled the morning of service, only to see another aide sent anyway or shift times altered without any heads-up. One family described a caregiver arriving an hour late and refusing to leave, leading to a formal billing for that visit despite the disruption. Others note that even when a request was made through the app to avoid filling a particular shift, the agency proceeded, creating misalignment between family plans and caregiver availability. The churn of staff - frequent turnovers, new faces at short notice, and the need to repeatedly re-explain the patient's history - translated into moments that felt more like shift-filling exercises than reliable, person-centered care.

Billing practices also drew sharp criticism. A recurring pattern mentioned by several reviewers concerns clock-in and clock-out behaviors: aides arriving early due to transportation schedules, clocking in early, and leaving early, yet families being billed for the full four-hour blocks. Some reports claim that if an aide extended even briefly beyond the four-hour window, families were charged for 4.25 hours, a detail that compounded frustration and financial stress, especially when early arrivals did not translate into full, consistent care. In addition, there were mentions of administrative hurdles that affected billing, such as balances arising from insurance paperwork with LTC, which could abruptly disrupt service and necessitate negotiations or changes mid-process. Across the board, the sense was that billing practices did not always align with the actual care delivered, fueling distrust.

Despite these challenges, there are vivid testimonials about positive experiences that suggest Care Advantage can be a strong fit under the right circumstances. A subset of caregivers and clinicians are described as capable, compassionate, and professional - able to connect with patients, follow through on goals, and contribute meaningfully to rehabilitation and daily living activities. Some reviewers praise the agency's flexibility in scheduling and the value of a broad network that can mobilize resources in emergencies. There are mentions of specific staff who stood out - such as certain nurses and therapists who delivered practical tips, documented progress, and offered reassurance during difficult moments. In the broader community context, several reviewers speak highly of Care Advantage as a partner - whether to support a grandparent at home, assist with mobility and daily tasks, or coordinate services in a way that allows families to maintain work and caregiving responsibilities.

A more nuanced thread concerns organizational leadership and culture. A number of reviews commend the agency for energy and dedication at the leadership level and for the ability to assemble a capable team in a networked way. Yet other reviews point to disorganization, high staff turnover across levels, and a perception that the business side sometimes overshadowed the patient's immediate needs. One reviewer recounted a troubling personal experience with office staff and management that eroded confidence in the agency, highlighting how important clear communication, professional handling of concerns, and reliable follow-through are to maintaining trust. The tension between strong personal care by individual aides and systemic administrative challenges underscores a common reality in home health services: excellent frontline care can coexist with frustrating back-office dynamics.

For families considering Care Advantage, the landscape suggested by these reviews is one of careful calculus. The agency appears capable of delivering meaningful benefits - especially when a dependable cadre of aides is in place, when communication is clear, and when scheduling is handled with predictable consistency. Yet fears about safety, reliability, and billing accuracy persist in parallel with those positive experiences. Prospective clients may want to prioritize getting explicit expectations written into the plan, establishing a stable caregiver roster to reduce turnover, and setting up robust channels for real-time communication and immediate dispute resolution. It would also be prudent to confirm billing practices up front, understand re-scheduling policies, and ensure that any late-cancellation or no-show scenarios have clear, documented consequences and remedies.

In the end, Care Advantage presents a complex picture: a service with undeniable potential to support families and uplift individuals in need, but one that demands vigilance and proactive management. Families who value flexibility and are prepared to actively oversee scheduling, caregiver assignment, and billing will likely find benefits, while those who require absolute reliability and hands-off administration may encounter repeated friction. The experiences shared here emphasize the importance of open dialogue, clear expectations, and continuous quality assurance to align the agency's capabilities with the diverse and evolving needs of the people who rely on it.

Restaurants

• Apollo's Flame Baked Pizza and Grill (0.2 miles)
• Sonic Drive-In (1.1 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (1.6 miles)
• Cook Out (1.9 miles)
• McDonald's (2.4 miles)
• McDonald's (3.2 miles)
• Dq Grill & Chill (4.3 miles)

Hospitals

• CJW Medical Center (0.8 miles)
• Bon Secours Richmond Health (6.2 miles)
• Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center (6.3 miles)
• St Marys South Building (6.6 miles)

Physicians

• Arthritis Specialists (0.8 miles)
• Nilsen Eye Care (1.4 miles)
• Midlothian Medical Care (1.6 miles)
• NorthStar Community (2.3 miles)
• Primary Health Group (2.4 miles)
• OrthoVirginia - Chippenham (2.9 miles)
• Olivero Thomas A J DDS (3.2 miles)

Parks

• Huguenot Park (1.1 miles)
• Reidelbach Park (1.8 miles)
• Rockwood Park (3.7 miles)
• Charter Colony Playground (5 miles)
• Barker Field Dog Park (6 miles)
• Dogwood Dell (6 miles)
• Forest Hill Park (6 miles)

Places of Worship

• St Edward's Church (1.9 miles)
• Central Baptist Church (2.6 miles)
• Second Baptist Church (5.5 miles)
• Christadelphian Chapel (6.6 miles)
• Tikvat Israel Congregation (6.8 miles)
• New Life United Methodist Church (6.9 miles)
• Remnant Church (7 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (1.9 miles)
• Kroger Pharmacy (2 miles)
• Walgreens (2.1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.1 miles)
• Wegmans (2.3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.3 miles)
• Walgreens (3.2 miles)

Cafes

• Perk (2.3 miles)
• Starbucks (4.6 miles)
• Panera Bread (6.2 miles)
• Starbucks (6.7 miles)
• Lamplighter (6.8 miles)
• Starbucks (7 miles)
• Panera Bread (7.1 miles)

Theaters

• Regal Westchester Commons (5.9 miles)
• Commonwealth 20 & Imax (6.5 miles)