Assisting Hands Review

Established in 2006, Assisting Hands is dedicated to helping seniors live safely in their home for as long as possible. Assisting Hands operates on a franchise model, with more than 80 locations across 21 states. The company’s trained caregivers provide a variety of in-home services, including personal care, skilled nursing, meal planning and help with household chores.

Assisting Hands specializes in caring for patients with long-term conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Experienced staff can also help seniors transition from a hospital or rehab setting back into their own home. Compassionate caregivers are available to provide hospice support, offering seniors comfort and dignity as their condition declines. Other services include stroke recovery assistance and post-surgery help with activities that may be too difficult to manage alone.

Customers praise Assisting Hands for their kind and understanding care team, responsiveness and willingness to go above and beyond. Family members agree that staff provide reliable support and peace of mind that loved ones are cared for every step of the way.

What Senior Care Services Does Assisting Hands Provide?

Personal Care Services

Assisting Hands caregivers can tailor personal care services to meet individual needs. Support staff will help seniors with:

• Mobility needs, such as standing, walking and transferring to and from bed
• Fall risk assessments and customized fall prevention plans
• Medication reminders
• Bathing, toileting and dressing
• Grocery shopping and meal preparation
• Light housekeeping, including laundry, dish washing, vacuuming and making beds
• Transportation and accompaniment to medical appointments

Assisting Hands offers two specialized Ensure Programs for seniors who may not yet be ready for full-time in-home care: EnsureCheck and EnsureConnect.

EnsureCheck provides a caregiver who will visit seniors in their home for a minimum number of hours and days per week. Caregivers are trained to recognize possible areas of concern, such as changes in personal appearance and mood, and notify family of issues immediately. The program also includes safety supervision, transportation, cooking and light housekeeping.

Virtual caregiver meetings are available via the EnsureConnect program, which may be paired with regular in-home services. EnsureConnect meetings are held via phone calls or video chat on a computer, mobile phone or other suitable device. As with EnsureCheck, the EnsureConnect program monitors seniors for changes in physical appearance and mental status. Caregivers provide socialization, medication reminders, home delivery coordination and help arranging transportation.

Assisting Hands works directly with clients and their loved ones to determine the personal care schedule that’s right for them. Schedules can range from a brief visit once per week to 24-hour support.

Memory Care

Assisting Hands staff are experienced in providing intensive, around-the-clock care for seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Care is provided in the client’s own home, which allows them to remain in a familiar environment and may help ease the confusion and mood instability these conditions can cause. Caregivers will visit with clients to perform an assessment of their condition and create a personalized plan to meet their memory care needs.

Caregivers at Assisting Hands prioritize client safety at all times. Aides will watch over seniors as they wander, remove hazards that may cause injury and ensure that they don’t leave the home.

Staff provide a variety of personal care services that may be too difficult for clients with dementia or Alzheimer’s to perform alone, such as assistance with bathing, grooming and getting dressed. Caregivers can take over meal preparation for seniors who struggle with cooking and cleanup.

Assisting Hands caregivers keep seniors engaged with companionship and conversation, as well as memory exercises designed to help slow the progression of cognitive decline.

Caregivers respond to agitation and mood swings with kindness and positive reinforcement. The staff is trained to recognize the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia, and will notify family of any changes in their loved one’s condition.

Hospice Care Support

Assisting Hands can provide nonmedical support services for seniors with limited life expectancy or a terminal illness. Caregivers work with the client’s family and hospice provider to develop an end-of-life care plan that will enable them to spend their final days comfortably at home.

Assisting Hands’ hospice care assistance is designed to ease the burden of care for a loved one’s family during a difficult time. Some of the services caregivers can help with include:

• Medication reminders
• Light housekeeping, such laundry, dusting and vacuuming
• One-on-one companionship
• Meal preparation
• Help bathing and dressing

Skilled Nursing Therapy and Coordination of Care

Health care professionals at Assisting Hands can work with a client’s doctors to create a customized care plan, allowing them to receive a variety of basic medical services in the comfort of their own home. Staff may also offer counseling on community programs that can allow seniors to live a healthier life.

Some of the skilled nursing services Assisting Hands provides include:

• Nurse assessments and evaluations
• Wound management
• Medication administration and management
• Chronic disease management
• Post-surgical care
• Cancer recovery
• Physical, speech and occupational therapy

Care coordination is available for seniors at home, or prior to discharge from a hospital, rehab center or other health facility. Coordinators identify benefits, programs and resources that may be of use, such as VA pensions, long-term care insurance, private insurance and Medicaid/Medicare services. Other services that care coordinators may assist with include:

• Medical alert system placement
• Home modifications
• Scheduling doctor’s appointments
• Transportation to and from appointments
• Referrals for medical equipment

Skilled nursing is not available at all Assisting Hands offices. Potential clients should contact their office of choice to determine service availability.

What Are People Saying About Assisting Hands?

Clients and loved ones appreciate the peace of mind Assisting Hands caregivers can offer in their time of need. Customers say that staff are thoroughly professional, courteous and responsive with the care they give. As one puts it, “It has been a relief of stress and anxiety from me knowing that my mom is safe and in good hands, receiving the care that she needs. I have liked that all of the aides so far have been pleasant, caring, understanding and compassionate for the clients and the whole family.”

Seniors with long-term conditions are treated with respect and dignity by the caregivers of Assisting Hands. According to the family member of one client, “We have been using Assisting Hands for the past three months to take care of our aunt with dementia. Their professionalism, level of care and passion for what they do is amazing. Our family highly recommends them!” Another adds, “They helped with the entire process in getting my mom home safely and then providing us with caregivers who genuinely cared about my mom. They have made such a positive difference in our lives, but most importantly with my mom.”

How Much Does Assisting Hands Charge for Home Care?

Home care costs vary based on several factors, including the type of services required, how often one needs assistance, and the timing of the services (i.e., overnight vs. daytime care). Where you live also has a significant impact on the cost of home care, as national chains scale their local prices to the cost of living in a given area.

When planning for home care costs, keep in mind that the national average cost is about $24 per hour, though prices in your location may be higher or lower. You can contact a Family Advisor at (800) 973-1540 to learn more about home care costs and payment options in your area.

Who Should Consider Assisting Hands?

Seniors who need help managing daily activities will appreciate the level of care and compassion they receive from Assisting Hands. The company is a solid choice for those who require:

• Memory care: Seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease have unique care needs that family members may find difficult to meet. Assisting Hands caregivers recognize the challenge memory conditions present and are equipped to provide professional care in a safe, comfortable environment.
• Injury and post-surgery recovery: Those recovering from surgery or injury need quality care to heal properly, and that’s doubly important for older adults. The staff at Assisting Hands can handle many personal care and daily living tasks until clients are back on their feet.
• End-of-life support: Many seniors who have a terminal diagnosis prefer to receive hospice care at home rather than in a clinical setting. Assisting Hands caregivers work alongside a client’s medical team to provide supplementary services, such as personal care and housekeeping, which can allow family members to spend more precious time with their loved one.

How to Get Started with Assisting Hands

Contact a Family Advisor at (800) 973-1540 for more information about Assisting Hands’ offerings in your area and to connect with a local home care provider. Our knowledgeable Family Advisors can provide one-on-one guidance to help you find the best home care service for your needs and budget, all at no cost to you. No matter where you are in the process of choosing a home care provider, a Family Advisor can help.