caregiver

in home caregiver

personal care assistant

home health aide

nursing assistant

FirstLight Home Care

Working with seniors ad Veterans is fulfilling and a wonderful way to connect and learn within the community.  I had very little issues with the clients themselves, and while I was hired by someone who was passionate about senior care and the care of the team she hired, the remaining "team" members created a difficult environment to continue with.  Communication was awful, more times the information wasn't discussed with the client or caregiver and changes would be made without explanation.  It was represented that the job didn't have to include personal nature care, but after a year where it was also represented that rate of pay increase would be, the shell game of having to change the level of care to get a raise was introduced. I spent over a year with the company, had six (6) different clients with different needs and was requested by clients for alternate shifts and celebrated by the agency when it suited them, made them successful, but when I needed to replace hours or pick up new clients, everything they said they would do to, they didn't follow through.  I waited four (4) months for them to advocate for me as a caregiver, one of their team members, but after feeling like my best wasn't enough for them, I resigned.  I have a FT job, I did this around those hours, I enjoyed the work and miss the clients, but if you want good hearted, solid caregivers, then you need to treat them with respect, pay them accordingly. The seniors deserve caregivers who want to be there, who understand they are people and they matter, being careless with the caregivers or misrepresenting facts to keep someone on the payroll, does not serve your clients needs or represent an agency who cares about their staff.

A typical day at work for me involves caring for the elderly and disabled in the home. Each person has individual needs. Some require just being there, others require more help with bathing, dressing, grooming, feeding, etc. I haven't really learned much as being at my level you're not permitted to do much. This makes the job easy but not intellectually stimulating. 

Management is good for the most part. When I first started with FirstLight, it did take awhile for me to prove myself and my worth to our clients and the organization as a whole but I was eventually recognized for my efforts.

For some, myself included, this is an emotionally draining job. I'd say this is probably the hardest part of the job, especially when every solution you implement to make the service delivery process better doesn't work. State laws limit the amount of problem-solving and decision making you're allowed to do.

The most enjoyable part of my job is when I'm able to make a difference and seeing the clients that do get better and wind up being able to live a normal life without assistance. I also enjoyed talking to my coworkers about questions they had about new cases. I enjoyed being able to work independently without the interpersonal drama you generally encounter in other environments.

Best piece of advice I can give is if you hold more than one job, they will expect you to make this your primary job. Work hours can be unsteady. Be prepared to accept assignments on short notice and when you can because there is no guarantee there will be any work in the days and weeks to come.

If you are looking for a place to work while you are in School or in desperate need of a job then by all means... Go for it! I no longer work there but this is how my time with them summed up...

Without saying exact rates the client I worked with paid an hourly amount (100%) Out of that, I make 43% of that while FirstLight makes 57% for doing nothing... 

If you do decide to work here I have a few tips... 
Don't trust their clock-in/out app. Always write down EXACT times for your own records. 
If their clock-in/out system doesn't work, you can always text them to clock you out but always double check it on your time sheet. There have been many times where they would clock me out at least an hour before I actually called. 
They don't have a "buffer". If your clock-in time is at 11am you better not clock in at 10:59 or 11:01 more than a few times or else you will get called out on it and your position with them will be threatened. 
Prepare yourself to constantly get asked to pick-up shifts even after you have told them your schedule repeatedly and they have it in writing. They will always ask you, even if you had surgery the same day they want you to work...
Office staff says they are always ready to take on a client if we are sick or call-out yet when the time actually comes they refuse to allow you to call out. 
PLEASE make sure you make it VERY clear and have it in writing if you have any accommodation needs. Without going in to detail for privacy reasons I could only do companionship and light cleaning clients only for three months due to surgery. They asked me to go to a "meal prep and watch only" client. When I arrived it was very clear that they were in need of complete "personal care" 
Lastly, there will be nice clients but the ,majority of the clients are demanding, entitled, and rude. Never let them ask you to do things that is not in your job description.

The clients/area you are assigned to determine how quick paced the work will be, for example, working in a home for x amount of hours will more than likely be at an easy pace while working in a retirement facility will give you several clients all on your sheet for the same time that require time management skills and a growing relationship with the clients to know who to go to first and who would rather wait. You also need to be able to communicate with family members, other caregivers, other staff not related to first light, and bosses so they know how the client is doing. You need to be able to speak up for yourself and your clients in a strong appropriate manner. 
  One of the hardest parts of the job is that you will form beautiful bonds with people who are passing away and you will be taking care of people on their death beds. You will have to maneuver in a loving way to help a family as they lose a loved one without stepping on toes and that is a difficult thing to do, but not only can be done but is very much needed. Some families may want you at the funeral, but most won't and it should never be an expectation even if your boss goes. 
  You will come across caregivers that should be fired and any misconduct should be reported immediately to protect the client. This part may be what is disheartening the most because it will seem that these people hired the most.  
  This is a beautiful job not for the faint of heart that is incredibly rewarding and is my favorite job that lead me to my desire to be a nurse.

I worked four overnight shifts, 12 hours each shift, Monday through Thursday and then was constantly called to fill other needed shifts on my off days. I averaged well over 52 hours a week (often working well over 65 hours a week) covering my shift and the additional shifts asked of me. These additional shifts would often require me to drive to Loveland, Longmont, Boulder and surrounding locations outside of Ft. Collins.

 I worked with patients that needed very little assistance to those suffering from dementia and physical ailments that required my constant participation in there hourly care. 

  I would do everything from preparing and serving meals to bathing and putting to bed clients. I was consistently hands on with the care of the clients due to their needs. 

  I feel I have received ample experience in how to and how NOT to manage a Hospice care establishment. Organization, Communication and Application of personnel and their duties is just one of the many aspects I observed on the good and bad side of the organization

  I did not find any part of the job "hard" per say as much as maybe challenging and those things would be more along the way of managing time on overnight shifts and adapting to the odd hours. 

  I overall enjoy the one on one aspect of the job and being able to assist in the care of these individuals; as well as being able to see the positive results from that assistance.

I found my experiences at First Light in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area to be positive and incredibly rewarding. If you are someone with a caring heart that wants to help people, this is the job for you. As of when I was employed there, they had a fixed salary rate depending on the type of clients you accepted. Clients with dementia or severe lack of mobility were paid the highest, since it was more effort as a caregiver. That being said, you could choose what tasks you wanted based on the clent's needs. Some would only need housekeeping and meals, while others required full grooming, lifting, etc. The very best part of the job were my clients and the managing office. My managers and the owners took clients and caregivers into consideration when it came to finding good matches. They were willing to work with limitations on the caregiver's part, and they would contact me with potential good matches as I was starting out. The most challenging part of this job is of course any clients that pass in your care. It can be mentally and physically demanding being a caregiver, but the company did a good job keeping that in mind. I received great support and understanding from the office and always felt welcome just to drop in for a chat. Overall, good communication will get you far, and the management office and clients were wonderful to work for.

Firstlight has a great concept, but poor execution for the greater goal of making money. You gotta love capitalism. If you've ever worked in one of those places that calls itself a "family atmosphere" BEWARE! This company is owned and operated by a very nice older man, his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. However nice they are, their hourly workers are paid beans, and to make up for it they buy you lunch and do extravagant things for the holidays--like give caregivers--the people that work over 40 hours and then are berated about it--$5 Starbucks gift cards and 5 pieces of candy, this is not an exaggeration. Or they hold nice dinners and extravagant family lunches--and by extravagant I mean "let's all eat chik fil a together and play trivia". You are expected to attend these events and eat as a family--but these people aren't your family. They are your co-workers. Not playing this game is risky. If you can smile, wave, laugh at the corny jokes, take the misogynistic/bigoted compliments, manage to do your job (with no training program--not a handbook, a piece of paper outlining the how to's NOTHING), AND have a knack for handling passive aggressive management then this is probably a great place for you. 

When I first started working for the brothers I was excited. I thought they truly cared about the employees. Communication was great any issue I had was solved pretty quick. I felt like I was valued and appreciated by them. Once the newness wore off it was clear that valuing the employees was a joke. They have exposed their true colors. Now it is difficult to get answers about anything. Your work schedule changes all the time. One week you have hours next week they might be gone.It seems like you get a new client every week. They are always moving you around from client to client just to fit their personal agenda. You don’t get paid enough for anything you do. The environments they put you in are either disgusting or dangerous.  They are more focused on expanding the business than they are about there employees. The brothers want you to be flexible and help them all the time but do very little to help you.  Getting full time hours is next to impossible. I have been trying to get full time hours since I began and still nothing. Communication has gone out the window in the last month or so. If you have a problem hopefully you can solve it on your own. Because you won’t receive any help. When an emergency is going on it is difficult to reach anyone. Even when they are suppose to have someone on call just to answer the phones.

I enjoyed the few years I worked for First Light and look back on my time there fondly. The team is built of hard-working compassionate and caring individuals that made working there easy and the team meetings were something I looked forward to monthly. It's locally owned and the bosses were friendly and understanding of their staff's needs. supplies, training, and assistance were always available if asked for. They work hard to provide their employees with opportunities to grow and allow for input on any ideas you might have. It's been voted Best Place to Work in the past and I attest to that. It truly is a wonderful employer and if I had not relocated I'd still be working there today. 
The hardest part about working there was getting attached to the clients and their families.
 Everyone has good days and bad days so it was expected to get challenging clients some visits but the time spent with people and assisting them with what they needed was fulfilling enough to overlook the few times when it didn't go as planned. in any case, if you truly can't get along with a client you can simply ask for a different placement. 
my favorite part about working there was the support received and the fun monthly team meetings with refreshments and gift card drawings. 

From the moment I engaged as an employee the management at first light home care have provided a welcoming, professional environment. Communication and collaboration is encouraged with a focus on the highest standard of non medical care for clients. 
The company provides training which outlines safety being the number one priority when caring for clients. The culture is inclusive and staff are on hand via sms/phone calls to offer ongoing support through the shift. Management is flexible and this is an excellent entry role for those interested in entering the nursing/medical profession.  I would encourage all prospective/current nursing students to engage with this company and also people who have a genuine calling to be of service to the elders in our community. I highly recommend this company and enjoy my role as a non medical caregiver.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Caregiver 1099 salaries reported	$17.55 per hour
In home caregiver 624 salaries reported	$17.15 per hour
Personal care assistant 358 salaries reported	$16.60 per hour
Home health aide 303 salaries reported	$16.51 per hour
Nursing assistant 459 salaries reported	$16.05 per hour

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