caregiver

home health aide

in home caregiver

nursing assistant

scheduler

Homewatch CareGivers

I started out being a caregiver when I moved from Charleston, SC to Chapel Hill, NC to take care of my mom after she had a stroke.  After my mom passed in 2006, wanting to assist the elderly kept popping up in my mind.  So in 2009, I decided to do something about it.

I have been with Home Watch Caregivers since 2009.  I started out with one client case that lasted for three years.  After my client passed away, I wanted to explore another part of working as a CNA.  I stayed with Home Watch part time, as needed while I worked in a hospital as a CNA.  When I relocated back to Chapel Hill, Home Watch hired me back full time. Home Watch have always sent me out on good cases, with wonderful clients.  Home Watch is a family based company and have become my family while I was with them.  I was highly recommended to an outside family who needed someone to care for their mother privately, and that is when I left Home Watch.

I am compassionate about what I do, and I enjoy working with the elderly.  I have been told by everyone I encountered since I became a CNA that I am good at what I do.  I ensure client satisfaction, promote independence as long as it can be done safely, and I make sure my clients know they still have rights, input, and control in the care I provide for them.  I let them know that I am only there to assist them.  I work closely with my clients' family members to design a plan of action that includes their input in the well being of their loved one.  I have good values, an excellent work ethic, I am passionate about what I do, I take pride in my work, and it shows.  Sometimes people just want someone to listen to them; I am that listening ear.   I go an extra mile for my clients to make sure they are happy and comfortable.  I stand by my clients, and I will always be an advocate for my clients.

Plenty of work based on your availability. However, certain staff members and their attitudes and integrity leave a lot to be desired.  Example:  I gave 24 hour notice of an emergency, which allowed more than enough time to fill my shift, this person, whose job it was to make sure that the shift was filled, was very apprehensive about me taking off for my last minute emergency...key word "emergency." Keep in mind that I was more than willing to fill shifts for them, when I was not working my full-time job. Last straw was when I was called, last minute, to fill on for a shift for a client i was familiar with, when I advised the coordinator of the fact that I'd already made a commitment to come in earlier that day on my full-time job, this person actually proposed that I call my full-time job back, lie, and tell them that I made a mistake in saying that I was available, and instead come in and work a last minute 4 hour shift for them.  "Are you kidding me?" was what I was thinking, however, after I said no, this person went on to remind me that  they had someone to work for me on the ONE day, that I made the emergency call out 24 hours in advance. They had the nerve enough to say it was all about give and take.  Well, is that not what a staffing coordinator does?  Needless to say, I had to remind them that this is my  full-time job, my main source of income, the job that pays my benefits.  After that incident, I decided to turn in my resignation, any company that would allow its staffing coordinators to engage in such shady tactics is not one that I want to work for.  Otherwise, it was a good experience.  I wouldn't let that deter anyone from working with them, that was my experience, with that one person.

If you didn't pinch yourself, you'd swear you were on your way to a lifetime career with Homewatch after being orientated as a new employee. Advancement from the field to the office can be a reality. But unfortunately, that's where the bulk of the problems are. Things are really not what they appear to be. Homewatch as a franchise are better than most for treatment of employees, benefits, etc. However, volatile changes within immediate management, directly impacted my experiences while working for Homewatch.

Availability of case work was actually moderate/exceptional compared to other agencies in the area. If there ever was a problem, it was likely to occur during the weekends with scheduling. You'd arrive at work, only to find another employee was working your assignment. although this happened numerous times, Whether this was intentional, or accidental, is still a question of debate. But apparently, a handful of other employees were encountering the same problem. I was not reimbursed for mileage, and the lost hours were compensated for only once. The manager of payroll was only willing to compensate me for half of my missed salary on only one of the occurrences. This was not an equilateral enforcement for all employees, as exceptions were known to be made for others of similar circumstances. If work is not available, they will find a way to simply terminate you. Expect the unexpected.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The families,  and at least some office staff at least pretend to care about the caregivers..

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Never able to be off because they lack PRN or hire for shifts needed , I turn burning there good caregivers out,  and not listening to needs . Also not being able to make it working with them, and the uncaring nature, expecting you to work sick , not understanding emergencies ,no empathy.. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
 Wasn’t always this way, it felt like a family, they went above to help cargivers.we were valued .so it made it a proud place to work even with less pay it had purpose and a mission statement they believed..
It changed over last few years they hire anybody which left people who care about quality and work to pick up the slack..,to a No team mentality, the office staff talks about caregivers to other caregiver(gossip) , whole office mmeetings daily  to talk about caregivers which paints negative views of caregiver  with office staff who hasn’t had no previous problems with caregiver, painting caregiver negative who are great workers. Cut hours to punish you for a legitimate emergency…

I would not recommend working for Homewatch CareGivers in Austin. The management is unprofessional and often speaks to staff in a condescending manner, creating an unsupportive work environment.
During hiring and training, employees are promised incentives such as gas cards and bonuses for completing required training, but those promises are not always fulfilled. Communication is also poor. Despite repeatedly providing my availability and documenting it on my application, management continued to disregard it. If you agree to work a shift outside of your normal availability even once, they may begin scheduling you as if those hours are permanently available.
The turnover rate appears to be high, which contributes to ongoing staffing issues. I was also concerned by the lack of adequate training for some caregivers. In my experience, not everyone was properly trained on basic skills such as accurately checking blood sugar or taking blood pressure.
Overall, my experience was disappointing due to poor management, inconsistent communication, and a lack of support for employees.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Working with clients.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Poor management & office support.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Stressed! Countless new people coming in, trained too quickly or skipped over. Office support dwindling. Not organized, poor comunication. Care plans not updated. New person comes in w/o shadowing (being trained) can Not trust care plan. Office forgets to update clients information all the time. Clients suffer from office not taking care to update their needs.  Client's story not updated or incorrect. Office constantly calls you to come in, but doesn't mark down that you are not available for shift. Next person calls & texts you again! Just a waste of time for both of us. 5 times in one day!!!

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Fustrating!  Almost always last minute. Informs you after you get to client that client has an appt & must be dressed to go out. Last Caregiver had plenty of time to do it but was never informed. Office or other caregivers do not mark down what client may need to do from one day to the next. Daily plans lacking updated information. Again training & not throwing someone in cold.

When I got the call and did my interview with this company I was pretty excited. Even more so when I received my schedule for the whole month. Everyone seemed nice and the company was pretty organized. I went to work with a little old lady and life was good. My first pay o ly 8 hours of training pay came with no problems. The next pay check is where the problems began. My pay was 4 hours short. Not a big deal mistakes happen. I called and emailed and was told it would be taken care of. Two weeks pass and yay time for the next pay check! This pay was 40 hours short. I called I emailed within a week I still had not heard anything back until I called and quit. Then I hot a call from the director who informed me that I wasn't owed any hours and everything I was owed was paid to me. I had to threaten to get a lawyer involved to get it solved. I had even send them more copies of my time sheets and everything. This was very flustering. As a side note they also refused to replace me one night when I was so sick throwing up that I couldn't get off the bathroom floor. How am I supposed to take care of someone when I can't stop vomiting. This company was much more of a hassle than its worth.

Loved working here, for the clients and management was really friendly and good to work with. They offer a better pay ($1 to$2 more per hour) than most caregiving companies I have worked with. Pay is at least $10-$11 per hour from the shifts I worked (I mostly worked only 1-2 hour shifts at a time). They offer more (like $10 extra for the entire shift for a 4+ hour shift or something) if there is a last minute shift available if the original caregiver had an emergency. I occasionally took these shifts on. They will pay a very small per mile gas fee when you drive to the clients home (other companies I worked for did not). And I had a great experience with communicating to them about what clients I felt comfortable working with ( I have a wrist injury that still bothers me), so they matched me up with clients that I would be able to take care of properly. 

I never did get certified or anything, but you can go up in the company once you get more medical training and certifications ( like once you're a CNA, or a RN etc). I think they will pay for you to get a CNA if you're interested. 

This company and their office staff are fantastic. Plenty of work available and they tried to work around all my scheduling conflicts including school, kids, sickness, etc... They truly care about their clients and findng the right caregiver to match their needs. I feel like I couldn't have gotten a more perfect client. 

Their onboarding proccess is as follows: 

1. Fill out app
2. They call and schedule an interview
3. They do everything they can to get you in orientation immediately 
4. They do contract with caregivers however, they give you all your information about it including a mileage log and expense tracker. There are no additional fees you face as contractor that you wouldn't already have as employee (example; gas to and from work, uniforms, etc). They also give you the option to still deduct your taxes. I highly recommend doing this! 
5. They start out at  at least 10.50 an hour and goes up based on experience 
6. They match you to clients immediately. Plenty of weekends available. Weekdays and nights also available. Plenty of shifts to pick up on weekly basis.

Most of the staff are very open and friendly and care deeply about the patients. You can always reach the office day or night and whoever is on call is very helpful and prompt in assisting you. I go directly to my clients homes each day (don't have to stop at the Office), and use a keylock to let myself in the home. I shout out my greeting and check on my client and how they are doing. Check to see if meds have been taken,if blood sugar needs to be checked , how they slept,etc. I prepare breakfast, wash the dishes, throw in the laundry, do wound care if needed, encourage ROM and activity. If I need to take someone to an appointment, I allow plenty of time for my client to shower, dress, etc. and then drive them to the appointment and see the doctor with them. I communicate with the family regarding any concerns. I often pick up groceries for my clients on the way to their homes, or on my way home. The hardest part of my job is watching people decline and die, but it is also an opportunity to brighten their lives and help the family.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Caregiver 1143 salaries reported	$18.06 per hour
Home health aide 603 salaries reported	$16.90 per hour
In home caregiver 386 salaries reported	$16.93 per hour
Nursing assistant 239 salaries reported	$18.30 per hour
Scheduler 45 salaries reported	$18.40 per hour

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