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Visiting Angels vs Sitter City

Monday, November 4th

2024 Senior Care Service Reviews

Visiting Angels Review 4.5 Star Rating

Visiting Angels

4.5 Star Rating
  • Non-medical care available including companionship, grooming, dressing, toileting, light housekeeping, meal preparation, and errands
  • Free in-home consultation
  • All caregivers undergo a comprehensive background and criminal history check
  • Caregiving process is monitored with frequent phone calls and supervisor home visits
  • All agencies are licensed, bonded, and insured
  • Can interview any caregiver prior to the start of services
  • Can cancel services with two weeks' notice; can make permanent schedule changes with one-week's notice
  • Caregivers can use "Caregiver University” to get advanced training for specific conditions
  • "A+” rated by the BBB
  • In business since 1998

Visiting Angels has been delivering in-home care to elderly adults for over 20 years, with over 600 franchised locations across the United States and internationally. This senior care provider offers a wide range of non-medical services tailored to individual needs and ensures the highest standards of care by conducting comprehensive background checks on all caregivers, monitoring the caregiving process through regular phone calls and supervisor visits, and providing access to specialized training. With an impressive average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars based on nearly 2,000 reviews and an "A+" rating from the BBB, Visiting Angels stands out as a reliable and compassionate choice for senior care.

Sitter City Review 1 Star Rating

Sitter City

1 Star Rating
  • $13/month (paid annually), $25/month (paid quarterly) or $37/month to use service
  • Post a help wanted ad or browse caregivers near you
  • Easy to see experience, location, and self-reported certifications at a glance
  • Background checks may be available
  • "A+” rated by the BBB

As you'd guess from the name, Sittercity is mostly focused on childcare but offers the ability to connect with caregivers for seniors too. Even though this company somehow manages to get an "A+” rating from the BBB, we recommend that you stay away: not only will you have to pay anywhere from $13-$37 per month just to connect with carers, you're probably also going to have a hard time finding any caregivers who have been active on Sittercity in the last six months. Go directly to any other senior care platform in our evaluation and don't waste your time with Sittercity.

Where Can You Find the Best Resources for Senior Care?

Let's face it: as our loved ones get older (or as we do!), it can be hard finding the right resources for care. Most people resist the idea of going to an independent or assisted living facility, preferring instead to "age in place”. In fact, that's what two-thirds of Americans surveyed have said they plan to do, year after year.

There can be some challenges to making that happen. We all know that as we age, physical decline is to be expected: our balance falters, our memory gets a little fuzzy, and we may need to use the bathroom more often. Also, older people often struggle with daily tasks, like cooking and doing laundry, and they need someone to lend a hand from time to time.

The Best Senior Care Services Compare Senior Care Services Compare Senior Care Service Reviews What are the best Senior Care Services Best Senior Care Service Reviews

Senior Care Service FAQ

As people age, it becomes more difficult to do tasks like housework, driving, cooking, getting up and down stairs, or following a medication regimen. Senior care is when a team or individual assists with fulfilling the needs of an elderly person. They help keep them safe and able to continue living a fulfilling life.
Someone is normally considered a senior by the time they reach the age of 65. This is mostly because 65 is when many people retire and when government benefits kick in. Most people don't consider themselves or loved ones a senior until they are at least 70 years of age or older.
Senior care can include anything that will benefit the individual needing assistance. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis, but might involve doing laundry, running errands, home organization, housekeeping, transportation, and more. Almost anything that will help the elderly live a productive life can be performed through senior care.
If you or a loved one are suffering from an inability to take care of yourself and your home like you used to, it's time to get help. It is a wonderful thing for family and friends to step in and do what they can, but over time this can become burdensome and may not always be reliable. Hiring a senior care service ensures that help is always readily available when needed without having to rely on other loved ones all the time.
Every person's needs are different, so you will be the one who decides how often a caregiver is needed. Sometimes they might visit a couple times a week to take care of grocery shopping or other essential duties around the house. Other times you need round-the-clock assistance and would hire a live-in caregiver to be there 24/7. There are many professionals with a range of flexibility who are available when you need them.
Most of the time, senior caregivers are over the age of 21. Depending on the agency you go with, the requirements they set for their candidates may differ slightly. You are able to set your own criteria for a caregiver and find someone who matches that. Some examples of qualifications include being CNA certified, first-aid certified, passing a company's senior care course, a nursing degree, experience working in a healthcare facility, and others. There is no such thing as a senior care license, so you'll find that the backgrounds and qualifications of candidates vary from person to person.
When hiring a caregiver, you will usually be able to choose from a range of professionals with different backgrounds. For experienced caregivers who will be performing regular duties, the cost will be higher than a new CNA looking to get started in their career field. Most senior caregivers come with their own hourly rate, which will play a part in deciding who you choose to hire. It's not uncommon to see hourly rates between $10 and $30.
Senior care companies make it easy to narrow down the list of available caregivers in your area. Using their online website, you'll be able to choose how soon you need to find a caregiver, your desired qualifications, the hours you need assistance, where you live, what you're willing to pay, and other important factors that will help filter through the pool of candidates. From there you can read bios of different caregivers and get a feel for who would be a good fit for you or your loved one. Some companies let you meet the caregiver or give them a trial run before hiring them on.
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Continued from above...

Plus, when friends and family aren't available, it can make it harder for everyone to feel comfortable with an at-home arrangement. Fortunately, senior care services can fill that gap, for everything from simple companionship a few times a week to more in-depth services like bathing and transferring from bed to chair and back again.

Having a care provider you can rely on is invaluable, whether you're the one receiving the help or the one getting the updates that yes, your beloved family member really is doing fine from day to day. But, we're all too familiar with some of the horror stories in the news - about senior citizens being taken advantage of (or worse) by those who were supposed to be there to help. It can make choosing a senior care service pretty nerve-wracking.

However, there are some amazing services out there with fantastic reputations. How do you sort out the good ones from the bad? Here are some criteria that can guide your decision-making:

  • Care provider screening process. What is done to evaluate the people they hire? Background checks should be the bare minimum.
  • Reputation. Look at what other clients have said about the senior care service and the individual carers (when available). Does the service have a good track record? See if the company has been rated by the Better Business Bureau, if it has industry accreditations, and above all, if previous and current clients have positive things to say about their experience.
  • Availability in your area. The best senior care platform in the world isn't much use if they don't have carers near you. Double-check that their services are offered in your area before you get too involved in the process. Once you've determined that it's available, be sure to ask how long you can expect it to take to be matched with a caregiver: in some areas, it can happen quickly, but in others it may take a month or more.
  • Rates and contracts. It's fairly common for a senior care service to have a minimum number of weekly hours, and pricing tends to start around $15-$20 per hour. Find out if your contract can be canceled or modified whenever you want.
  • Multiple caregivers. Ask if the service will pair you with the same caregiver from visit to visit or if you would possibly be working with multiple individuals. If the senior requiring care is sensitive to change, it might be a deal-breaker if you could possibly see a new face every time.

While it can feel a little sad or scary to look for senior care, it's well worth the time to get the help that allows you or your loved one to keep living life to the fullest. The experts at here at Top Consumer Reviews have done a deep dive into some of today's most popular services, so that you can connect with a reliable service and compassionate caregivers as soon as possible.

Compare Senior Care Services

Select any 2 Senior Care Services to compare them head to head

best-senior-care-services
  • Right at Home
  • Visiting Angels
  • Home Instead
  • BrightStar Care
  • Home Helpers
  • Comfort Keepers
  • Always Best Care
  • Great AuPair
  • Synergy Home Care
  • Care
  • Sitter City
Right at Home vs Visiting Angels Right at Home vs Home Instead Right at Home vs BrightStar Care Right at Home vs Home Helpers Right at Home vs Comfort Keepers Right at Home vs Always Best Care Right at Home vs Great AuPair Right at Home vs Synergy Home Care Right at Home vs Care Right at Home vs Sitter City Visiting Angels vs Home Instead Visiting Angels vs BrightStar Care Visiting Angels vs Home Helpers Visiting Angels vs Comfort Keepers Visiting Angels vs Always Best Care Visiting Angels vs Great AuPair Visiting Angels vs Synergy Home Care Visiting Angels vs Care Visiting Angels vs Sitter City Home Instead vs BrightStar Care Home Instead vs Home Helpers Home Instead vs Comfort Keepers Home Instead vs Always Best Care Home Instead vs Great AuPair Home Instead vs Synergy Home Care Home Instead vs Care Home Instead vs Sitter City BrightStar Care vs Home Helpers BrightStar Care vs Comfort Keepers BrightStar Care vs Always Best Care BrightStar Care vs Great AuPair BrightStar Care vs Synergy Home Care BrightStar Care vs Care BrightStar Care vs Sitter City Home Helpers vs Comfort Keepers Home Helpers vs Always Best Care Home Helpers vs Great AuPair Home Helpers vs Synergy Home Care Home Helpers vs Care Home Helpers vs Sitter City Comfort Keepers vs Always Best Care Comfort Keepers vs Great AuPair Comfort Keepers vs Synergy Home Care Comfort Keepers vs Care Comfort Keepers vs Sitter City Always Best Care vs Great AuPair Always Best Care vs Synergy Home Care Always Best Care vs Care Always Best Care vs Sitter City Great AuPair vs Synergy Home Care Great AuPair vs Care Great AuPair vs Sitter City Synergy Home Care vs Care Synergy Home Care vs Sitter City Care vs Sitter City
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