Beth Leslie
May 2019
[*** Note update 5/21/19 at the end of this review from earlier. Consider that one star also removed] I have been a client with Cambridge for a number of years, and it pains me to feel I must consider changing services. The lack of respect that has developed in the office staff, the way they blame the client if he or she is upset because once again a particular aide, known for a history with this client for being late or not showing up at all, yet once more today was not to the client’s home on time but over 20 mlinutes late. At that point, frustrated at the predictability of her being late, I canceled. You know, enough is enough. I was told by office staffer Dawn that, to quote her, “What’s wrong with you, Miss Beth?” as if this entire failure of the company to train and orient their aides was my fault. What’s wrong with me? Here it is: too many days this aide has been scheduled and just didn’t show up. Since the company can’t control her behavior, the client gets blamed. What’s wrong with me? I am the client and I do not feel good. It is not my place to train the aides nor to discipline the aides. I am not here to be a teacher. I am not here to be their psychiatrist/marriage counselor/family dynamics counselor/financial adviser. I am a client. Yes, I have responsibilities, such as treating my aides with respect and with caring concern. I understand when schedules must be changed, so long as I’m made aware of it. I have always tried to be fair and decent and understanding. But there is only so much a client can do. I have tried my best but apparently it’s not good enough. Therefore I am leaving Cambridge. I hope the aide in question makes a lot money for the company to compensate for the loss of a client. This is so unnecessary - if only the office staffer, Dawn, had risen to the need for doing her job without blaming the client. She failed to see the need was not to assign blame but to handle the situation in a way that brought both sides together in a mutual understanding. ***** Well, here we are, almost a year later. I have actually now taken my final exit from this home health agency. We might say matters went from bad to worse. I feel that since I complained because an aide took a photograph of me in my home apparently thinking I didn’t see her do this, because of this possible HIPAA violation, because I had the audacity to complain to the office, which decides to believe the lie from the aide that she “never even had [her] phone out all day,” I get let go. However, they haven’t even had the professional decency to notify me - they went through my services coordinator at Direction Home. How demeaning, that I do not even deserve to receive a letter notifying me and explaining this sudden decision. Utterly unprofessional on their part. And here’s how this all feels: we who are clients obviously are not at our best. We have health problems and we need help with some daily living activities. And in the midst of this, should we feel moved to complain by something so out-of-line with acceptable behavior that the office must be notified, we get slapped down, figuratively speaking; after all, having the power, it’s apparently a natural thing for them to do, to inflict suffering on those they just hours ago were contracted to help. But having no power, all I can do is to warn others and to hope you might avoid this agency - chaotic, and poorly staffed - lest you could experience these things for yourself. In my opinion, you should avoid this agency at all costs.
