pamela dann
Jun 2026
Because this and last year has been affected by a labor shortage of experienced livein caregivers for the elderly, we contacted a second agency, Proactive Homemakers and Companions a month in advance of our regular caregiver’s month of vacation and my vacation out of the country shortly thereafter. Marie was very responsive, found a substitute caregiver for us to meet before our scheduled caregiver from another agency went on vacation. Unfortunately, 7 days after starting on Jan 1 the caregiver self reported that she mixed up of my 90 year old mother’s medication, two days in a row. Marie was correct to quickly find a replacement caregiver and she personally attended to introducing us to one who was younger, willing, and was available on short notice. Under the circumstances safety was our most important concern and we hoped for that foremost. Other attributes such as companionship, cooking, restocking toiletry supplies for mom, and general social exchanges would have been nice but were in short supply. I thank Marie for her caring spirit and I hope the industry will soon attract the dedicated, caring and experienced caregivers that our agencies and elders deserve. In the meantime, I encourage families to seek support from multiple agencies rather than just one or two and to look a few months in advance given the pool of caregivers has decreased. Marie cares deeply about her clients and we need experienced caregivers who feel the same.
