Companion Extraordinaire

Mrs*** *** initially called our company, Companion Extraordinaire on Tuesday, January 3, 2017, to inquire about services for her motherOur intake personnel obtained all necessary information from Mrs*** in order to arrange an assessment of her mother by a Companion Extraordinaire RN to
determine if services could be provided by our companyDuring this phone conversation with our intake representative, Mrs*** stated that she would be traveling from *** on or around January 14, and would like the assessment to occur when she was with her motherMrs*** also stated that she was not sure of the days or hours her mother needed services from our company until she met our nurse at the assessment. Our nurse, Sharon S***, RN, returned Mrs***’s call the same day (January 3, 2017) in order to set an appointment time for the assessment of her motherDuring this conversation, Mrs*** informed MrsS*** that she needed the assessment on January 14th, the day she was arriving from out of stateMrs*** was not sure what time her flight would be arriving in *** but stated that she would call MrsS*** back later in the weekAgain, Mrs*** was not yet sure of the days and hours she would need assistance from Companion Extraordinaire. On Monday, January 9, 2017, Mrs*** called and informed our intake representative that her flight from *** on January 14th would arrive in *** at11:am and would like to schedule the assessment for 1:pm that afternoonAt the end of this conversation, our intake representative forwarded this information to our nurse, MrsS***. MrsS*** then called Mrs*** that same day (January 9, 2017) to discuss the pending assessmentMrsS*** informed Mrs*** that since the assessment was being scheduled for a Saturday, she was not yet sure if she would perform the assessment or if our weekend on-call nurse would perform the assessmentMrs*** stated that she needed the assessment at her mother’s house at 1:pmMrsS*** informed Mrs*** that she would call her back before the end of the week to inform her who the assessment nurse would beAt the time of this conversation, Companion Extraordinaire still was not told what hours were neededTherefore we did not yet fully know if we would have care providers available to work this case if necessary. Between January 9, and January 12, 2017, Companion Extraordinaire’s Care Provider staffing availability changed significantlyThis happens frequently in the home care field as new clients are started, current clients request additional services, care provider staff resigns, care provider’s assignment availability changes, etcAlthough we do our very best to forecast how we can add new clients to our scheduling after our current clients obligations are completely fulfilled, it is impossible to predict future staffing availability for potential new clients when the availability of staff can fluctuate so much day to day. Realizing on January 12, that Companion Extraordinaire’s staffing availability had become limited, MrsS*** immediately phoned Mrs*** to apologize and inform her that we felt we could not successfully provide staff for her mother’s care and offered to provide her with the names and phone numbers of two other agencies Mrs*** could contact to arrange the assessment for January 14th. MrsS*** apologized to Mrs*** for the inconvenience but stated that she called her immediately so that Mrs*** could make arrangements with another agency to schedule the assessment when she traveled to *** At this point, Mrs*** disconnected from the phone call and refused the information regarding the other agencies. Upon learning that our agency, Companion Extraordinaire, may have difficulty providing care staff for Mrs***’s mother, we immediately contacted Mrs*** so that she could have time to contact another care provider agencyThis is common practice for Companion Extraordinaire, as we will not attempt to start services for new clients if we are not confident we can staff the new case properlyAlso, most home care agencies are able to provide assessments within hours of being contacted by a potential new client, including the two agencies whose information MrsS*** attempted to provide to Mrs***. Contrary to Mrs***’* statement in her complaint, Companion Extraordinaire was extremely sensitive to Mrs***’* situation and that she was traveling from out of state to be present for the nursing assessment of her motherThis is exactly the reason why we contacted Mrs*** immediately on January 12th, two days prior to the scheduled assessment, so that she would have ample time to make alternate arrangements with another care agency and avoid rescheduling her planned trip. Companion Extraordinaire has a referral relationship with the two agencies that MrsS*** attempted to share with Mrs***Because available staffing for new cases can change quickly in homecare businesses, it is common practice for agencies to refer to other care agencies that they know and trust when faced with potential new cases they either cannot staff or anticipate difficulty doing soMrsS*** was fully prepared to share information about the agencies she attempted to refer to Mrs*** on January 12th but was unable to do so when Mrs*** discontinued the phone callThis information could have decreased the need for Mrs*** to research other agencies and/or reschedule her tripIt was our intent to assist Mrs*** however we could, knowing her particular situation. Lastly, we have been experiencing ongoing issues with our phone system platform and have been addressing these issues with ***, our system providerOn Tuesday, January 17, 2017, a total reboot was performed of the phone systemWhen the system came back online, it produced a batch of new voice mail messages that were in the system but never delivered to our owner’s voice mail boxUnfortunately, the two messages Mrs*** left were both included in this batch. In conclusion, I am very sorry that Mrs*** is upsetCompanion Extraordinaire would have been honored to care for her mother if the assessment dictated suchWe could have waited until Saturday, January to determine if our care staff availability improved but, based on her particular situation, felt it responsible and considerate to contact her on January 12th, as soon as we experienced a change in staff availability. I am more than happy to speak with Mrs*** if she feels that it may help her understand our “staffing capabilities” and why we contacted her two days prior to the scheduled assessment so that she could make alternate arrangements. Dave B***, Executive Administrator Dave B***Executive AdministratorCompanion Extraordinaire*** ***
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Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
MrB*** response states several inaccuracies. My initial contact with Companions Extraordinaire was the week of December 26th when I spoke with JoAnne and later in the week Sharon S*At that time I told her I would let her know when my travel plans were finalized which was on January 3rdI called JoAnne at that time and let her know when my flight would arrive in ***, and I spoke with MsS*** several times after that date and discussed with her the best way to approach the situation with my momShe stated that it would either be her or someone else who would be coming out. From the first conversation, I made the staff aware that I would be handling the assessment only since my brother was the one who lives in *** and is the primary caregiverFurther, I also let them know that he would be making the decision after being given the information from the assessment. The assessment serves as an opportunity for the company to evaluate my mom and her situation, but it also serves as a chance for me to discover whether I like the representative and what the company has to offerTherefore, how could I make a schedule determination prior to meeting with them? Also if this was an issue, I should have been told that during the several conversations I had with JoAnne and MsS***On January 12th, I made a call to them at 9:AM to get an alternate contact number since we would be meeting on the weekend. MsS*** actually returned my call around and told me at that time that the company would not be able to provide services for my momYes, I disconnected the phone because I realized that I would not have enough time to research another service, which I had done prior to making an appointment with CEIt should be understandable that since I did not yet have a relationship with them, I would be hesitant to accept their referralMrB*** is also assuming that another company would be able to meet me on the weekend and on short noticeI find it an insult that he would think a day and a half would be sufficient notice for me to investigate another company to care for my mother, especially since I researched his company for several weeksI would take more time than that to choose a place for my dog to stay in, and I assure you that my mom means much more to meRegarding his excuse that my call was not returned on the 12th due to a technical glitch, not only did I leave messages on the voicemail, but JoAnne answered one of the times I called and asked if I was Ms*** and I said yesSo not only were there voicemails, but one of the staff also knew I had called requesting to talk to the ownerI had to reschedule my flight, and go through the process to find another service and it was extremely inconvenient and inconsiderate since CE was aware that I was flying in for that purpose It is apparent to me from the tone of MrB***’s response that he still is not willing to accept responsibility that the actions of his company were inconsiderate and placed me in an undesirable positionTherefore, I have no desire to waste any more of my time attempting to communicate this to himI would suggest that he develop empathy and consideration for the time of possible clients since he is in the business of caring for the elderly
Regards,
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