Fairfield Family Care

Hired this company to care for my elderly parents. Started out with a lady named Jen who talked all nice and sold me the world. I hired them and they sent the worst low life people, one after another. They would either show up late, not at all, slept when they were on nightshift, were rude to my parents, one lady told me that she she wasn't even getting paid minimum wage and I found out that they paid their people under the table. I finally demanded that Jen meet me to discuss. She is supposed to be the certified nurse/field supervisor. Well she showed up to my parent's house stinking of liquor and obviously drunk or high or whatever and she said that they are independent contractors. I called the owner , Gary Ferone who was another bull*** artist and tried to tell me that not putting these people on the books was acceptable and he had a "special license". My accountant said that there is no such thing and that if I were ever caught, that I would be responsible to pay the back payroll taxes.
Every other agency that I spoke to has their caregivers on the payroll. and is legitamate.

If you have an elderly person in your life who you really care about, do not, I repeat DO NOT use Fairfield Family CareThey put a young woman in my mother's home to care for her, and she took advantage of my Mom's trusting nature and dementia, and swindled my Mom out of $200,000! To make matters worse, this so-called care giver had a criminal background history where she had been convicted of larceny for committing the same crime against someone else, and this conviction was a matter of public record, but Fairfield Family Care clearly did nothing to vet this employee, and has made no offers of restitution to our family after the fact The employee who stole from my Mom his since been convicted of that crime and is now behind bars, thank goodnessHer name is Laura L***, in case you all want to ascertain the truth of the information contained thereinP.SAfter Laura L*** was arrested, Fairfield Family Care had the audacity to call me seeking payment for a small, unpaid balanceThese people are really bad news

Review: Fairfield Family Care violated their respite care service contract with me while I was away on a respite care vacation.

I hired Fairfield Family Care (FFC) to care for my mother with Alzheimer's for 9 days from August 2, 2013 until August 11, 2013 while I took a respite care vacation. I have used Fairfield Family Care for 40+ hours per week during the last 12 months to care for my mother while I teach classes at school. Fairfield Family Care was advised that I needed an experienced caregiver with Alzheimer's experience months in advance of my trip. Fairfield Family Care provided me with a caregiver named [redacted] to care for my mother while I was away. The service and caregiver were notified that I was not to be contacted on my respite care vacation except in the event of an extreme emergency (emergency numbers provided). This information was also provided in writing. The service also acknowledged in numerous emails that they were not supposed to call during my respite care. I was assured that I would not be contacted. While on my vacation (from the moment I arrived at my destination), I received numerous emails and text messages over the course of numerous days from the caregiver describing in detail about my mother's poor behavior, that she didn't know what to do, that she had her locked in her room and she was afraid that she was going to hurt herself, and that she was going to keep her locked in her room every time she became upset or agitated. I reminded her that I was on vacation. I received many messages on Saturday and Sunday. I was upset from the day I started my vacation. After receiving more messages on Wednesday August 7th, I sent her another message explaining that her messages were upsetting me, that I wasn't supposed to be contacted, that it was ruining my vacation, and that she needed to contact the service to find a replacement if she was unhappy with the job. I then called the service from MEXICO to explain that I was receiving these inconsiderate, inappropriate messages while on my respite care. [redacted] in the office told me that it was "Totally Inappropriate" and that "She couldn't believe this was happening". She assured me that she would contact [redacted] and the issue would be addressed. [redacted] then texted me back explaining that she was only following my directions to contact me about everything happening at home. Her statement was a lie. After becoming increasingly upset all week worrying about my mother, I wrote [redacted] Johnson from Fairfield Family Care on Thursday morning August 8th to explain how appalled I was at the respite care experience. I explained that I should be treated like a valued customer; that the cost of my poor respite care service should be reflected in my bill. I asked him to get back with me so that we could move forward. He had no concern for how upset I was and did not answer my email. After being upset Thursday night, I contacted Fairfield Family Care on Friday morning August 9th and spoke with [redacted]. I told her that I was appalled at the service and that I would not be using their service for the upcoming school year. I explained that my vacation was ruined! I told her that they had my security deposit and if I received a bill for the horrible respite care experience that I received, I would immediately get a third party involved. [redacted] Johnson finally answered my email immediately after I fired the service. He did not address my email, my request, acknowledged I should not be contacted, and made no apology for the service upsetting me and ruining my vacation.Needless to say,Friday August 9th was the final day of my ruined vacation. [redacted] did call me on Tuesday August 13th and asked me if he could "Come to my house". I have never met [redacted] Johnson and felt it was inappropriate to have him come to my home. I told him that all future correspondences will be in writing. I received a bill for the respite care services, today, Wednesday August 14, 2013 for a total amount of $2,135.00. There is no reference to my emails or poor respite care. I feel that "starting" at the Revdex.com is "fair".Desired Settlement: I expect an apology from the Fairfield Family Care management team for the horrible respite care service that I received from their company, and the inappropriate, upsetting emails that I received from their unqualified caregiver that told me she was going to keep my mother locked in her room when she was agitated and upset. I expect Fairfield Family Care to properly address the extremely poor respite care experience that I was provided with. I expect Fairfield Family Care to address the $2,135.00 respite care bill that they sent to me after placing an unqualified caregiver with my mother, ignoring an email to contact me back while upset in Mexico and ruining my respite care vacation for all the reasons stated above. Shame on You!

Business

Response:

Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2013/08/20) */

Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Owner FFC

Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX

Contact Email: [redacted]@fairfieldfamilycare.com

FFC has provided exceptional care for Mrs. [redacted] for 10 months Mr. [redacted] indicated that during that time, the condition of his mother disease (Dementia) has deteriorated.Our caregiver was very consistent in caring for his mother despite her condition. Mr. [redacted] advised our office that he was going away and wanted a caregiver to live with his mother while he was out of the country on vacation. He asked the office not to contact him on vacation unless there was an emergency. We selected a caregiver for Mr. [redacted] to meet, interview and approve her. We scheduled an interview with a potential caregiver, and he was very happy with her. She comes with over 20 years of experience and has been on over a dozen cases with serous dementia Mr. [redacted] really liked the caregiver and he selected her. She arrived on the start day and he gave her last minute instructions, routines of his mother and his contact information. He told her that he set up the "WiFi" so she could get in touch with him if needed. Before leaving, he told the caregiver to let him know how it was going, and to contact me if there is an emergency. Then when he got to the airport, he called the caregiver and said to the caregiver that he just wanted to make sure things were ok and for the caregiver to tell his mother that he loves her. The caregiver gave his mother the message. The caregiver unfortunately took these signs that he wanted to be informed about his mother's condition. There were no other family members or emergency contacts given.

During the week, we received several calls from the caregiver telling us of some of the difficulties she was having with this patient. The client had threatened suicide and also that she was going to kill the caregiver (not typical with Dementia). The caregiver protected the client from themselves and the caregiver by keeping Mrs. [redacted] in her room for a short time so there was no way for her to be hurt. Erratic behavior is something that is common with this type of disease especially when a new caregiver is placed in the situation. Our caregiver properly called the office at(11pm) when this occurred. The employee who was on call is a certified EMT. He calmed the caregiver down and let her know that it is the disease is talking and in a little while, everything will be ok and forgotten. The disease unfortunately mutates in many different directions and she has not seen this type of aggressive behavior before. That is one of the reasons we have qualified people in the office available 24 hours a day to handle such emergencies.The next morning, we had the caregiver that took care of Mrs. Power all year call and speak with the caregiver that was there,and stopped by and made sure everything had settled down.

Unfortunately, the caregiver emailed Mr. [redacted] about this situation as she thought it was important and he would like to know.

Our office learned on Thursday when we received an agitated call from Mr. [redacted] advising his vacation was ruined because the caregiver was keeping him updated and letting him know what had transpired with his mother. He called our office and said he had told us that he was not to be contacted about his mother under any circumstance. We immediately called and told the caregiver not to contact him any more.

Mr. [redacted] on the same day (Thursday) called and said he sent an email to the Director [redacted] (who was on vacation)) saying that he was not happy about being contacted and that he wanted an adjustment in his bill or he was not going to pay it at all. Mr. [redacted] called the office the next day and wanted to know why he did not get a return call. Mr. [redacted] the Director did email back the next morning and when he did, explained he did not respond earlier in the day because he knew he was not to be disturbed on vacation and that we would talk about invoices when he returned (attached is a copy for your review).

The Director called Mr. [redacted] when he was back from vacation and offered him an apology over the phone and requested be come over to his house in person to offer the apology in person for any difficulties there were while on vacation. Mr. Power explicitly told him not to do that and that he only wants communication in writing as he was going to get a third party involved and wants no contact with our office anymore.

Mr. [redacted] was not dissatisfied with the caregiver or the care his mom received while he was away. We learned from the caregiver when he drove the caregiver to the train station after he returned from his trip, he said to her "Thank you, I know that my mom can be difficult and that this not your fault. We do believe he was disappointed with our agency in not communicating to the caregiver about contacting him while on vacation. In fact we did make the caregiver aware of his request. However the caregiver got a different impression from Mr. [redacted] himself before he left for vacation. At FFC, we take care of the elderly very seriously and we do a very good job. Some of the families are often as demanding as the clients. We strive to please even the most arduous families. We will continue to do so and again, if an apology is what is being looked for by the client, we will certainly will comply and apologize for any misgiving he may have felt while on vacation.

As the owner of FFC, Please see my letter to Mr. [redacted] offering a verbal apology, and note his response.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at XXX-XXX-XXXX.

letter to [redacted]

August 14, 2013

Hi [redacted]

I received your email last week letting us know of the difficulties you were having while you were away on vacation. I apologize for [redacted] communicating with you in the manor and frequency that she did, and my staff if they did not act accordingly. We first found out on Thursday when you called the office to let us know you were being contacted. We called [redacted] and told her to stop the communication with you immediately and to call the office with any problems she may be faced with. It is my understanding she did after receiving our call. Brigida had the impression after speaking with you before you left that you wanted her to keep you informed, (and again I'm sorry for the lack of communication).

I know at certain points of the week [redacted] called the office and informed us of a few scenarios that had taken place. Your Mom was confused and combative and she wanted to just let us know. We also talked with Pashka regarding your mom's preferences and routines. While you were away, at one point, we had [redacted] stop by your house and calm your mom down and talk with [redacted] As you know, a break in routine with someone who has dementia will have negative consequences. With both you leaving and a new caregiver starting; your mom was quite agitated. [redacted] has had over 20 years of experience and a dozen clients that had dementia and she did fine. As with all caregivers, from time to time, they need to "bounce" ideas off someone else, and need reinsurance that that are doing the job correctly. It was so helpful for her to speak with the office and with Pashke about your mom's preferences and ways to handle certain situations. Pashka went by the next again day to see your mother and get her settled further. [redacted] used to call us in the office and run many of these same scenarios by us in the beginning when we began care for your mom.

We have enjoyed caring for your mother for last 10 months. I believe [redacted] has done a very good job on an ever changing and challenging case. She was very reliable and consistent and really enjoys caring for your Mom. It took [redacted] some time to get used to your Mom's dementia but now she seems very comfortable with it.

I think your Mother was even more challenging while you are away. As you also know with people who have dementia, change is not good. Your mother is so used to you (and [redacted] always being there. While it was difficult for the caregiver while you away, our caregivers deal with this difficulty all the time and it is just part of their job. I know it took [redacted] some time to get used to your mother as well but now she is more comfortable when "flair ups" occur.

We also understand you sent an email to [redacted] last week and it was not returned until the following day. I apologize for that. His intention was not to further aggravate you with constant calls.

I was a bit disappointed by yesterday's conversation whereby [redacted] asked if he could come by to say hello, introduce himself and he asked to come by and apologize in person for any misunderstanding or problems we had while you were away.It seems your Mom had a few "flare-ups" but with dementia, that normal especially with so many changes. Your Mom was kept safe and sound, provided with good nutrition and care,

Mr [redacted] response to my letter below.

Mr. [redacted],

I began a complaint process beg

Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2013/08/25) */

(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT ACCEPT the response from the business.)

After reading Fairfield Family Care's response and doing a bit of research, it's very disheartening to learn that Mr. [redacted] is running a home care agency. To begin, I've never met or spoken with Mr. [redacted]. The only contact I've ever had with this gentleman is the letter that I opened after I filed my initial complaint with the Revdex.com. The "apology" response, again, did not address my request to have my respite care bill adjusted. The letter only made excuses for his company not following very basic respite care protocol even after I planned the trip with them months in advance. I've never shared my mother's condition with this man or his office staff. For him to say that I spoke with him about my mother's deteriorating condition is a lie. Mr. [redacted] states that I "picked" the caregiver. We used FFC to care for my mother because they are supposed to "assign" the most highly-qualified caregiver to manage and care for mom (including her Alzheimer's and the COMMON behavioral issues representative of the progressive disease). I didn't pick the caregiver. I had numerous conversations with [redacted] and [redacted] asking if she is the right person to care for mom. I made it clear that someone would need to be able to manage any behavioral issues while I was gone. I also made it clear that I would ask another agency for a respite caregiver if she wasn't the right person for the job. [redacted] assured me that it was fine. Since the caregiver didn't have a car, Mr. [redacted] asked me if it was okay if we did a quick "Meet and Greet" on the phone. I explained to him that there was no way that I would allow someone to care for my mother in my home without meeting the person first. As a result, mom and I drove to NY to meet [redacted] at the [redacted] Train Station on Monday July 22, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. I spent 20 minutes with [redacted] reviewing the detailed 7 PAGE CAREGIVER INFORMATION PACKET (which she thanked me for in an email dated July 23rd 7:38 a.m.) that I had personally and painstakingly prepared. On the first page was a clearly organized imbedded spreadsheet with 13 EMERGENCY NUMBERS which included all of her doctors, family, neighbors, hospital and utility companies. It also stated not to contact me except in the event of an extreme emergency. It also stated to contact FFC with any problems. The information packet also included detailed, step by step instructions for bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, exercise and what to do in the event of medical and weather-related emergencies. For Mr. [redacted] to state that no emergency numbers were provided is irresponsible, since aside from the information provided, his caregiving agency had additional emergency contact information (including Dr's) available on file as required by service contract when we signed up for the service. Although ample emergency information and numbers were provided, what type of management would allow one of their caregivers to stay in any home for an extended length of time while the occupants were out of the country without any emergency contacts information? I think we see what's happening here. [redacted] asked if she could use our WiFi which I generously allowed her to do. She was told NOT to contact me as was stated on the CAREGIVER PACKET and stated explicitly in Mr. [redacted]'s letter and Mr. [redacted] email to me. Also, why can't a son contact his mother and caregiver from the airport before he's leaving on a respite care vacation to wish them a good week? For Mr. [redacted] to state I told [redacted] to contact me is irresponsible. This contradicts what Mr. [redacted] wrote in response to my complaint, what I repeatedly told his office staff, what was written on the CAREGIVER PACKET almost 2 weeks in advance, and what Mr. [redacted] wrote to me as an excuse not to speak with me while I was in Mexico. Mr. [redacted] also stated that I first spoke with the office on Thursday August 8th. This is also not true. As stated in my initial complaint, I spoke with [redacted] at FFC from Mexico on Wednesday August 7th at 2:41 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m. The rest of the timeline in my initial complaint is accurate. In my opinion, and the under the circumstances, FFC was given plenty of time to try and help me feel better and salvage the rest of my vacation but decided not to. For that reason, I called and fired the service on Friday, the last day of my vacation. In addition, Mr. [redacted] stated that I told [redacted] it wasn't her fault. Again, surprisingly, this is not true. I drove [redacted] to the train station and told her that "I'm sorry you did not have a good week". "I want you to know that I fired the service while in Mexico because of this incident". "It's not entirely your fault". "The service should have known better". [redacted] wrote to me a NUMBER OF TIMES that she would keep mom locked in her room when she was upset, even after previously stating that she was concerned about her banging on the door and hurting herself. Who wouldn't be upset being locked in a room while upset? How about a person who has major cognitive difficulties? An experienced person would NEVER keep someone locked in a room if she had concerns for her safety, let alone write to me that she was planning to do it again. Mr. [redacted] stated that my mother was suicidal. My mother may have "occasional" Alzheimer-related behavior problems, but she is not suicidal, nor does she even know what suicide is. I've had a number of people, including professionals, help care for mom for years and we are all willing to attest that simply is not true. If it were true, why wasn't I notified while on vacation that my mother was suicidal? Wouldn't that have been considered an emergency? This is an attempt by Mr. [redacted] to draw attention away from the fact that if the caregiver that they "screened" to care for mom was competent, she would have followed basic directions, not written to me that she was planning on keeping my mother locked in her room (you gotta be kidding me Mr. [redacted]), upset me, create a situation where I was worrying about what was happening at home and ruin my respite care vacation. A competent service (let alone caregiver) would have handled any similar situation differently. From my understanding, [redacted] had a conversation with one of FFC's employees and stated that she had no experience dealing with Alzheimer's-related behavior problems, and if she had been told about my mother's condition, she would never have taken the job. Just for the record, I have retained all emails, text messages and was informed by Verizon Wireless that their Investigation Department can easily provide us with a hard copy of all retained text messages which I already have on file. It seems that Mr. [redacted] has no problem making false statements. I cannot say that I'm surprised, since, after dealing with and being stunned by such company mismanagement, we decided to do some research. If this is the same Mr. [redacted] who has been involved with the authorities and punished by our legal system for securities fraud and defrauding clients (and ordered to pay back three-quarters of one million dollars to clients) on a number of occasions since the mid 1990's, I can honestly say that I'm relieved that this "caring", "thoughtful man" now has the opportunity to "choose" to deal with our supposedly "difficult family". If Mr. [redacted], after making these false statements, cannot find it in the "goodness in his heart" to make an adjustment on our bill, we will need to proceed in the direction of a more formal complaint process and investigation to address all of these "misunderstandings". SHAME ON YOU!

Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2013/09/02) */

We have sent several e-mails and left three voice mail messages with no response. We are trying to comply with his request's.We don't know what else to do.

Dear Mr. [redacted],

I wish to apologize for myself, for my staff, for my caregiver and the rest of the management team here at Fairfield Family Care for all that we had not done correctly while you were on vacation. I am truly sorry for all you and your mother had to go through while we were caring for your mother. I am sorry for our misunderstandings. It was not our intention to ruin your vacation and I wish it had not turned out that way.

I also know you wish to have the bill reduced because of this terrible inconvenience. I think that is fair. I see there just the two invoices outstanding totaling $2,135.00. I also note you have a deposit of $840.00 making the outstanding balance at $1,295.00. I would like to take $500 off the bill as a credit so we can settle this matter and bring closure to the issue and go our own separate ways. Please let me know if this is acceptable to you.

Again, it has been a pleasure providing you with homecare for the past year. I am sorry for what we have not done correctly while you were on vacation and I wish you luck for everything in the future.

Director

Fairfield Family Care

27 Fifth Street

Stamford, CT XXXXX

phone XXX-XXX-XXXX