SeniorsList Rating: 4.3 / 5
When we called Always Best Care locations in three different states to research this review, the first thing that stood out was something we don’t hear very often: “No, we don’t have a weekly minimum.” For families who only need someone a few hours a week — maybe to give a spouse caregiver a breather, or to check in on a parent who’s mostly independent — that flexibility is a real relief.
Always Best Care uses a tiered pricing system that we actually found pretty straightforward once we understood it. Tier one is light-touch stuff like companionship and meal prep. Tier three is heavier personal care including catheter and colostomy support. You only pay for the level of help your parent actually needs, rather than a one-size-fits-all hourly rate. We talked to a daughter in Florida whose mom started at tier one and moved to tier two after a fall — she appreciated not having to switch agencies when things changed.
The one catch: if you book less than four hours, your rate doubles. So a quick two-hour check-in can get expensive fast. Worth asking about upfront. If you have questions about whether Always Best Care makes sense for your situation, email us at [email protected] — we’re happy to talk it through.
Always Best Care: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Veteran support programs: Always Best Care works with Veterans Affairs benefits to reduce care costs for qualifying veterans and their families.
- Full ADL coverage: Caregivers are trained to assist with all activities of daily living, including eating, dressing, grooming, toileting, mobility, and medication reminders.
- Remote patient monitoring: At no extra charge, Always Best Care can monitor vitals and transmit the data directly to your loved one’s doctor, helping to reduce hospital readmissions.
- Flexible scheduling: Most locations have no weekly minimums, which is a significant advantage for families who don’t need daily care.
- Live-in care available: The company offers 24/7 home care for those who need around-the-clock support.
Cons
- Rates double for short visits: If you book fewer than four hours, the hourly rate doubles, which can make brief visits expensive.
About Always Best Care
Always Best Care was established in 1996 in the Sacramento area with a mission to deliver compassionate, high-quality care to older adults and others who need support at home. In the years since, the company has expanded to more than 225 franchises across the U.S. and Canada. Since each location is independently owned and operated, your experience may vary.
Services
Always Best Care offers a comprehensive mix of medical and non-medical home care services. Your local franchise can provide a complete list of what’s available in your area, but you can generally expect the following:
- Personal care services: Help with daily activities including meal preparation, laundry, and end-of-life support.
- Specialized services: Targeted support for clients recovering from surgery or a hospital stay.
- Skilled home health care: In-home medical treatment delivered by skilled nurses and therapists. Services may include chest tube management, infusion therapy, and injections.
- Dementia care: Personalized 24/7 care for seniors with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, including emotional support and memory-focused activities.
- Assisted living placement: Help identifying and transitioning to assisted living communities when that becomes the right choice.
- Technology-based monitoring: Remote vital sign monitoring and medical alert setup paired with telephone companionship calls.
- Respite care: Short-term or extended care relief for family caregivers who need a break.
Three Tiers of Care
Always Best Care structures its services into three pricing tiers:
- Tier One: Meal prep, medication reminders, companionship, shopping, errands, light housekeeping, laundry, and doctor escort (caregiver does not drive).
- Tier Two: All Tier One services, plus help with a special diet, dressing, ambulation, oxygen use, bathing, grooming, and exercise assistance.
- Tier Three: All Tier Two services, plus catheter and colostomy care, incontinence support, feeding assistance (including swallowing difficulties), hospice care, and vitals monitoring.
What to Expect
Experiences vary across independently owned franchises, but here is what we typically observed:
- Services range from $28 to $40 per hour, depending on tier, hours booked, and location.
- Care needs are assessed through an in-home consultation before services begin.
- After the consultation, caregiving can typically start within a few days.
- Minimum visit length is four hours at most locations, but no weekly minimum.
- VA benefits, long-term care insurance, and Medicaid waivers are all accepted at many locations.
What Customers Are Saying
Always Best Care doesn’t have a strong presence on major review platforms like Google or the Better Business Bureau at the national level, and Trustpilot reviews are minimal. On Yelp, the company holds a 3.8 out of 5 rating from 88 reviews across 75 locations.
One satisfied client from Loomis, California, wrote: “I’ve had a very positive experience with this organization. They’ve been a great help to my family and I. Highly recommended. They’re very helpful, patient, polite and kind.”
As with any franchise, quality varies. Reading reviews for your specific local office before committing is the best way to gauge what to expect.
Cost and Pricing
Recent Genworth data puts the national median for homemaker services at around $30 to $35 per hour and home health aide services at $33 to $37 per hour. Always Best Care’s rates align roughly with that range:
- Pennsylvania: $25 to $29 per hour (state median: $31/hr)
- Arizona (Chandler area): $35 to $40 per hour (state median: $36/hr)
- Florida: $28 to $40 per hour (state median: $30/hr)
Areas Served
Always Best Care operates more than 225 franchises across the continental U.S. and Canada, including four Canadian locations in Calgary (two), Oakville, and Edmonton. The company is not currently present in the following U.S. states and territories:
Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington D.C., West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Our Assessment
Always Best Care earns strong marks for service flexibility and the lack of weekly minimums at most locations. The tiered care model makes it easy to match services to your loved one’s actual needs, and the free in-home consultation is a valuable starting point.
The rate doubling for visits under four hours is a notable limitation for families who only need brief check-ins. As always with franchised agencies, we recommend reading local reviews and scheduling a consultation to gauge fit before committing to ongoing care.