Some unhappy with mobile home care services

PETALING JAYA: For users of mobile home caregiving apps, quality of the service provided is often the foremost concern, but availability of trained carers is also important.

“It all depends on luck,” said engineer CK Tan, whose family had engaged two different service providers several months ago.

“My 65-year-old father fell and injured his back last September, and I engaged a home care app to help him with wound care and some rehabilitation when I’m at work.

“The package was for six hours basic care for 10 days, and a male nurse was sent over.

“My dad had a good recovery and he was happy with the service.

“However, my sister was not so lucky with another home care app,” said Tan, 39, from Damansara here.

Tan said his sister signed up for a care package for her mother-in-law who had a fall and mild stroke in January.

“She paid more than RM3,500 for a month and yet the carer was mostly late or did not even show up.

“Attempts to liaise with the app customer care didn’t help much because the carer couldn’t be located,” he said, adding that his sister had to take leave from work.

While different carers came to his sister’s house, Tan said, some were rather inexperienced and made the patient grumpy.

“I noticed that there are terms and conditions that we have to acknowledge and agree to upon engaging the service.

“But then, should someone be held accountable if something untoward happens, such as injuries or death due to the carer’s negligence?” Tan asked.

A writer who wants to be known as Canday said she was disappointed with the mobile home care service she engaged for her mother.

“My mother injured her leg in January. Since she lives in Penang and I work in Selangor, I signed up for a one-month care package worth some RM4,400 for her.

“A carer was assigned on the first day, but the person never came and was unreachable.

“When I complained to the app operator, they too couldn’t locate the carer. There were also many occasions when the assigned carer didn’t turn up.

“At one time, I was asked to pay more to have a replacement since they could only find someone who was more experienced. This is absurd and totally unfair,” she said.

Hamidah Mohammad, 51, from Subang, is happy to have such a home care services app to help with her disabled older brother.

“My brother is a diabetic and both of his legs were amputated.

“He moves around the house on his wheelchair, but on some days when he is not feeling well, I use the app to get a carer to help him with wheelchair transfer, wound dressing and companionship,” she said.

Hamidah said the carers assigned were professional and well trained, especially in communicating with the patient and family.

They were quick to find a replacement at no extra charge when a carer did not turn up, she said.