I have used Duet companions for my mom, who has dementia, for around two years now. My mom can be difficult, but the companions they have found for me have all been deeply caring, attentive and understanding. It has truly been life-changing, for me, knowing that she is in good hands when I can’t be there.
Duet has made a huge difference for the well-being of my mother. After having lived a dynamic and independent life, my mother began to suffer from dementia and reduced capacity to look after herself. This was especially difficult for me because I was her only living child and I reside three thousand miles away. Duet stepped in and made many executive decisions about her care, well-being, and comfort. They always went the extra mile and treated my mother’s case not just with amazing sensitivity and care, but with the consideration that I imagined they would have provided members of their own family. There has never been a moment in working with them that I did not feel that not only were they functioning at the highest level professionally, but that they were also operating with a moral responsibility, thoughtfulness and kindness that has been a beacon during a challenging time. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
It is a shock when an active and capable parent suddenly cannot be left safely on their own. We were very fortunate to find Duet at this point in our lives. Everyone—from managers to caregivers—were kind, responsive, and dedicated. They listened, asked important questions, and worked quickly to find exceptional care for our mother at a time when her needs were changing rapidly. Joanna and Rutendo were outstanding caregivers. They were kind, loving, adaptable and patient. They became an essential part of our extended family during a very challenging time, and we will always be grateful to them and to Duet.
When our mother first received her diagnosis of dementia we were shocked and confused and unsure how we would navigate this next phase of our lives. A trusted social worker affiliated with the diagnosing hospital urged us to consider working with Duet to help provide my mom companionship and extra support at home. The team at Duet was immediately responsive and reassuring and put us at ease. They worked quickly to establish a careful care plan that would meet our mother’s needs while supporting her autonomy and dignity. They helped identify very skilled, nurturing, and sophisticated companions that brought immense ease and calm to my mom and our family’s lives during an otherwise very turbulent transition. The team went above and beyond to address some complex challenges as our mom’s condition worsened over the course of 2-3 years. They were diligent, reliable, and deeply kind. We could not recommend more highly and are so grateful for their invaluable support.
Our father had recently died, and our mother was showing a concerning cognitive decline. We needed help. But my mother, a fiercely independent, born-and-bred New Yorker, was resistant. We tried a couple of other home care options that didn’t work out. With each failed attempt, my mother was becoming more and more critical of the idea.
Then our wonderful care manager suggested Duet, explaining to us that it was an agency set up for our exact needs. The team at Duet set us up with several great options and my mother immediately chose a young man who became a real saving grace for our family. Nick supported my mother’s independence with grace and good humor. Nick kept my mother engaged and vibrant and provided an anchor that she had been missing since my father’s death. He genuinely understood her, and that was a great gift to her and to us.
Duet came in and changed my whole family’s life for the better, including the member in need of care, in what seemed like overnight! The level of skill and expertise matched by the compassion and comprehensive care of their companions, while dealing with highly complex dynamics, is simply impossible to find anywhere else. The constant support and efficiency of the agency staff makes them as joyful and easy to work with as the companions themselves. Duet sets a new industry standard of excellence that I never knew was possible.
We’ve been working with Duet for a couple years now. Our mom has Alzheimer’s, and we were really struggling with getting her care that kept her dignity and sense of humor in place. From the very start, the team at Duet offered perceptive, intentional, flexible, and skilled care. They were able to pivot around the pandemic, always with a smile and a friendly response. My brother, sister and I often reflect on how happy and comprehensively cared for our mother is. We think it has slowed the progression of the illness and certainly given her joy and safety. We are eternally grateful.
My association with Duet Home Care of New York began last November in order to give my husband every chance to extend the Early Dementia phase of his illness. His doctor had stressed the importance of intellectual and social stimulation as well as physical activity. The Director, made it his responsibility to know my husband well so that there was high quality continuity of care when we needed a substitute companion. Duet was also available at a very inconvenient time to help me through an extremely difficult event. Two different health care professionals saw my husband last week and both were pleased with how much better he looked.
Obviously Lynn and I have both learned to depend on Duet staff for all sorts of services. We’ve never been told “we can’t,” without your staff giving us a host of resources. In addition, with almost seamless shift coverage during a once-in-a-Century pandemic. You have given me much peace of mind.
