Senior home care plays a critical role in helping older adults remain safe, comfortable, and supported in their own homes. Families often turn to in-home care providers when daily activities, mobility, or memory issues make independent living difficult.
Two well-known home care providers that families turn to are Visiting Angels and 2nd Family. Both companies offer home care to seniors, yet their structures and approaches set them apart.
This guide explores key differences between Visiting Angels and 2nd Family across services, care planning, RN coordinator consistency, communication, and technology.
Visiting Angels vs. 2nd Family for Senior Home Care
Visiting Angels and 2nd Family offer similar home care services for seniors, such as personal care, dementia care, respite care, and transition programs. However, both businesses have different approaches to caring for your loved ones.
Visiting Angels focuses on simply creating a care plan that fits the client’s needs. Their process involves a home care consultation to collect information about the senior’s preferences, environment, and needs. Visiting Angels uses the information to create a personalized care plan that aligns with the senior’s needs and healthcare provider’s plans and then matches the senior with a caregiver.
2nd Family focuses first on enhancing the quality of life of elderly loved ones, using an approach to senior home care that goes beyond offering care services. 2nd Family sets itself apart by providing dedicated RN care coordinators to each client, which gives them and their family a point of contact for any questions, concerns, and feedback.
Approach to Senior Home Care
Visiting Angels conducts a consultation, creates a care plan, and matches the senior with a caregiver, but at many of their locations there is no dedicated case coordinator overseeing the care plan. The company sends a nurse out every 90 days to conduct a reassessment, but the company may send any RN on duty rather than providing you with a dedicated, consistent care coordinator. If concerns arise between visits, families have to call the local office and speak with the staff member available at that time.
2nd Family assigns a dedicated RN as the family’s single point of contact. This professional works with your loved one’s primary healthcare providers to understand their specific needs and develops a customized care plan tailored to the senior. The RN care coordinator will also provide valuable feedback to care schedulers, who use an accurate caregiver matching system to find the right caregivers.
The RN care coordinator also monitors the care plan, communicates with caregivers, and conducts quarterly home visits to ensure your loved one receives the best possible service. 2nd Family encourages families to contact their RN coordinator directly if they have any questions or feedback, rather than having to juggle multiple connections.
2nd Family exclusively offers the Grandma Guarantee®: a promise to only hire people they would trust to provide in-home senior care for their own grandmother. 2nd Family offers all caregivers ongoing learning opportunities so they stay up to date on industry-leading resources and continue to provide high-quality service.
Senior Home Care Services
Visiting Angels provides home care, including services like personal care, companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, transportation, dementia support, and respite care. Each office creates a care plan after an initial assessment, but the exact services, pricing, and caregiver consistency can vary depending on the location.
2nd Family takes a more managed approach. Services include personal care, dementia care, companion care, respite care, transportation, and meal planning. An RN or certified geriatric care professional serves as a care coordinator, creating and updating a customized plan and visiting the home regularly.
Families also use a mobile app and Family Portal to track schedules, see caregiver notes, and confirm visits. This combination of planning, oversight, and technology makes 2nd Family the best choice for families who want accountability and consistent support.Contact 2nd Family today to give your loved ones an in-home care experience unparalleled in the industry.
How to Choose the Best Senior Home Care for Your Loved Ones
When choosing home care for seniors, it’s important to keep them at the center of the decision-making process. To ensure you’re choosing the right home care provider, here are a few steps to follow:
1. Schedule a Senior Home Care Consultation
Treat the consultation like an interview for your family’s needs. Use it to see how each provider works, how quickly they respond, and how they handle changes. Ask providers how they assess activities of daily living (ADLs) and home safety, who attends the visit, and how quickly they can start. Clarify communication: who you call for questions, how the team shares updates, and how often you review the plan. Discuss caregiver matching criteria, continuity, backup coverage, pricing, and what happens if needs change.
With 2nd Family, a registered nurse or certified geriatric care professional leads the consultation. They review the living environment and health considerations, design a tailored care plan, and serve as your single point of contact for questions or changes.
2. Build a Customized Senior Care Plan
A customized care plan is essential because no two seniors share the same needs or routines. Start by defining goals, outlining daily routines and medications, noting safety risks, and deciding who handles updates and communication. There should also be accountability and clear channels of communication to make it easy for families to address concerns and ensure the care plan is being followed.
2nd Family places this at the center of its approach by creating plans that reflect a loved one’s health conditions, daily habits, and personal attributes. This approach structures support around the individual.
Most importantly, the plan adapts as circumstances evolve. 2nd Family reviews progress regularly, making adjustments to schedules, services, and activities so care stays aligned with current needs. This flexibility helps families avoid gaps in support and keeps care consistent over time. By treating the care plan as a living framework, 2nd Family ensures that seniors receive the right type of assistance at the right time.
3. Meet Your Professional Caregiver
Choose a caregiver who complements your loved one’s personality, routines, and care needs.
Use these quick checks to confirm fit:
- Schedule a meet-and-greet or short shadow shift to see if your loved one and the caregiver are compatible.
- Confirm must-have skills, like dementia techniques, safe transfers, and infection control.
- Align on communication, like establishing a simple daily recap and who handles updates.
- Verify continuity, backup coverage, and what happens if the match falls short.
These steps set clear expectations, reduce mismatches, and help the relationship start strong.
2nd Family uses a structured matching process that captures your loved one’s preferences, routines, and clinical needs to select the right caregivers. After the match, the RN care coordinator stays in regular contact with the team and visits the home every three months to review outcomes and fine-tune the plan, keeping care aligned with family expectations.
Make the right choice for your family
Choosing the best senior home care naturally starts with understanding your loved one’s needs and what level of support will make the biggest difference. Take the time to evaluate daily routines, health conditions, and the type of care that gives your family peace of mind. Not all providers take the same approach, which is why looking closely at how care is managed is essential.
2nd Family is dedicated to providing quality care for your loved ones, with transparency for all family members involved in the process. With a combination of structured service and technology, 2nd Family provides safe, professional home care and support services that preserve your loved one’s ability to live independently.
Contact 2nd Family and give your loved ones an in-home care experience unparalleled in the industry.
Visiting Angels vs. 2nd Family FAQs
Which is better, Visiting Angels or 2nd Family?
The best senior home care service for your loved one depends on their needs and preferences.
Visiting Angels provides professional assistance to individuals with aging family members, enabling them to care for their loved ones at home without needing to relocate to a nursing home.
2nd Family offers similar services while also providing dedicated RN care coordinators, an accurate caregiver matching system, and superior senior care technology. 2nd Family is the best option if you’re looking for a senior home care service that goes the extra mile in ensuring your aging loved one has the best quality of life at home.
What is the average cost of Visiting Angels?
The average cost of care for Visiting Angels depends on the client’s location and the specifics of their personalized home care plan. Clients have to contact a Visiting Angel representative in their location to get pricing that fits their needs, schedule, and budget.
Is Visiting Angels reputable?
Visiting Angels has been in operation for about 25 years and has a 2.2 rating third-party review websites such as ConsumerAffairs. Some clients have expressed concerns about Visiting Angels’ unreliable scheduling, communication issues, and variations in service quality.
2nd Family is family-owned and has provided quality home care services to seniors since 2012. They provide more personalized and compassionate services, and client reviews highlight that 2nd Family has excellent caregivers, provides great customer service, and prioritizes empathy.