Senior Home Care

Who Can Benefit from Senior Home Care?

In general, people who benefit the most from elderly home care are seniors who:

• Struggle with mobility and need help getting around their home
• Need transportation to appointments, errands, and friends’ homes
• Have mild cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s or dementia
• Need help with ADLs like toileting, bathing, and feeding
• Are isolated, lonely, and at risk for depression
• Need help with housekeeping, cooking, and other errands

Home Health vs. Home Care: What’s the Difference?

In short, home caregiver services offer non-medical assistance, while home health care provides medical care in the home. If it’s something you would usually have to go to a doctor for, it’s probably home health rather than home care.

What Are the Levels of Senior Care?

The levels of senior care, from the least to the most hands-on, are:

• Companion care, for seniors who need company and help with nonmedical tasks in their own home.
• Personal care, for those who also need assistance with activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, toileting) at home.
• Home health care, for elderly people who are homebound and need medical care.
• Assisted living facility, for those who want to live in a place with all the services they need, assistance with ADLs and some medical care.
• Memory care, for people living with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
• Nursing home, for seniors who need full-time care.

How Much Does Home Care Cost?

Home care costs vary widely across the country, from an average of $17 an hour in Louisiana to more than $31 an hour in Washington state. According to Genworth’s annual Cost of Care Survey, the nationwide average in 2020 was $23.50 for homemaker services and $24 an hour for home health aides (2).

If you or your loved one need help 44 hours a week or fewer, home health care is slightly more expensive than assisted living and much less than a nursing home. Based on 44 hours a week of home care, national monthly averages for each type of living situation are:

• Homemaker services: $4,481
• Home health aide: $4,576
• Assisted living facility: $4,300
• Nursing home (semi-private room): $7,756
• Nursing home (private room): $8,821

“If you or your loved one need help 44 hours a week or fewer, home health care is less expensive than a nursing home.”

Does Medicare Pay for Senior Home Care?

No, Medicare Part A and B do not pay for home care if it is the only assistance you need (3). However, it may cover senior home care if you meet all these conditions:

• A doctor certifies that you are homebound, AND
• A doctor certifies that you need intermittent skilled nursing, speech-language pathology, physical therapy, or occupational therapy, AND
• You are getting services under a plan of care created and reviewed regularly by a doctor.

Some Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage plans may cover senior home care. Check your plan for details.

How Do I Know if My Loved One Needs Home Care?

Although the signs will look different for everyone, here are a few signs that your loved one may benefit from home care:

• Reduced mobility
• Inability to drive
• Falls or other injuries or accidents
• Decreased muscle mass or other weight loss
• Increased forgetfulness
• Unkempt home, dirty clothing, poor personal hygiene
• Isolation or signs of loneliness

Loneliness alone should be enough reason to provide companion care for your loved one. According to Anthony D Ong, Bert N Uchino, and Elaine Wethington:

“Increasing evidence suggests that perceived social isolation or loneliness is a major risk factor for physical and mental illness in later life (5).”

If your loved one is ready for senior home care, contact us today. We’ll help you find the perfect solution to help them age in place and maintain their independence.