Find home care options near you.

In discussions of long-term care, home care is often forgotten. Facility-based care options such as assisted living and nursing homes get more media attention. And while these are also valid care options, they aren’t the only ones available to those in need.

We’re going to talk in detail about home care and in-home care in this guide. Some of the topics we’ll cover include:

• What is home care?
• What are the differences between home health care and home care?
• What services are included in home care vs. home health care?
• What are the costs associated with home care?
• What are the differences between formal vs. informal caregiving?
• We’ll discuss the role of a caregiver and some of the challenges they face.
• How to find home care services near you.
• We’ll discuss some unique resources for home care that exist on the state level.
• Lastly, we’ll provide you with considerations and strategies for getting the most out of home caregiving, whether as the caregiver or as someone searching for care for yourself or a loved one.

Home care is a multi-billion dollar wing of health care as a whole, with millions either acting as caregivers or receiving care. Knowing your options regarding home care can be a vital step in ensuring that your loved ones enjoy their later years in comfort and security.

Looking for care now? Find In-Home Care facilities near you

What is Home Care?

Home care refers to a variety of in-home care services, most related to the activities of daily living (ADLs), which are bathing, continence, dressing, eating, toileting and transferring.

Additional services may be provided by home caregivers, including other general housekeeping, companionship and related assistance.

Importantly, as we’ll discuss below, there’s a difference between home care and home health care. They may sound similar, but the differences in services that can be provided are significant.

Home Care vs. Home Health Care

Home care refers to non-medical caregiver services, such as helping with the tasks of daily life. This could include transportation, companionship and social engagement, meal preparation, laundry, and assistance with the activities of daily living (ADLs).

Home health care refers specifically to skilled care that is a result of a doctor’s orders.

There can be minor overlap between services offered in both instances, but it’s important to think of home health care as dealing with skilled medical care, whereas home care is the less specialized form of care related to daily activities.

Both can be necessary, depending on the needs of the resident. Additionally, both can come with substantial costs.

Many caregiving organizations offer both levels of this care, while others only specialize in one or the other.

We’re going to refer primarily to home care in this guide, since it’s the most prevalent type of care in the home. But when searching for care organizations for a loved one, knowing the level of care they need is important to ensure that they receive the proper support.

Home Care Services

Since home care is one-to-one between a resident and caregiver, the types of services offered can vary significantly depending on the care situation. However, here are some common services you can expect from a home caregiver:

Bathing and Dressing

The ADLs we discussed above will dominate the services offered by home care. Bathing and dressing are two typical ADLs, which can require assistance and present safety concerns without the assistance of a home caregiver.

Meal Preparation

Meal preparation can include day-to-day meals or advance meal preparation that lessens the burden of residents throughout the day.

Exercise and Movement

Transferring can be difficult for many who require home care. Regular exercise and assistance with movement can keep them as independent as possible.

Checking Vital Signs and Health Monitoring

Depending on the needs of the resident, various methods of monitoring may be in place. If these vital signs show concerning signs, additional action can then be taken to get the resident to an appropriate medical facility.

Nursing Care (Skilled Home Health Care Only)

This is physician-directed care for those either with chronic illnesses or conditions, injuries, or with a specific rehabilitative need.

As a reminder, skilled medical care is not a typical aspect of home care, which focuses on the activities of daily living.

What Does a Home Health Aide Do?

Home health aides are professionals who must meet various requirements to provide home care for an individual.

Federal training laws exist that apply to all home health aides, but individual states can adjust these requirements significantly. At minimum, there is a federally mandated 75 hours of training required, and additional requirements for yearly continuing education.

Your state may have additional training requirements beyond those put in place by the federal government.

Home assistants or helpers without this training are not considered home health aides.

Home health aides primarily assist with the activities of daily living and also monitor the health and vital signs of a resident.

They are not considered skilled nurses, and as such cannot provide skilled nursing care, nor other specialized care such as occupational or rehabilitative therapy.

Difference Between Home Health Aide and Caregiver

Sometimes, there may be no difference between these two in how they’re used by an individual or organization.

However, caregiver is the more broad term and can refer to family members who care for loved ones as well as professional, paid caregivers. Home health aide refers only to these professional, paid care providers.

This is also sometimes referred to as the difference between informal caregiving and formal caregiving. We’ll talk more about this difference later in this guide.

Home health aide is also sometimes used to differentiate between in-home caregivers and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) who generally work in clinical settings such as larger facilities or hospitals. They perform different medical functions and are not considered home caregivers, whereas home health aides are.

Who Needs Home Care?

Since home care often revolves around assistance with the activities of daily living that we mentioned above (as a reminder, they are bathing, continence, dressing, eating, toileting and transferring), many of the signs relate to one or more of these areas. Some things you can look for in your loved one’s behavior:

• Are they failing to keep up with common household chores?
• Do they frequently forget appointments or events?
• Are they bathing less regularly?
• Are they wearing the same clothes for multiple days straight?
• Are they skipping meals, or failing to prepare full meals?
• Have there been car accidents, falls in the home, or other recurring safety concerns?

That list of questions isn’t comprehensive, but it can start to paint a picture of someone who requires regular care.

It’s also important to note that many people can live independently while struggling with one or more activities of daily living. Each circumstance is unique, and milder struggles might be manageable without a full-time caregiver in the home. Discussing all options with family and loved ones can be the best way to determine the right solution.

Talking to a Loved One About Home Care

Conversations about care can be as unique as the people involved in them. Here are some best practices and strategies for handling these discussions maturely and in ways that respect your loved one’s wishes:

1. Begin the discussion early, potentially before there are even signs that they may need care. If they’ve considered the need before, they may be more receptive to considering it in the future.
2. Question and listen to their struggles and plans. Don’t try to dictate the conversation or prescribe a specific solution without including them.
3. Remember that needing care doesn’t mean they aren’t still independent in other ways. Treating them like an adult capable of handling their care decisions can be empowering.
4. Offer assistance throughout the process, but stay in communication so that no one is taking steps without others being aware or involved.
5. Take your time. This can be a big decision and a big life transition. There are situations where immediate care is needed, but outside of these situations, getting it right is often more important than rushing into a decision.

Imagine if you were in the same situation. And indeed, many of us will be in our later years! How would you want to be treated in the same situation? This can help guide your efforts in assisting a loved one in finding home care.

Pros and Cons of Care in the Home vs. Facility Care

Home care is often an alternative to facility-based care such as assisted living facilities. One isn’t better or worse than the other, but there are considerations that can make home care or assisted living a better choice for your loved one.

Pros of Home Care:

• You or your loved one get to stay in your home as you age.
• Care is one-to-one in a personalized environment.
• You will likely have more direct control over who your caregiver is, so there’s more opportunity to form a connection with them.

Cons of Home Care:

• The burdens of a single caregiver can sometimes strain a care relationship.
• Loneliness and social isolation are possibilities, particularly if they live alone.
• Modifications to a home are sometimes necessary to maintain safety, and these can be difficult and expensive.

Pros of Facility Care:

• Greater access to activities and events.
• Residents are part of a community and can form friendships and bonds with peers.
• Some facilities will offer a greater array of services due to higher levels of staffing and resources.
• Adjustments to care scheduling, as a result of illness or vacations, are not necessary.
• Management of caregivers is the responsibility of the facility, not the family of the resident.

Cons of Facility Care:

• Services offered may exceed an individual’s need, increasing the cost without providing additional care.
• Transitioning to a new home environment can be difficult for an older adult.
• Privacy may decrease as a result of the new environment.

So which is better? Only you can answer that, because it will relate to what pros and cons are the most important to your situation. These benefits and risks can help you make that decision, though.

Find Home Care Near Me

While individual caregivers can be contracted for home care services, many operate as part of larger organizations that have care networks, either in a specific town or city or across numerous regions.

LTC News Care Directory

LTC News has one of the nation’s largest care directories, with over 60,000 organization and facility listings in every major metro area and region!

This includes thousands of home care organizations. While some caregivers operate independently, many work as part of a larger network of care, which offers job stability, benefits and access to training and care resources.

To find these organizations that employ home care experts in your area, enter your information below to get started. You can then research by location, cost and amenities, and interview potential home care caregivers who can assist your loved one with their needs.

Questions to Ask a Caregiver

Here are a handful of questions that can help you get to know a caregiver and determine if they’re a good fit for you or a loved one:

1. Why did you choose to become a caregiver? This can reveal their motivation for the job and ability to work through tougher moments.
2. How do you communicate with the family or loved ones of the person you’re caring for? It’s important to know how information will be relayed about care.
3. How do you create a care plan? Can you give me an example of one you created? Knowing what will go into a caregiving plan can help you assess the full breadth of services they offer.
4. What hobbies do you have? This isn’t related directly to the job, but remember that the caregiver will be spending a lot of time caring for one specific person. If the two of them share common interests, it can help form a bond.
5. What does a typical meal plan look like that you’d prepare? This again relates to the preparedness of the caregiver, and their ability to provide holistic care.
6. If they work for a larger care organization: What do you like about the organization you work for? What’s one thing they could still improve? This can display honesty and also the strengths and weaknesses of the care provider who will be supporting the caregiver.
7. What have been the biggest struggles you’ve experienced as a caregiver? How did you adapt to accommodate or overcome them? Caregiving can be difficult, and this can give you insight into what some pitfalls of care could be.

This list certainly isn’t everything you’ll want to ask, but it will give you a head start on learning about a potential caregiver and the types of services, communications, and care you can expect from them.

Once you’ve prepared questions, you can begin reaching out to home care organizations or individuals and conducting interviews.

Amada Senior Care

Amada Senior Care is the preferred home care provider for LTC News. They’ve helped thousands find high-quality home care services, and have a large network of caregivers and locations to assist older adults in their search for home care.

Additionally, Amada is a national expert in dealing with Long-Term Care Insurance claims. They’ve worked with every major insurance company, and can navigate claims to quickly expedite claim payments.

Amada can process an insurance claim and provide care coordination at no cost or obligation to you. To get started, visit Amada’s LTC insurance claims and caregiving assistance page.

Amada’s care network can help you to find quality home care near you, and they can assist you in finding other organizations if there are no Amada services local to you. Contact them today to get personalized assistance in your care journey!

Home Care Agencies

Amada is far from the only home care provider out there, and numerous national organizations exist to provide care to those seeking it.

While not all major health care and caregiving providers specialize in home care, many have a range of services, including in-home care options.

To read through a list of major providers and research home care agencies in your area, check out our list of the largest long-term care providers.

Cost of Home Care

The median annual cost of a home health aide in 2024 is $58,629. The median cost of homemaker services in 2024 is $56,734.

These figures are based on the LTC News Cost of Care Calculator, which factors numerous regional medians and other pricing information, along with expected increases in costs year-over-year.

It’s important to note that while a median cost can help you plan for costs, the actual costs in your area may be significantly different. You can use the cost of care calculator linked above to search on a state-by-state level, which will help to pinpoint a more accurate cost where you live.

The overall cost of this type of care is why having a strategy for payment, such as Long-Term Care Insurance, can be so critical.

Formal vs. Informal Caregiving

Formal caregivers are paid professionals who provide care for an individual. Informal caregivers are unpaid caregivers, often a spouse, family member, neighbors or roommates of an individual.

Informal caregiving makes up a significant portion of all home care, but it’s difficult to estimate an exact amount since much of it goes undocumented.

This is also part of the reason why it can be important to plan for home care well in advance. Imagine having to care for one of your parents daily, for example, in addition to your current responsibilities, which might include a full-time job, raising children, and household chores and errands that make up daily life. The prospect is likely not exciting, even if it’s for someone you love dearly.

Any type of long-term care comes with challenges, but informal caregiving can be extremely difficult. Below, under “Caregiver Resources,” we talk about some strategies and resources for family caregivers to avoid burnout, resentment and a drop in quality of life that can come from the responsibility of caregiving.

Paying for In-Home Care

Given the costs that we discussed above, it’s vital to have a plan to pay for home care that is sustainable.

Below we discuss some of the major ways people routinely pay for home care.

Long-Term Care Insurance

The majority of Long-Term Care Insurance policies cover all forms of in-home care. They can also be used for facility care later in life (memory care, assisted living, nursing homes, etc.), if your loved one needs to transition out of home care and into a different permanent residence.

Long-Term Care Insurance is medically underwritten. This means that you can’t purchase a policy when you need care. If you or a loved one is currently in need of long-term home care, this window has passed. It doesn’t mean other payment options don’t exist, but it might

This is why obtaining Long-Term Care Insurance in your 40s or 50s can be the best time to buy a policy. Not only will your premium be lower since you’re obtaining it when you’re in good health, but you won’t risk being unable to obtain a policy later in life after you already need care.

VA Benefits

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has various programs that provide different levels of assistance for those in need of home care. These include specific programs for skilled home health care as well as more traditional homemaker and home health aide services.

Additionally, veterans who qualify may have access to pension benefits that can offset home care costs. Eligibility for pensions can vary, as they include terms for active duty and income and asset limits. 

If you are a veteran who may qualify, speak to your local VA office for assistance. 

Will Medicare Pay For Home Care?

In some cases, Medicare will cover “medically necessary” in-home health care services. This would need to be ordered by a doctor or other qualified medical professional.

However, what we usually talk about when discussing home care, which includes the activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing and meal preparation, are not covered.

As such, most instances of home care don’t qualify for coverage by Medicare.

Medicaid and Home Care

Medicaid, the government’s medical welfare program, will occasionally cover home care, but only in certain states.

To learn more about long-term care in your state, check out the LTC News State Directory.

Additionally, you must have little or no income and assets to qualify for Medicaid. If you exceed these limits, you may have to “spend down” this income and assets before qualifying for Medicaid assistance.

Other Forms of Payment

There are various other options that some will consider when paying for home care:

• Self-pay: if you have the requisite wealth, retirement funds, HSAs and other forms of personal wealth can be used to fund home care.
• Life insurance: some life insurance policies will allow you to take out loans on the cash value of a policy. Others have the option of a cash advance that is subtracted from the death benefit of a policy.
• While not a form of payment per se, alternative care services such as adult day care centers, meal delivery services and other services for seniors can sometimes fulfill care needs without the same costs that are associated with a full-time caregiver.

Caregiver Resources

A large portion of caregivers are those close to the person receiving care. Adult children, other relatives, roommates, neighbors and spouses all take on caregiving responsibilities in many households.

According to the AARP, nearly 1 in 5 caregivers are unpaid, informal caregivers, among the 48 million caregivers nationwide. This is a huge number! 

As such, it’s worth looking at strategies for home caregiving, since not all caregivers will be paid and fully trained to administer long-term care in the home.

For Family Caregivers: Strategies for Home Care

If you or someone you know is a family caregiver, support exists to lighten your burden! Below are some overarching strategies and tips you can use as you navigate your role as a care provider for a family member:

1. Seek Support. Individuals and organizations exist to provide support for family caregivers. We list some below, but many will be specific to the state and region you live in.
2. Prioritize your own health. You’re no good to a family member if your own health is suffering.
3. Communicate frequently with medical professionals. Chances are, your family member has numerous doctors supporting them already. Regular, clear communication with them can be a boon as you care for a loved one.
4. Find ways to take breaks. Formalized care options such as adult day care and respite care exist to free caregivers from constant responsibilities.
5. Have legal and medical documentation accessible. Making sure paperwork on legal and medical matters is up-to-date and easy to access is important. It could be the difference between a smooth experience in a caregiving situation, and a nightmarish one.

This list is far from comprehensive, but can create a framework for modeling your care of a loved one.

Other situations will be specific to the care that is necessary. Not all who need care need all types of care, while others have specialized struggles as a result of conditions such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.

For example, managing agitation and aggression in those with Alzheimer’s is a specific challenge that won’t be present in all care situations.

Additional strategies aren’t just about mitigating burden, but creating independence for your loved one through caregiving. This can be the end result of finding the proper support, resources and information to assist you in your caregiving journey.

Job Description for a Caregiver

Let’s say you’re searching for a caregiver, or perhaps are looking to become one yourself. What are the core responsibilities and day-to-day activities of a caregiver?

While the specifics of a caregiving situation will vary, several common traits can be found across caregiver expectations.

1. Providing assistance with ADLs. The activities of daily living are bathing, continence, dressing, eating, toileting, and transferring. Those in need of home care will generally need assistance with one or more of these activities. Roles related to these ADLs form the core of many caregivers’ responsibilities.
2. Transportation for necessities. Caregivers often provide transportation services, to doctor’s appointments, religious services, grocery shopping, and other common activities that can’t traditionally be done in the home.
3. Medication management. While administering medication is reserved for those with certain qualifications, management of a medication schedule is a typical duty.
4. Companionship. This can fall under caregiving responsibilities as well, and is why a connection between resident and caregiver can be important.
5. Encouraging and facilitating socialization and self-care. Caregivers can’t do everything, so it’s important that they also encourage proactive and independent engagement both socially and in the home.
6. Laundry and light housekeeping. Sometimes these will be among the activities that a caregiver is asked to assist with, if the person they’re caring for routinely falls behind on these tasks.
7. Providing care plans, documentation and communicating with family. Depending on the situation, caregivers may be asked to prepare a care plan, while other times they’ll be following things like meal plans set up by other professionals. Documentation of care is also important, as is regular communication with family and other loved ones.

This doesn’t get into things like education and training requirements, compensation and benefits, and a full list of qualifications for caregivers. However, it covers the basics of what duties caregivers perform, and what is typically expected of them in a home care environment.

Caretaker vs. Caregiver

These two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. While there can be overlap in the duties they perform, there are significant differences between the two.

Caregivers from support and assistance for an individual related to daily activities, including those we listed above.

Caretakers can have a broader range of responsibilities, including maintenance and upkeep of a home, estate or piece of land, maintaining the home environment, or providing companionship and support for an individual. While these last two can overlap somewhat with caregiving, caretakers are often less directly involved with daily activities that an individual may need assistance with.

Understanding which of these you or a loved one needs can be important, though, so that you aren’t searching for someone whose skills are a mismatch with the needs of the role.

Managing Caregiver Burnout

Caregiving is difficult. Physically, emotionally and mentally, the constant burdens of caregiving can lead to caregiver burnout.

While those in caregiving roles often enjoy their work and the ability to help those in need, this doesn’t mean they can’t suffer from burnout when the scope of the work becomes too much for them to consistently bear.

This can be even more true for informal, unpaid family caregivers, who may be trying to balance a career, social life, love life and raising children at the same time.

Nearly a quarter of caregivers also report caring for more than one person. The implications this can have for energy and happiness levels are profound, unless that caregiver properly manages their work and life outside of work.

Some signs that you might be experiencing caregiver burnout can include:

• Increased stress levels with administering care
• General fatigue
• An increased feeling of loneliness or isolation
• Bouts of depression that didn’t previously exist
• Need for sleep aids or medication to function normally

Here’s a quick rundown of some best practices for managing caregiver burnout:

1. Ask for help. This may seem obvious, but it’s often overlooked. Recognizing that you need help, and then reaching out to those who can provide it, is crucial.
2. Ask for specific help. While this obviously overlaps with the advice just above, it has a different purpose. Asking for help is great, but asking for help with a detailed, specific request is even better. This might be asking for assistance with something that is difficult for you, or simply providing the scope of the help you’re requesting (date ranges, etc.).
3. Explore adult day care and respite care options. These can provide breaks for caregivers, particularly for spouses or family members who are juggling other responsibilities outside their role as caregivers.
4. Find active and creative outlets. Exercising and finding ways to decompress, vent, or otherwise remove yourself from the caregiving environment can help immensely.
5. Educate yourself. Sometimes frustrations happen because a family caregiver doesn’t fully understand the condition their loved one has, nor do they know the best ways to administer caregiving. Making sure you know how to effectively care for a loved one will make that job a whole lot easier.

Home Care by State

Home care agencies, laws and costs vary significantly by state and region. It’s why, for example, we encourage you to see costs for your state in our cost of care calculator, since these costs can sometimes be significantly different from national averages.

Below are some of the nation’s most populous states, and some considerations for home care in each. From that same calculator page linked above, you can find links for each state, to compare long-term care costs, resources and state-based requirements and laws.

All median costs provided below are based on 2024 data from the LTC News Cost of Care Calculator, which models costs based on existing data and expected cost increases.

Cost of Home Care: National Median

• Homemaker Services: $56,734
• Home Health Aide: $58,629

Home Care California (CA)

https://www.homecare.org/california/

Homemaker Services

• California Median: $67,316

Home Health Aide

• California Median: $68,278

The cost of home care in California is significantly higher than national medians, largely owing to the statewide cost of living.

Medi-Cal and Home Care

Medi-Cal is California’s state-based Medicaid program. For anyone living in the state, it’s important to know this distinction.

Medi-Cal often has benefits for things like emergency care and hospitalizations, and even some home health care services [Editor’s Note: as a reminder, home health care differs from home care and is doctor-ordered and considered skilled in nature]

As such, home care related to the activities of daily living isn’t covered.

Home Care Texas (TX)

Homemaker Services

• Texas Median: $48,142

Home Health Aide

• Texas Median: $49,955

STAR+PLUS Program

As with many states, Medicaid in Texas doesn’t cover non-clinical care. However, the STAR+PLUS program staffs service coordinators to assist residents in applying for waivers in the program. These waivers can go toward home modifications and limited personal care.

There are various ways to qualify for this program; to see if you qualify, check the link above or contact the program and speak with one of their coordinators.

Home Care Florida (FL)

Homemaker Services

• Florida Median: $52,836

Home Health Aide

• Florida Median: $55,267

Approximately 21% of Florida’s residents are retirement age (65+), compared to just 13% in Texas and 15% in California. While this doesn’t mean they all need home care or other long-term care, it does mean a significant portion of the population is at the age where the need for care becomes more likely.

Home Care New York (NY)

Homemaker Services

• New York Median: $63,532

Home Health Aide

• New York Median: $65,246

New York has one of the highest costs of living in the nation, and this is reflected in-home care costs. However, as with any state but particularly when accounting for large metro areas like New York City, this cost can vary significantly within the state as well. Research home care organizations in your area to get an accurate estimate of the costs you can expect.

Find Your State

Don’t see your state listed above? Not to worry. Our care directory has home care companies across the country, in all 50 states.

Learn More: Home Care Resources

Now that we’ve covered a lot of major questions when it comes to home care, you can continue your journey with additional resources here at LTC News.

• Home Care Directory - Search for Home Care Organizations and Caregivers Near You
• Cost of Care Calculator
• Empowering Your Aging Parents: The Adult Child's Guide to Ensuring Comfort and Safety at Home
• Managing Homecare and Medication at Home
• Medicare's Crucial Role in Supporting Family Caregivers
• Navigating the Dementia Journey: Essential Caregiving Tips for Your Loved One

If you are looking for ways to fund home care for you or a loved one, you can also research the cost of Long-Term Care Insurance, or speak to a Long-Term Care Insurance Specialist, who can help you find a policy that meets your long-term care needs.