How Much Does In-Home Care Cost? (And What Affects The Price)

If your loved one is starting to experience significant cognitive and medical issues as they age, you’re going to have to look into options for their care. Typically, the two main options are home healthcare and long-term care facilities. There is no “right” choice; it depends entirely on your family’s particular needs. There is one huge deciding factor for this decision, and it’s, of course, the cost. So, what will in-home care cost?

Truthfully, there is no single answer. The price of in-home care is dependent on your family’s individual needs and budget constraints. Knowing what at-home care includes (or doesn’t include) can help you make the best decision for your family. The major considerations in home healthcare are the level of care needed and how often.

Level of Care

With home healthcare, there are three types: companion care, personal care, or skilled nursing care. Companion care would be the lowest level of care, while skilled nursing is the highest.

Companion care is for more independent clients. Companion caregivers visit periodically to help with non-medical tasks. Companions can help with light housekeeping, transportation to errands or activities, and provide emotional support. This level of care is a great option if you are out of the area, for instance, and you’d like regular checkups on your mom or dad.

Personal care involves helping with Activities of Daily Living, known as ADLs. These are hands-on and intimate activities like bathing, dressing, and toileting. These acts are difficult with mobility issues, and assistance with such things can help keep seniors at home longer. Since these caregivers handle more private issues, they may require a higher rate of pay.

The last level of care is skilled nursing care. While companion and personal care is strictly non-medical, this level is where caregivers offer medical assistance. Typically, this would be a step below a long-term facility. As the name suggests, skilled nursing care is provided by a registered nurse. Nurses can provide services like:

• Medical equipment care, like feeding tubes or catheters

• Managing chronic conditions, like diabetes, COPD, or heart disease

• Medication management, via pills, IV, or infusion

• Wound care for incisions, sores, or injuries

• Post-surgical care

Care for the above requires a medical professional. Since it's provided by a registered nurse, it does fetch a higher rate than companion or personal care, due to the nurse’s education and experience. Seniors Fix does provide all three levels of care.

Number of Hours

At-home caregiving can be as few or as many hours as your budget and needs require. At Seniors Fix, our clients’ needs range from a few hours a month to 24/7 care.

Let us consider some hypotheticals. Margaret is 71 years old and very independent. Her daughter, Amy, lives several states away and wants someone to regularly pop in and visit with her mother. Amy hires a companion caregiver for 10 hours a week for her own peace of mind. Margaret’s caregiver helps her sweep her floors, check her mail, and sometimes drives her to doctor appointments.

At the other end of the spectrum, Theodore is 75 and has COPD and diabetes. Recently, he’s been having trouble remembering medications and staying on top of his insulin. His daughter, Carrie, decides to hire a nurse for 8 hours a day. Carrie feels comfortable with her dad being alone at night, but worries about him managing his health conditions.

Home healthcare is usually billed at an hourly rate. Amy will have to cover 10 hours a week of care, while Carrie has to pay for 40 hours of care. Hourly rates vary due to location and caregiver experience, but more hours means higher costs.

Location, Location, Location

As in almost every industry, location is an important factor. Where your loved one lives determines how much you’ll have to pay. Large cities with higher costs of living will have higher hourly rates than smaller rural areas. Allegany County, where Seniors Fix is located, is a low-cost-of-living area.

However, smaller and rural doesn’t always mean a lower cost. Caregivers still have to travel to your parent’s home. If your mom or dad decided to retire to a home far off the beaten path, you might be racking up travel charges to compensate the caregiver for their mileage.

How Much Will Home Healthcare Cost?

It may be said that you can’t put a price on quality care, but there is, in fact, a price to everything. What is that price then? This post can’t tell you definitely what you’ll have to pay for your loved one’s care. There are simply too many factors at play. Don’t despair, though, because we’re here to figure this out for you.

Seniors Fix does offer a free consultation call and home visit. We can answer all your questions and set your mind at ease. We offer companion, personal, and skilled nursing care and part-time or full-time hours. If your loved one lives in Cumberland, Maryland, or the surrounding area, we've got them covered.

Call us at 240-744-0674 to start your journey with home healthcare today.