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How Much Does In-Home Care Cost for Two Parents?
Date Updated: December 9, 2024
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Sarah has produced thousands of articles in diverse niches over her decade-long career as a full-time freelance writer. This includes substantial content in the fields of senior care and health care. She has experience writing about wide-ranging topics, such as types of care, care costs, funding options, state Medicaid programs and senior resources.
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Kristi Bickmann, a licensed Long-Term Care Specialist, represents top-rated "Traditional" & "Hybrid" LTC companies. Serving associations such as the American Nurses Association, she's a licensed insurance agent in 27 states. Specializing in insurance products for seniors, Kristi helps hundreds of families every year protect assets, retirement, and loved ones. She understands aging concerns firsthand, having assisted her own parents. Kristi ensures accuracy on topics about senior long-term care and its consequences.
In-home care costs about $30 hourly for two parents, per Genworth's 2024 Financial report. However, prices vary significantly depending on the services and number of care hours required. Some aspects of home care work out more cost-effectively for two cohabiting individuals than for a single person, while others cost the same.
Factors Affecting Home Care Costs for Two Parents
The median hourly home care fee varies widely throughout the United States. For example, providers in Idaho charge around $34, while typical fees increase to $44 in Washington. Hourly rates run $15 in Mississippi, $25 in West Virginia, $36 in California and $38 in Hawaii.
Prices also depend on the services detailed in seniors’ personalized care plans. Each parent needs an assessment and a tailored service plan to ensure aides meet each person’s unique needs. Because providers bill by the hour, overlapping services don’t necessarily result in double the cost.
Shared and Individual Home Care Services
Two cohabitating older adults may require some identical services. Certain domestic tasks take the same time for two people as for one. Examples include housework, essential maintenance and grocery shopping. However, doing two people’s laundry may take slightly longer than doing laundry for one person. Similarly, aides might need more time to prepare two meals, especially if each senior has special dietary requirements.
Seniors usually need differing hands-on support with activities of daily living and personal care tasks. For example, one may need help transferring to and from the bed alongside continence care and full bathing assistance, while the other only needs medication prompts and basic dressing help, such as fastening buttons and zippers. Often, home care recipients also require individualized transportation. Since one parent generally needs more home care hours than the other, the weekly or monthly fees reflect this.