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How Much Does Non-medical Home Care Cost?
Date Updated: December 16, 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.
Non-medical home care costs roughly $30 per hour in 2024, according to Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey. However, prices fluctuate across the nation, and various factors impact actual costs. Home care typically costs less than home health care but more than residential assisted living.
Overview of Non-medical Home Care
Non-medical in-home care provides wide-ranging support services that enable older adults to remain living in their private residences. Hands-on services promote independence and safety for the elderly, while companion care boosts mental and emotional well-being. Aides perform duties outlined in customized care plans. Typical services include:
- Providing personal care assistance, such as toileting, bathing, grooming and dressing
- Helping with day-to-day activities, including moving between areas of the home and transferring from the bed to a chair
- Performing domestic tasks, such as laundry, housework and basic maintenance
- Handling grocery shopping and meal preparation
- Providing medication reminders
- Running errands
- Providing transportation to appointments and recreational activities
- Offering companionship
Unlike home health care teams, home care aides don’t deliver any clinical or therapeutic services.
Insights Into Non-medical Home Care Prices
Home care agencies typically bill by the hour. The national median hourly home care rate is $30, which works out to around $207 daily and $5,720 monthly. These figures assume delivery of 44 care hours each week. Individuals who need just an hour of daily care can expect to pay $210 per week or $910 per month. Seniors who require 24/7 assistance commonly pay about $722 each day and upward of $20,000 monthly.
However, different services involve varying charges, with overall costs depending on the exact care needed. Substantial variations exist from state to state, with some locations offering lower median rates than others. For example, seniors on a tighter budget may find Mississippi’s hourly norm of $15 more manageable than states such as Montana, where the hourly mid-price runs $50. (Prices based on 44 hours of weekly care.)
Costs of Other Care Types
Assisted living offers similar hands-on support to home care but in a residential setting. It also includes social and recreational activities, and many communities feature around-the-clock staffing. Nationwide, assisted living costs about $5,350 per month, a bit less costly than in-home care. Those who need intermittent medical or rehabilitative support pay about $6,292 for home health care.
Nursing homes charge roughly $8,669 for semi-private accommodations and $9,733 for private rooms. They provide 24-hour skilled nursing care and medical monitoring as well as therapies and nutritional oversight. Such a care setting often offers a more economical solution for seniors who need substantial in-home assistance with several activities of daily living. For older adults who only need daytime supervision and aid, adult day health care offers the most affordable choice at about $2,058 per month.