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What Are Home Care Services?
Date Updated: January 3, 2025
Written by:
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.
Reviewed by:
Dr. Brindusa Vanta is a health care professional, researcher, and an experienced medical writer (2000+ articles published online and several medical ebooks). She received her MD degree from “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine, Romania, and her HD diploma from OCHM – Toronto, Canada.
Home care services provide personalized support packages that enable adults to remain at home as they age. Agencies offer diverse nonmedical, hands-on assistance and companionship, depending on an individual’s needs. As of 2024, in-home care agencies charge a median monthly fee of $5,720 across the United States.
Major In-Home Care Services
Home care aides perform varied tasks in a senior’s private residence, including domestic chores and personal care assistance. Common support services include helping with:
- Personal care, such as bathing and grooming
- Transfers and ambulation
- Meal preparation and grocery shopping
- Medication reminders
Aides may also:
- Run errands
- Handle housekeeping and laundry
- Perform light yard work and basic maintenance tasks, such as changing light bulbs
- Provide local transportation
- Offer in-home companionship and enrichment, such as playing card games, watching TV or discussing newsworthy events
Home Care Versus Home Health Care
While home care agencies help seniors with everyday tasks, home health care companies provide personalized medical and rehabilitative services in seniors' homes. Nurses, aides, therapists and medical social workers follow customized care plans to provide doctor-ordered support. Service examples include wound care, pain management, medication administration and physical therapy. Plans may also incorporate personal care.
Although care typically only lasts while a senior recovers from an illness, injury or surgical procedure, some older adults require ongoing home health support to manage chronic conditions. Public funding of home health care doesn’t include nonmedical services, such as companionship or housekeeping.
Paying for Home Care
Seniors with limited resources who meet functional need criteria may qualify for Medicaid coverage of in-home care. Most states fund such care using waiver programs, which means qualifying individuals may need to wait for financial assistance. Most long-term care insurance plans cover home care when seniors meet specified triggers, as set out in their policy terms and conditions. Other options for paying for home care include:
- VA benefits, such as the Aid and Attendance allowance
- Private income and savings, such as Social Security, pensions and dividends
- Reverse mortgages