The 5 Best Home Care Agencies for Seniors in Freeport, IL for 2024

Freeport, IL, is a suburb of Rockford offering a rural lifestyle close to a larger city. With a low overall cost of living, including low housing costs, it is an attractive place for retirees to age at home. The city also has low violent crime rates, and 23.1% of the 23,650 people living in Freeport are aged 65 and older. Seniors who retire in Freeport have the health care options of FHN Memorial Hospital in town for medical care needs. Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey shows that the average cost of in-home care in Freeport is $5,625 a month. Home health care, which adds licensed therapy and light medical services, has the same cost.

Below we’ve compiled a comprehensive directory of every home care provider in the Freeport area – complete with services offered and reviews from families who’ve actually used the service. In addition to our in-depth provider listings, we’ve compiled resources to help seniors and their families to access all the tools they need to age in place safely and gracefully.

Freeport seniors pay approximately $5,626 for in-home care based on the Genworth Cost of Care Survey. This is $287 more than the state’s average and $669 more than the national median. It’s fairly close to Chicago’s average of $5,672. The most costly city for in-home care in Illinois is Danville, which has an average of $8,818, while the most affordable option is Carbondale, which averages $4,576 a month. In Champaign in central Illinois, the average sits at $5,196

Seniors have multiple choices for care in Freeport. The cost of home health care, which includes nursing care from licensed professionals in the senior’s home, is $5,625, which is the same as the cost of nonmedical home care. The most affordable option is adult day health care, which averages $1,801 a month. Seniors who choose assisted living pay a monthly average of $5,250. The most costly choice is nursing home care, averaging $7,445 a month for a semiprivate room.

Given the high cost of in-home care, many people use one or more forms of financial assistance to cover the expenses. Below, we explain some of the most common sources of financial help for paying for in-home care. If none of these options are available to you, you can reach out to your Area Agency on Aging or Aging and Disability Resource Center to learn about local resources.

• Long-Term Care Insurance: Long-Term Care Insurance covers expenses related to senior care, including in-home care. Depending on the policy type, beneficiaries may receive a cash payment to use towards long-term care or reimbursement for qualifying long-term care expenses. Note that there are limitations- typically a maximum benefit of $150 per day- and exact coverage terms vary depending on the exact policy, so always check the details.
• Medicare: Medicare does not cover in-home care because it is classified as custodial, or non-medical, care. However, some Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans, which offer expanded benefits, may cover in-home custodial care.
• Medicaid: Medicaid coverage of in-home care varies between different states because it is not a federally mandated benefit. Currently, all states cover some in-home care either through their standard Medicaid or a waiver program. The specific coverage rules are set individually by each state.
• Veterans’ Benefits: The Aid and Attendance benefit is a monthly cash payment that beneficiaries can use to pay for senior care, including in-home care services. To qualify for A&A, Veterans must already receive the VA pension and meet several additional requirements, including needing assistance with the activities of daily living. Contact the Department of Veterans Affairs to learn more.
• Reverse Mortgages: Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs) are federally insured loans that are available to homeowners age 62 and over. Reverse mortgages allow you to access a portion of your home’s equity in cash, tax free. Many seniors use reverse mortgages to finance their care expenses, including in-home care. Note that although there are no monthly payments due on reverse mortgage loans, borrowers do have to repay the loan once the last surviving homeowner passes away, moves, or sells the home.