The 10 Best In-Home Care Services for Seniors in Minneapolis, MN for 2023

If picking the best place for a senior to live were just a question of numbers, Minneapolis, Minnesota would be hard to beat: the city is ranked in the top five nationally, and number one within the state of Minnesota. Minneapolis is home to award-winning health care facilities, including Abbott Northwestern, Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital and M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center. 

Genworth’s 2021 Cost of Care Survey puts the median cost of Minneapolis-area home care at $7,055 per month. Home care provides support for household chores, like cooking and cleaning. For seniors who need light medical services, there’s home health care.

Below we’ve compiled a comprehensive directory of every home care provider in Minneapolis– 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.

Home care in the Minneapolis area is about 40% higher than the U.S. median, but this is reflective of senior living costs statewide, which average 30% higher than the nation. As might be expected for a major urban center, Minneapolis is in the high range of senior living costs when compared to fellow Minnesota towns. Duluth, farther north, costs about $1,200 less a month for care, though Rochester, in the south of the state, is roughly $600 more per month.

Home care in Minneapolis represents a significantly lower expense than nursing facilities, which run about $5,000 more a month for a semiprivate room. Assisted living facilities are more affordable than home care, although they require the senior to move into a new residence, which can be a difficult change for some. Adult day care, in which seniors spend the day outside their homes with people their own age, is the most affordable option in Minneapolis, at nearly a third the monthly cost of home care or home health care.

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.