The 5 Best Home Care Agencies for Seniors in Hondo, TX for 2024

Hondo is the seat of Medina County, fondly called “God’s Country” and offering the comforts of quiet, affordable small-town living with its peaceful rural surroundings and pleasant Texas Hill Country climate. This small San Antonio suburb of over 8,000 residents is a tight-knit community with 12.2% or roughly 1,000 seniors aged 65+, close to the Texas average of 12.9%. Hondo is home to Medina Regional Hospital and several affiliate specialty clinics, and it has easy access to quality in-home services. Its average home care cost of $4,290 per month covers personal assistance and other nonmedical services, compared to home health care, which includes intermittent skilled nursing.

Below we’ve compiled a comprehensive directory of every home care provider in the Hondo 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.

Home care is relatively affordable in most of South Texas, with Hondo and the rest of Greater San Antonio coming in at $4,290 per month. This figure from Genworth Financial’s 2020 Cost of Care Survey is nearly $100 above the Texas average of $4,195, but almost $200 below the national median of $4,481. Laredo, Victoria and Corpus Christi are close to $4,000, saving Hondo seniors about $300 per month. Seniors opting for Austin can expect to pay $4,385 monthly, nearly $100 more than Hondo.

Compared to home care at $4,290 per month, assisted living at $3,599 is cost-effective with homelike accommodations, meals and 24-supervision included. Home health care at $4,385 costs more because it includes skilled nursing services. For seniors requiring 24-hour skilled care, nursing home care costs $5,338 for semiprivate room stays. The cheapest option is adult day health care at $795 per month, covering services within a limited number of hours per day.

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.