Guides
Home care guides
Plain-English guides to choosing home care, what it costs, how to pay with Medicaid, VA benefits or long-term care insurance, and caring for a parent at home.
Choosing care
Live-In Care vs 24-Hour Care: How to ChooseLive-in care means one caregiver lives in the home and needs breaks and sleep. 24-hour care means a team of caregivers works shifts, so someone is...Home Care vs Home Health Care: Which Does Your Parent Need?Home care is non-medical help with daily life, such as bathing, meals, rides and company. Home health care is skilled medical care, like nursing or...Companion Care vs Personal Care: What Each Level Does and Does Not DoCompanion care gives company, light housekeeping, meals, rides and reminders. Personal care adds hands-on help with bathing, toileting, dressing...How Many Hours of Home Care Does Your Parent Need? A Simple Needs ChecklistCount what your parent cannot do alone, and when. A few tasks a week may need two to four hours of visits. Help with bathing, meals and mobility...Overnight Care for Seniors: Awake or Asleep Caregivers, Cost and When It Is TimeOvernight care puts a caregiver in your parent's home at night. An awake caregiver stays up and watches. A sleep-in caregiver rests nearby and...Home Care Agency, Registry or Private Caregiver: Who Employs Whom and Who Is LiableThe three models differ mainly in who employs the caregiver. With an agency, the caregiver usually works for the agency. With a registry, you...
Costs
What 24-Hour and Live-In Home Care Really CostAt the national median of $35 an hour, round-the-clock care by shifts works out to an estimated $840 a day, $5,880 a week and about $25,550 a...Home Care, Assisted Living or Nursing Home: Cost and Care ComparedHome care costs less than assisted living until your parent needs about 6 hours of paid help a day, based on CareScout's 2025 national medians....
Paying for care
Medicaid Home Care Programs in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and VirginiaMedicaid can pay for in-home care, but not through one national benefit. Each state runs its own waivers and personal care programs. You usually...Can a Family Member Get Paid to Be a Caregiver? A State-by-State GuideYes, sometimes. Medicaid programs in several states let a person choose a relative as a paid caregiver, though spouses are often excluded or...VA Benefits for Home Care: Aid and Attendance, Caregiver Programs and MoreThe VA does not have one home care benefit. It has several. Aid and Attendance adds money to a VA pension for wartime Veterans and surviving...Using Long-Term Care Insurance for Home Care: Elimination Periods, Proof and ClaimsMany long-term care insurance policies cover home care, but you must qualify first. You need to meet the policy's benefit trigger, usually help...
Caregiving
Going Home From the Hospital: What Care to Line Up Before DischargeStart planning home care after hospital discharge on day one of the stay. The hospital discharge planner arranges medical follow-up, such as...Respite Care at Home: How Family Caregivers Get a BreakRespite care is short-term care that gives a family caregiver a break while their loved one stays safe. At home, a paid caregiver, volunteer, or...Dementia Care at Home: A Stage-by-Stage Plan for FamiliesDementia care at home can work for years if the level of care rises with each stage. Early stage often needs reminders and check-ins. Middle stage...
