How much does senior home care cost?
Senior Home Care Agencies charge an hourly fee and a daily fee for caregiving services. The hourly fees may be discounted when more weekly hours are booked.
Usually the hourly fee is from $16 to $25 per hour and the daily fee for live-in care is from $150 to $275 per day.
These fees will vary, depending on the amount of care required and the area of the country you live in.
Senior Home Care Agencies deliver the added advantage of active care management (they will train and supervise the Caregiver and staff a replacement Caregiver when the regular Caregiver needs off). The Agency will also provide policies and procedures for the Caregiver to follow and make sure a positive connection is established between the Caregiver and client. The agency will staff a different Caregiver, when the situation requires a change.
In addition, agencies providing private-duty home care will employ the Caregiver and provide all the added insurance benefits required by law, such as Worker’s Compensation Insurance and Professional Liability Insurance. Most agencies also offer bonuses, performance incentives, health insurance and on-going training for their Caregivers. Active case management allows the Caregivers to have a shoulder to lean on when they are dealing with daily care challenges. Agencies also provide a Plan of Care for the Caregiver to follow.
The agency will also make sure they understand any special Caregiver requirements and will professionally address any client issues with the Caregiver. It is important to provide the care in the manner the client desires and to understand any personal preferences, especially when providing care in a senior’s home – the agency will not want to change the senior but rather adapt to their preferences.
One nice advantage of starting with care in the home through a Senior Home Care Agency is the ability to change the schedule. Many times seniors need to adjust to needing additional help. An agency can start with care just one day a week and then increase the hours as the senior becomes comfortable with allowing a Caregiver into their home and accepting help.
When I owned a Senior Home Care Agency, many times we started out services for a client just one day a week because they were resistant to accepting care. However, once the senior experiences the advantages of having assistance and realizes they are still the decisionmaker in their own home, they nearly always increase hours to match their care needs. This is especially true when memory loss is just beginning.
