Hourly Home Care vs Live-In Home Care

24-Hour Home Care Can Mean “Hourly Home Care” or “Live-In Home Care”

With 24-hour home care, you can let go of the worry and enjoy a full night’s sleep knowing your loved one is being cared for by compassionate professionals. With personalized attention to individual needs around-the-clock, those living with dementia or who are homebound due to physical limitations will feel at ease in their own surroundings.

What is 24-Hour Home Care?

24-Hour Home Care means that a caregiver or several caregivers are rotating shifts to care for your loved one in their home. Someone is always awake. Caregivers work an 8-hour or 12-hour shift. These services are paid for by the hour.

Live-In Home Care vs Hourly Home Care

When it comes to choosing in-home care for an elderly person, there are many options. Live-in and 24-hour caregivers may seem like the same terminology, but they vary in how much time is spent with the senior, depending on their care needs. Understanding these differences will help determine what type of live-in or hourly home care would be best suited for each individual’s circumstance.

24-Hour Home Care (Hourly Home Care)

• To ensure the client is always taken care of, two or more caregivers take turns on shifts to be awake and available day and night.
• A trusted and alert caregiver is always awake to care for your loved one. By rotating caregivers, they are able to stay alert and ready when new situations arise with a senior who wanders at night, needs toileting assistance at night, or may become confused and just need some company and reassurance.

Live-In Home Care

• Live-in caregivers work around the clock to take care of their clients. The 8-hour break and sleeping bed is provided for them so they can rest when not working.
• With two scheduled caregivers, your senior loved one will find a deeper sense of comfort. The heightened familiarity with the elderly’s favorite routines and moods helps to better manage dementia diagnoses as well.
• Live-In Home Care may not be the best choice for the senior who needs assistance at night with toileting, wandering, or confusion. The caregiver must be able to sleep, take breaks, and rest.

Does Medicare Pay for 24-Hour Home Care?

If your family member needs only assistance with homemaker or personal services, or companion care, Medicare will not cover the cost.

Medicare doesn’t pay for:

• 24-hour-a-day care at home
• Meals delivered to your home
• Homemaker services (like shopping, cleaning, and laundry), when this is the only care you need
• Custodial or personal care (like bathing, dressing, or using the bathroom), when this is the only care you need

How Much Does 24-Hour Home Care Cost?

According to the 2020 Genworth Cost of Care Study, the average national median cost for companion care (classified as homemaker services) was $54,912 ANNUALLY for a home health aide and $53,768 for a homemaker. The hourly rate for a home health aide ranged from $17.00 in Louisiana to $33.00 in Minnesota. The median cost for an hourly caregiver is $24.00 per hour.

Genworth calculates average median rates based on 44 hours per week. If your loved one only requires the help of a companion for a few hours per day or week, your costs may be significantly lower than these estimates.

For a clearer picture of your potential costs, determine your loved one’s needs and contact Senior In-Home Care Experts to inquire about companion care providers and average costs in your area.

24-Hour Home Care for Seniors

Senior In-Home Care Experts makes it easy to get started with home care.

When you contact us, we will refer you to the best home care agency in your local area.