Staying at home, also called aging in place, is increasingly popular among seniors seeking options for long-term care. There are a variety of services that offer intensive home health care around-the-clock. This kind of care has a monthly cost of $17,742 on average in America, but the specific costs will vary depending on where you live.
Around-the-Clock Home Care: Comparative Costs
In-home caregivers provide a wide range of services for seniors. Models that include personal care assistance for activities of daily living are known as homemaker services or as home care. Home health care encompasses the services of home care but extends beyond it to address specific medical needs, and some providers also offer more specialized services like memory care.
According to the Genworth Cost of Care Survey 2020, the average cost of 24-hour home health care is $17,472 per month. That, however, is the national average. There can be a lot of variation between states:
|
State
|
Hourly Rate
|
Active Care Time(Monthly)
|
|
|
|
|
|
24 hours
|
12 hours |
6 hours |
|
California
|
$29.00
|
$21,111
|
$10,556
|
$5,278
|
|
Georgia
|
$21.50
|
$15,651
|
$7,826
|
$3,913
|
|
Illinois
|
$25.50
|
$18,564
|
$9,282
|
$4,641
|
|
Nebraska
|
$26.00
|
$18,927
|
$9,464
|
$4,732
|
|
Pennsylvania
|
$24.00
|
$17,472
|
$8,736
|
$4,368
|
|
Texas
|
$22.00
|
$16,017
|
$8,009
|
$4,004
|
|
Washington
|
$31.63
|
$23,027
|
$11,514
|
$5,757
|
How to Offset 24/7 In-Home Care Costs
Finding ways to offset the costs of 24-hour home health care can be complex. Medicare and Medicare Advantage, for example, offer coverage for intermittent forms of home health care and skilled nursing care, but not for 24-hour in-home support. On the other hand, if certain parts of the services you need count as intermittent (such as occupational or physical therapy), they might still be eligible for coverage.
Medicaid rules are state-specific, and states offer numerous non-Medicaid funding options as well. You can typically contact your local Area Agency on Aging to seek some guidance regarding the options in your state.
Alternatives to 24/7 In-Home Health Care
Part-time in-home options or residence in an assisted living community are considerably less expensive than 24/7 in-home care. The Genworth Cost of Care 2020 Survey lists the national average monthly cost for 44 hours of home health care at $4,576 and care in an assisted living facility at $4,300. For seniors who don’t need care around the clock, these are more affordable alternatives.
