Finding home care near you means comparing non-medical in-home services – caregivers who come to your house to help with bathing, dressing, meals, and companionship for seniors who need daily support but want to stay home. Senior Care Finder shows agencies, hourly rates, services offered, and service areas – so you can hire help without the guesswork or sales pitch.

Learn more about what home care (non-medical) is to better understand this care option.

Start with the cost. Home care averages $30-35/hour nationally for non-medical personal care – roughly $240-280 daily for 8-hour shifts, $5,000-7,000 monthly for full-time care. That's more expensive than most assisted living communities. But for families wanting to keep loved ones home as long as possible, it's the reality of supporting independence at home.

The scale of home care:

• 12+ million Americans receive paid home care services
• Average age of recipients: 75-85
• Typical duration: 1-3 years before transitioning to residential care
• 70% of home care is privately paid (out-of-pocket)
• Most common services: bathing assistance, medication reminders, meal prep, companionship

What's driving demand? Everyone says they want to "age in place" – stay home rather than move to senior living. Home care makes that possible for people who need daily help but don't require 24-hour supervision. It delays or prevents the move to assisted living, keeping people in familiar surroundings longer.

Who needs home care? Seniors or individuals who:

• Need help with 1-3 ADLs (bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, transferring)
• Can't safely prepare meals or manage housekeeping alone
• Experience loneliness or isolation (companionship services)
• Have family caregivers needing respite (scheduled breaks from 24-hour caregiving)
• Are recovering from surgery or illness (short-term support during recovery)
• Have mild cognitive impairment requiring supervision (not yet moderate-to-severe dementia)

When home care works: When needs are predictable and schedulable – a few hours daily or several full days weekly. When the person can be left alone for periods. When family members are available as backup.

When it doesn't: When needs exceed 12+ hours daily (costs approach or exceed residential care). When behaviors require constant supervision (wandering, aggression). When medical needs require skilled nursing (wound care, IV therapy, dialysis management).

Personal care assistance – the core service. Help with Activities of Daily Living: bathing and showering (setup, supervision, or hands-on assistance), dressing (selecting weather-appropriate clothes), toileting and incontinence care, grooming (brushing teeth, combing hair, shaving), transferring (help moving from bed to chair), and eating assistance if necessary.

Companionship – underrated but critical. Social interaction and engagement: conversation (reducing isolation), playing games and puzzles, reading together, accompanying on walks or outings, providing consistent human presence. Isolation accelerates cognitive and physical decline. Companionship addresses what families often can't provide daily while working.

Discover 5 daily routines that help seniors stay healthy and independent to maintain wellness at home.

Meal preparation and nutrition: Planning meals (accommodating dietary restrictions), grocery shopping, cooking and serving meals, feeding assistance if necessary, ensuring adequate nutrition and hydration.

Light housekeeping: Vacuuming, dusting, cleaning bathrooms and kitchen, laundry and changing bed linens, washing dishes, taking out trash, organizing living spaces to prevent falls. Not deep cleaning – light maintenance preventing unsafe conditions.

Transportation and errands: Driving to medical appointments, pharmacy pickups, grocery shopping, social outings. Critical for seniors who can no longer drive safely.

Medication reminders – not administration: In most states, non-medical caregivers can remind about medications and observe while seniors self-administer. They typically cannot administer medications themselves – that's nursing territory.

What home care does NOT include: Medical care (wound care, injections, IV therapy), skilled nursing services, physical/occupational/speech therapy, heavy housework (moving furniture, yard work), or 24-hour supervision unless you hire caregivers in rotating shifts.