Are you paying too much for home care?

Some 73 percent of seniors and their families who receive paid home care to
help with their daily tasks said they were satisfied with the care and thought
it was a good value for the money.

However, a recent study by Home Instead Senior Care found that many people
don’t know how affordable home care can be, and 40 percent overestimated the
cost by more them $6 per hour. The actual average per-hour cost paid by 70
percent of those surveyed was $17.10 per hour.

Those who don’t receive care overestimated the costs of $24.67 an hour for
basic companionship care, and $26.84 an hour for personal care, including
bathing. The national average for one year of nursing home care is $70,000,
almost 75 percent higher than home health care.

“People may be deterred from using non-medical home care – or even
considering it – because of the misconception about the expense,” said a
spokesperson for HISC.