Paying for care
What home care costs, and who pays for it
Four ways families pay us: private pay, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, and Veterans benefits for those who qualify. This page explains what moves the number. The number itself comes at the free assessment, in writing, before you agree to anything.
Who pays
Four ways families pay for care at home
Most families use one of these. Some use two. Tell us on the first call which of them is in play and we will work from what is actually there, rather than from what would be convenient.
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Private pay
The family pays us directly. It is the simplest of the four because it does not wait on anybody else’s approval, and it is the one most families use when care is needed this week rather than next quarter.
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Medicaid
We serve Medicaid families. If your parent is already on Medicaid, say so on the first call so that we are working from what is in place instead of guessing at it.
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Long-term care insurance
If there is a long-term care policy in the family, it may cover care like ours. Policies are easy to forget you own. Find it, bring it to the assessment, and let somebody read it with you before you assume it is no help.
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Veterans benefits, for those who qualify
Some veterans and their families qualify for benefits that help with care at home. If there is military service in the family, tell us on the call so it is part of the conversation from the beginning rather than an afterthought.
What moves the cost
Three things move the number, and none of them is a secret
There is no single price for home care, because there is no single week. What an hour costs depends on three plain things, and you can work out roughly where your family sits before you ever call us.
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OneHow many hours
Far and away the biggest factor. Six hours a week is not sixty. A couple of mornings for bath days costs what a couple of mornings costs, and around-the-clock cover costs what around-the-clock costs. This is the lever most families have the most control over.
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TwoWhat time of day
An overnight shift, a Saturday and a holiday are not the same job as a Tuesday morning. If the hard part of your week is nights, say so early, because it changes the shape of the plan.
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ThreeHow much help
Sitting with somebody, making lunch and driving to an appointment is a different job from transfers, bathing and toileting several times in a shift. Say which of the two your week actually looks like, because it changes the plan.
What does not move it is anything you cannot see coming. The rate on your plan is the rate you pay, and it is walked through with you at the free assessment before you agree to it.
How much of the week
Most families land between 10 and 40 hours a week
That is the usual range across the families we serve, and most start nearer the bottom of it than they expected to. Care is built around the hours that are genuinely hard, not around a package somebody sold you.
Short-term care is available, which is what most families want after a hospital stay: a few weeks of cover while the house gets manageable again. So is overnight care, weekend care and holiday cover. So is around-the-clock care for somebody who cannot safely be alone.
Hours are not a life sentence in either direction. They go up when a parent declines and they come down when a broken wrist heals, and the plan is reviewed with you when they do.
How you get a number
The price we quote is the price you pay
We do not publish a rate on this page, and we will not give you one over the internet, because a price without an assessment is a guess and a guess is the thing that gets revised upward later. What we will do is give you a real number, in writing, before you commit to anything at all.
The assessment is free, and it happens in your parent’s home. North Carolina requires the first assessment to be done there, and it is the only way to see the stairs, the bathroom and the kitchen for what they are. Somebody sits down with you and your loved one, works out what the week actually needs, and writes it into a personalized care plan: the hours, the tasks, who does what, and the cost. Then you decide, including deciding not to.
You call
(877) 652-2907, at any hour. Tell us what the week looks like and which of the four payers is in play, if you know.
A free assessment
In the home, which is where the rule requires it and where it is worth doing. No cost for it, and no obligation at the end of it.
A written plan, with the cost
Hours, tasks and price, on paper, before you decide anything.
A caregiver is matched
Usually within 24 to 72 hours of you saying yes.
The long versions
If you want the whole picture, not the summary
This page is the short answer. These three go through the North Carolina numbers, the programmes and the paperwork properly, with the sources named so you can check them.
What Does Home Care Cost in Wilson, NC
What home care costs in Wilson and eastern North Carolina: hourly rates, monthly examples, and how it compares to assisted living and nursing homes.
Read the guideHow to Pay for Home Care in North Carolina
Every way NC families pay for in-home care: private pay, NC Medicaid (PCS and CAP/DA), long-term care insurance, and VA Aid and Attendance.
Read the guideHow to Qualify for Medicaid Home Care in North Carolina
Who North Carolina Medicaid covers, which programs pay for help at home, what the assessment looks at, and how to apply through your county DSS.
Read the guideQuestions families ask
The four questions that come up about money
Asked on the phone most weeks, answered here so you do not have to ask them out loud first.
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Does the assessment cost anything?
No. The assessment is free, it happens in the home, and there is no obligation at the end of it. You can go through the whole thing and decide the answer is not yet.
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Do you take Medicaid?
Yes. Medicaid is one of the four ways families pay us, alongside private pay, long-term care insurance and Veterans benefits for those who qualify.
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How many hours do most families use?
Most run between 10 and 40 hours a week. Short-term, overnight, weekend, holiday and around-the-clock care are all available, so the week is built from the hours that are actually hard.
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Will the price change after we start?
The price we quote is the price you pay. If the hours or the level of help change, we go through the numbers with you again before anything changes, so the first you hear of a different figure is not on a bill.
When you are ready
Get the number in writing, then decide
Tell us what the week looks like and we will put the hours, the tasks and the cost on paper before you agree to anything. Or skip the form and call (877) 652-2907 right now, because somebody is awake.
The Family Care Guide
Free, plain English, no jargon. What to ask, what care costs in North Carolina, and how to know when it is time.
Read the guide