Resources
A family library for the decision you are making
Most people arrive here knowing something has changed and not knowing what to call it. This page is the plain English version: how to tell when it is time, what to ask any agency, and who else is worth a call.
The Family Care Guide
Free, plain English, and no jargon in it
What to ask, what care costs in North Carolina, and how to know when it is time. It is written for the person who has never had to arrange this before, which is nearly everybody the first time.
There is no download button here, and that is on purpose. Ask for the guide by phone or by email and we will get it to you. If you would rather talk it through than read it, say that instead and we will do that, at no cost and with nothing to sign.
How to tell when it is time
Nobody gets a phone call telling them it is time
It arrives as a series of small things you keep explaining away. These are the ones families tell us about after the fact, once they wish they had called sooner.
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The mail is stacking up
Envelopes unopened on the counter, bills paid twice or not at all, letters from the bank nobody has answered.
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The refrigerator tells a story
Food months out of date, the same three items bought over and over, meals you left that came back untouched.
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Bathing has quietly stopped
The same clothes two or three days running, hair that has not been washed, and a cheerful answer about having had one this morning.
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There has been a fall, or a near one
Bruises with no story attached, furniture moved into a line so there is always something to lean on, a bathroom that has become an obstacle.
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The same story twice in an hour
Repeated questions, the wrong day, appointments missed, a phone call at two in the morning that made no sense.
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You are the one running on empty
You are driving over four nights a week, sleeping badly, taking calls at work, and you have started to snap at people who did not deserve it.
None of this is a diagnosis, and none of it means somebody has to leave their home. Usually it means a few hours a week would take the pressure off. If you recognize three or four of these, it is worth one phone call.
Eight questions to ask
Ask these of any agency, including this one
Take them to every agency you call and compare the answers side by side. We have put ours next to each question, so you have something to measure against.
Are you licensed, and what is the number?
In North Carolina, home care agencies are licensed by the Division of Health Service Regulation. Ask for the number and check it. Ours is HC7440.
Is this non-medical care, or something else?
They are different services with different rules. An agency should be able to say exactly where its line sits and who it refers out to. Ours is on the services page.
Who gets a background check?
Ask whether every caregiver is checked, not just the office staff, and whether it happens before placement or after. Ours is every caregiver, before.
What training happens before the first shift?
Before is the word that matters. North Carolina requires training, and it should be finished before somebody is in your parent’s bathroom, not during.
How do you know the caregiver arrived?
Ask about electronic visit verification. If an agency cannot tell you when somebody clocked in and out, it is asking you to take the schedule on trust.
What happens when a caregiver calls out?
The answer you want is that arranging the backup caregiver is the agency’s job rather than yours. Ask what happened the last time it went wrong.
Who answers the phone at two in the morning?
Ask, then test it. Ask who is on the other end at two in the morning, and ask what happens if nobody is. Ours is answered 24 hours a day, including nights, weekends and holidays.
What is the price, and what is not in it?
Ask for the whole number, including anything billed separately. Ask what a change of hours does to it. The price we quote is the price you pay.
Which kind of help is which
Three different things, often confused for each other
Non-medical home care
This is what Praise Homecare does. Bathing, dressing, grooming, mobility and transfers, meals, light housekeeping and laundry, errands and transportation, company, memory support, and medication reminders only, not administration. It is paid for privately, or through Medicaid, long-term care insurance or Veterans benefits for those who qualify.
Home health
Care that a licensed health professional provides at home, usually arranged through a doctor. It is a different service under different rules, and it is not something we do. Many families use both at once, and the two sit alongside each other perfectly well.
Moving somewhere with care on site
Assisted living and memory care communities, where the care comes with the building. Sometimes that is the right answer. Often enough hours at home get there instead, which is worth working out before anybody packs a house.
Long guides
Six questions that take more than a paragraph
Everything above is the short version. These are the long ones, each written around a question families ask on the first call, with the North Carolina numbers and the sources named.
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 guide10 Signs Your Aging Parent Needs Help at Home
Worried about mom or dad? 10 warning signs an aging parent needs help at home, when to act, and how a free in-home assessment works in eastern NC.
Read the guideWhat Is Respite Care
Respite care gives family caregivers a real break while a trained caregiver steps in at home. What it covers, when you need it, how to start in eastern NC.
Read the guideHome Care vs. Assisted Living in North Carolina
An honest comparison of home care and assisted living in North Carolina: current costs, decision factors, and when each option is truly the right call.
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 guideWhere else to look
Organizations worth a call, none of them us
We would rather you arrive well informed than arrive quickly. These are national bodies with free information and no product to sell you.
Eldercare Locator
The federal service that points you at the aging agency covering your county, which is where Medicaid questions and local programs usually start.
eldercare.acl.govAlzheimer’s Association
Stage-by-stage guidance for families living with dementia and for the people caring for them, plus local chapters and a national helpline.
alz.orgFamily Caregiver Alliance
Written for the family caregiver rather than the person being cared for. Practical, unsentimental, and good on the part where you are exhausted.
caregiver.orgBenefitsCheckUp
From the National Council on Aging. A free screener for programs your parent may already qualify for and nobody ever told them about.
benefitscheckup.orgVA Geriatrics and Extended Care
If your father is a veteran, start here before you assume anything about what is available. Veterans benefits are one of the ways families pay us.
va.gov/geriatricsOur own frequently asked questions
Twelve straight answers about starting care, what it costs, who pays, missed shifts and what happens when needs change.
Read the FAQWhen you are ready
Reading only gets you so far
At some point somebody has to look at the house and the week and tell you what would actually help. That is the free assessment, and it costs nothing. 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