There’s a moment that comes in almost every family when you realize that a check-in on a loved one just doesn’t cut it anymore. If your aging parent or loved one is struggling to keep up with their routines, struggling after an illness or hospitalization, or you find that you’re constantly rearranging your schedule just to stop by, it may be time to seriously consider live-in home care services.
Without having to leave their beloved home, live-in services can provide the person you love with consistent support, while still offering the familiarity, routines, and sense of comfort that makes their home feel like home.
But before you make the call or start looking at providers, you might have questions.
What is it exactly? How does it work? What does it cost? And is it really the right choice for your loved one in Baltimore, La Plata, Potomac, Upper Marlboro, Waldorf, MD, Washington, D.C., or the surrounding areas?
What Is Live-In Home Care?
At its core, live-in home care services are a type of in-home support where a skilled caregiver will stay in your loved one’s home and provide assistance throughout the day according to an individualized care plan.
The purpose of this form of care is not just to have someone in the house that your loved one can talk to throughout the day, although that is a real advantage of live-in care; rather, it’s about having dependable support woven into everyday life. Support might look like:
- Getting dressed and ready for the day
- Personal hygiene and grooming
- Moving safely around the home
- Preparing meals and snacks
- Light household tasks
- Medication reminders
- Daily routines and appointments
- Companionship and conversation
- Other non-medical activities included in the care plan
A great thing about live-in care is that the exact responsibilities depend on what your loved one needs, whether that’s occasional assistance with mobility or extensive help with personal care and daily activities.
How Does Live-In Home Care Work?
So even if live-in home care services make sense in theory, you may wonder how it works on paper. Before care begins, your loved one’s needs, routines, abilities, and preferences need to be understood.
Things as small as the time they wake, and as big as which medications they need to take on a daily basis, are all pieces of the puzzle that fit naturally into their routines and way of life.
A thoughtful care plan takes everything into account. The goal is to incorporate assistance into the person’s existing routine as naturally as possible, without changing or modifying your loved one’s life to fit a rigid care plan.
What Does Live-In Home Care Cost in Maryland?
One of the first questions families understandably ask is, “How much does live-in home care cost?” There is no single price that applies to every household. The cost of live-in home care services can depend on the amount and type of assistance required, your loved one’s schedule, the care arrangement, and whether additional skilled services are needed.
Our live-in care is priced per day rather than per hour. Agatha Home Health, LLC’s private pay live-in rates run from about $360 to $432 per day, with the tier set by the level of care your loved one needs after an in-home assessment. Hourly care is billed separately, typically $35 to $40 per hour. There are also alternative funding options that can help with out-of-pocket costs, like:
- Long-Term Care (LTC) Insurance
- Veterans Benefits
- Medicaid
- Medicare / Private Health Insurance
Who Is Live-In Home Care Right For?
Live-in home care services may be worth considering when the person you love needs regular assistance but wants to continue living at home. It can be useful when you or your family members cannot consistently provide the amount of help required.
It may also be appropriate if your loved one’s needs have gradually increased, rather than changed overnight. Maybe there hasn’t been a single, dramatic event, but a gradual decline that has made everyday tasks more difficult.
Those subtle changes can be a sign that it is time to have an honest conversation about additional support.
Why Maryland Families Choose Agatha Home Health
Agatha Home Health, LLC was founded in 2019 and is a family-run Maryland home health care company offering live-in home care services to Baltimore, La Plata, Potomac, Upper Marlboro, Waldorf, MD, Washington, D.C., and the surrounding areas.
We are licensed by the Maryland Office of Health Care Quality (License #4613 and RSA #02188), providing an important layer of accountability when you’re entrusting the care, safety, and well-being of a loved one to someone else.
If you’re exploring live-in home care options in the area, we’d love to chat with you about your loved one’s needs. Contact us today to talk about home health care with our trained team.