Let’s talk numbers. In Los Angeles home care costs between $40 - $55 per hour on average. Hourly rates are driven by multiple factors including number of hours of care needed (typically agencies will offer lower hourly rates for more hours of care), the level of care needed–private duty nursing, home health care, personal care, or companionship, and finally the wages and benefits paid to caregivers, internal office staff, agency overhead and the like.
This is a tricky question. Sometimes higher hourly rates will mean higher quality care, if those higher rates are being used to provide better caregiver compensation, more training, and better on-the-job support to caregivers including peer mentorship, supportive supervision, and grief counseling for example. Higher rates could also mean bigger profits for owners. While most of us would agree that owners should make profit from their businesses, the key question is, are profits being made at the expense of job quality and care quality?
There are a variety of ways to pay for home care services. Here's a list of them:
You, the family member needing care, or some combination pay for care services out of household income, savings, or other assets. If you will need to rely on out-of-pocket pay, you will want to carefully consider the level of care needed and your ability to pay, and you may want to consult with a financial advisor for advice.
Long term care insurance policies can typically be utilized to reimburse home care costs. If your loved one has a long term care insurance policy, you will want to call the provider early in your process to understand what level of coverage you have and whether there are limitations on the types of coverage or the agencies you can employ.
For individuals with low income and assets, Medicaid may be able to assist with home care payments. To qualify, you will need to reach out to your local Medicaid office to determine eligibility and understand what level of care your loved one qualifies for. While the process of applying for and receiving benefits can be long and cumbersome, Medicaid support can be incredibly helpful for those who cannot afford to pay out of pocket. In some cases, individuals may also begin by paying out of pocket, but then over time transition to Medicaid as they spend down their assets.
If you or your loved one served in the U.S military, you may be eligible to access financial support from the VA for home-based care. Services and benefits vary by location, so you will want to reach out to your local VA office to understand what benefits are available.
In addition to Medicaid and Veterans Affairs, many states and cities also have long term care programs that support seniors and people with disabilities to remain in their homes. Often programs provide funding to individuals who do not yet qualify for Medicaid but are not in a strong financial position to pay for home-based care out of pocket. To understand what types of programs might be available to support your loved one, contact your local Area Agency on Aging or Aging and Disability Resource Center for support.
As you begin to look for a care provider, you’ll want to ensure that the home care provider meets the quality and standards of care that you and your loved one deserves.
Finally, no matter where you find information on possible caregiving agencies, when you connect with agencies directly you can learn more about them by asking questions.
Here at Courage Homecare Cooperative, LLC services cost $35/hour for services between 0-8 hours and 1-3 days per week. While we charge $30/hour for services between 0-24 hours and 1-7 days per week. 90% goes directly to caregivers in the form of wages and benefits and the other 10% covers administrative costs, training,paid time off, and workers’ compensation.
As a caregiver-owned company, 100% of your money goes to supporting quality jobs and quality care. Our mission is to provide dignity and respect to those giving and receiving care and any profits made are reinvested in improving job quality so that our caregivers can continue to provide the best possible care for you and your loved ones.
For our cooperative, quality care comes through because all of our caregivers are also the owners and operators of our home care business. We all have a stake in the reputation of our home care company and would love to bring that quality care into your home. Connect with us today!