Frequently Asked Questions

About In-Home Care

What is home care?

While in-home care can be used to describe both medical and non-medical care in the home, it typically refers to non-medical care such as companionship, homemaking services, and personal care. Home health is a term used to describe skilled nursing care and other functions such as speech, physical, or occupational therapy.

In-home care allows your loved one to get the help he or she needs without giving up independence.

What is live-in care?

Live-in care is the same as home care, but caregivers live with their clients.

What does a caregiver do?

A caregiver assists seniors and other adults at home to ensure their physical and social well-being. Caregivers also provide companionship, personal care, and other quality-of-life services. These can include mobility and safety assistance, help with meals and housekeeping, transportation to appointments and social events, and activities that encourage engagement, purpose, connection, and joy.

If you’re wondering how to become a caregiver, visit our careers page for more information.

What is aging in place?

The term aging in place refers to seniors who choose to remain in their homes as they age instead of moving to an independent or assisted living community. According to the AARP, most seniors would prefer to remain in their homes for as long as possible, and aging in place has many benefits.

• Seniors who remain in their own homes as they age enjoy the consistency of belonging to communities where they may have lived for many years surrounded by friends and families.
• Being surrounded by beloved objects and memory cues can foster a sense of connection and peace. For seniors with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, a familiar environment can reduce confusion and improve mental engagement.
• Remaining in the home also avoids the stress of relocation and acclimating to new environments.
• Aging in place can be more cost-effective than facility care.

What is a home health aide?

The terms home health aide and caregiver can be used interchangeably. Home health aides provide companionship, personal care, and other quality-of-life services. These can include mobility and safety assistance, help with meals and housekeeping, transportation to appointments and social events, and activities that encourage engagement, purpose, connection, and joy.

What are ADLs? (And what are IADLs?)

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) describe basic tasks essential for day-to-day functioning. These include bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, mobility and toileting. Many seniors who require help with such activities are largely independent but may require help with one or two ADLs.

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) are those activities that are important in enhancing a client’s quality of life. IADLs include shopping, paying bills, household chores (cleaning, laundry), and meal preparation.

Seniors and other adults who need assistance at home may require assistance with ADLs or IADLs. Comfort Keepers offers an array of companionship and in-home care services, and specific tasks are laid out in the Plan of Care that is customized for each individual and family.

About Comfort Keepers

What services do Comfort Keepers provide?

Comfort Keepers assists seniors and other adults who need help at home to live their best quality of life. This can include help with aging parents, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, mobility assistance, and various care types.

Comfort Keepers provides uplifting in-home care that considers a client’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. We provide companionship care services such as meal preparation, laundry, light housekeeping, grocery shopping/errands, incidental transportation, medication reminders, grooming, and live-in service, and we also provide a wide range of personal in-home care services. This includes bathing, grooming, hygiene, mobility assistance, transferring/positioning, toileting/incontinence, and feeding/special diet assistance. Some offices provide Dementia/Alzheimer’s care, private-duty nursing, or in-home safety technology solutions. Services vary by state and office.

How do Comfort Keepers select caregivers?

Every Comfort Keepers caregiver is an employee who is carefully screened and trained before caring for a client. Each must undergo a rigorous process, including national and local criminal background checks, DMV checks, and personal and professional reference checks. All Comfort Keepers are bonded, insured, and covered by Workers’ Compensation insurance for our clients’ peace of mind. Caregivers are screened for empathy and trained to provide the highest-quality in-home care.

Are services available 24 hours, 7 days a week?

Yes. Services are available for as little as a few hours a visit up to 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Do Comfort Keepers offer Private Duty Nursing?

If your loved one is healthy, you might be able to meet his or her needs on your own or hire someone for traditional in-home care.

However, when having a family caregiver or home health aide isn't enough, we can help. A private duty nurse from Comfort Keepers^® offers loved ones the level of care they need where they want it, not in a nursing facility or hospital, but in the comfort and safety of home.

Services vary by area. Please contact us to discuss your care needs.

How much does in-home care cost?

Each Comfort Keepers office is independently owned and operated. We encourage you to contact your local office directly for a complete list of products and services available and the rates for your area.

Can you provide services on short notice?

Yes. We understand that situations can arise where one needs in-home care services quickly. We can provide services on an as-needed basis.

What is a Plan of Care?

Comfort Keepers develops a custom, individualized, and completely confidential Plan of Care for each client. This document describes the home care services needed and when the client would like to initiate care. Care plans include tasks and goals to help caregivers provide the best physical, mental, and emotional well-being care.

Once a client and their loved ones agree on a plan with the local office, staff will use that information to recommend the Comfort Keeper, who will deliver the service, establish the schedule, and develop a strategy for ongoing communication.

Plans of Care are reviewed with the client and family at least every six months, but reviews may be more frequent based on state regulations. The review ensures that new goals and needs are addressed and gives Comfort Keepers the opportunity to ensure that the client and their family are pleased with the care being provided.

How is my Comfort Keeper assigned?

During the initial conversation and the in-home visit, the Client Care Coordinator will document the home care services required and the client's preferences for a Comfort Keeper match. The Client Care Coordinator then selects the best caregiver and arranges an introduction between the client, Comfort Keeper, and Coordinator to introduce this new team. During that meeting, everyone reviews the Plan of Care to ensure agreement and understanding of the services provided.

What if my Comfort Keeper is sick or on vacation?

Each Comfort Keepers office employs a team of caregivers to ensure there is no interruption to your care if someone is sick or on vacation. If your comfort keeper is unavailable, the client care coordinator will arrange for another caregiver and contact you before the change. The Client Care Coordinator will also introduce the interim caregiver and review your Plan of Care with them before service.

What is Interactive Caregiving?

Interactive Caregiving focuses on doing things with our clients instead of just doing things for them. While our caregivers assist with a senior's daily needs, they encourage participation and engagement as much as possible. This allows our caregivers to develop relationships with clients and keep them physically and mentally active. We believe in-home care is about more than completing tasks on a list — we offer personalized care that helps clients enjoy their time and improves their quality of life. By focusing on interactive caregiving, we can elevate the spirits of clients and their families.

What safety protocols do Comfort Keepers have in place during Coronavirus?

Ensuring the safety and well-being of our clients is Comfort Keepers highest priority. Due to the current health crisis, we are taking the necessary precautions to keep our clients and caregivers safe and protected while we continue to provide uplifting in-home care. This includes additional training in infectious disease control, providing each caregiver with personal protective equipment, and following all CDC recommendations. Our caregivers are screened for coronavirus risk factors before every visit, and we have established protocols for caregivers to stay home if they are ill or sick.

What is GrandPad?

GrandPad opens a whole new world for seniors by connecting them with family, friends, and caregivers. It’s the simple, secure, and perfect senior tablet for your loved one. To find out more about Comfort Keepers and GrandPad,

About Types of Care

What is transitional care?

In-home care is often a necessity for those who are transitioning home after a hospital stay or procedure. Whether someone is moving from a rehabilitation facility or directly from a hospital, there are benefits to completing recovery at home with a professional, quality caregiver to assist.

Comfort Keepers can provide a custom care plan for transitional care, including transportation home from a hospital or facility and to scheduled follow-up appointments and therapy sessions.

In addition to the physical challenges of healing after an illness or injury, patients can experience depression or anxiety when they aren’t able to participate in their normal routines and social activities. Our caregivers can provide transportation to community events, support physician-prescribed exercise regimens, provide companionship, and help families stay connected through technology.

What is companion care?

Companion, or companionship, care includes preparing meals, laundry, light housekeeping, grocery shopping and errands, transportation to appointments and social events, reminders for grooming, respite care, medication reminders, and education and communication with a client’s loved ones. At Comfort Keepers, we also focus on activities that bring joy, provide mental stimulation, and encourage physical and emotional well-being.

What is personal care?

Comfort Keepers’ trained caregivers assist with personal care needs ranging from stand-by assistance to full care, depending on each client’s individual needs. This can include bathing, mobility assistance, position changes for those clients that are bedbound, incontinence and toileting care, preparing and serving meals, specialized care for those with memory issues or cognitive impairments, fall risk assessment and prevention, change in condition monitoring, and assistance with outings, social events, shopping trips, and other activities of interest to maintain engagement both physically and emotionally. A personal care assistant can help with basic activities of daily living or ADLs.

What is considered light housekeeping?

Light housekeeping includes tasks that provide seniors with tidy, clean, safe spaces in their homes. This can include disinfecting surfaces, cleaning counters and floors in the kitchen and bathroom, dusting, de-cluttering, vacuuming, taking out the trash, and other household tasks. Many seniors are capable and willing to maintain their own spaces, and our individualized care plans for clients are customized to consider the physical ability of the client and the level of assistance they need and want. Many of our clients enjoy the activity of cleaning their house and find that working side-by-side with a caregiver can help build their relationship.

What is respite care, and what type of care is respite care?

Respite care is the transfer of primary caregiving responsibilities to another person, typically a professional caregiver, relative, or friend, to temporarily relieve primary caregivers from their responsibilities. Respite care takes many forms—some family caregivers choose to have someone take on caregiver duties for a few hours a week or a few hours a day. Some schedule respite care for longer periods of time to accommodate an extended break or vacation.

What type of care is “respite care”?

Respite care can include companionship or personal care, depending on the level of need.

What is private duty nursing?

Unlike traditional in-home care services, private-duty nurses provide one-on-one medical care. They are qualified to offer this care in the comfort of the patient's own home or in a facility such as a hospital or nursing home. Private duty nurses are Registered Nurses (RNs) or Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs). They can offer advanced care, working in tandem with the family. Our goal is to provide the customized care our clients need, all from one source.

What is End-of-Life care?

When a family member is diagnosed with limited life expectancy, he or she often has a strong desire to spend the final days in the comfort of home. However, caring for a loved one at the end of life can be emotionally challenging and physically exhausting.

Comfort Keepers can support you and your loved one by working with a hospice agency or medical provider to fully meet the family’s care needs. We will help care for your loved one, assist around the house, and provide emotional and moral support to the family. 

What is Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care?

We understand the struggles families face when caring for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Our Comfort Keepers® are trained to provide care for Alzheimer’s patients and care for those with dementia while supporting opportunities for meaningful engagement, building and nurturing authentic, caring relationships, and implementing a care plan that evolves with the senior’s needs. By choosing Comfort Keepers, families receive support that includes:

• Specially trained caregivers
• Family education to better understand dementia
• Tasks built into the care plan and geared to a senior’s interests to engage them physically, mentally, and emotionally
• In-home services such as personal care, companionship, medication reminders, and family respite care
• SafetyChoice^® in-home safety technologies, including medical alert systems and motion detectors

What is the difference between palliative care and hospice care?

Hospice and palliative care are easily confused because, while everything within hospice is palliative, not everything palliative is hospice. Hospice care focuses on a person’s last six months (or less) of life. When it is determined that a cure is no longer an option, the hospice care team comes in to make the patient’s remaining life as comfortable as possible by addressing physical symptoms and distress as well as emotional and spiritual issues. Palliative care, while also aiming to manage symptoms and enhance comfort and quality of life for patients, can be delivered concurrently with aggressive therapies and therapies that are aimed at cure. It can be delivered at any stage of life.

About Paying for In-Home Care

How much does in-home care cost?

The cost of in-home care varies greatly by state, circumstance, and the type and level of care provided.

How much does 24/7 in-home care cost?

The best way to learn about the cost of care for you or your loved one is to speak to a professional care coordinator. If you want to contact a Comfort Keepers office, find a location here.

How much does companion care cost?

The cost of companion care varies across the country based on each client's individual needs. Contact us today for a free consultation and create a custom care plan to meet your needs and budget.

Who pays for senior care?

Some of the most common options for paying for senior care include private pay or out-of-pocket, long-term care insurance, the Veterans Administration (VA) Aid and Attendance Pension Benefit, and select Medicaid and state programs.

Does the VA pay for in-home care?

Veterans and their surviving spouses may qualify for VA benefits to cover some of the cost of in-home care. VA programs were designed for those who meet specific financial criteria and demonstrate physical need for in-home care. Contact Comfort Keepers to learn more about in-home care and veterans' benefits.

Does long-term health insurance cover in-home care?

Long-term care insurance can help pay the costs of care. For seniors with long-term care insurance, a local Comfort Keepers office can help answer questions about the paperwork needed to use this specialized type of coverage.

Does Medicare cover or pay for in-home care?

Medicare does not cover in-home care. However, Medicare Advantage plans may be available in some select areas. This varies by state and location, so check your plan for additional details.

Does Medicaid cover or pay for in-home care?

Medicaid, the largest public payor for long-term care, may cover some in-home care services. A Medicaid provider or Comfort Keepers office can answer questions about in-home care coverage.