What it costs
How families actually pay for in-home care.
This is the question everybody has and almost nobody answers plainly. Here is the honest version.
Our rates
Call 662-788-2032 and we will give you a straight number for the schedule you actually need. Cost depends on how many hours a week and what kind of help. There is no sense quoting you a figure for care that is not yours.
The four ways this gets paid for
Almost every family in Mississippi pays for in-home care through one of four routes, and plenty use more than one.
- 01
Private pay
The family pays directly, usually by the hour. This is how most in-home care in Mississippi is paid for. It is also the fastest to arrange, because it does not depend on anyone else approving it.
- 02
Medicaid Elderly and Disabled Waiver
Mississippi's E&D Waiver is a Medicaid program that can cover in-home personal care for people who would otherwise need nursing-home level care. Eligibility is decided by the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, not by any agency. There is an application process and, at times, a waiting list.
- 03
Long-term care insurance
If your parent bought a long-term care policy years ago, it may cover exactly this. Policies vary widely in what they pay and what they require, so read the benefit trigger and the elimination period before assuming anything.
- 04
VA benefits
Veterans and surviving spouses may qualify for benefits that help pay for in-home care, including Aid and Attendance. This runs through the VA and is worth asking about if there is any service history in the family.
What Medicare does not cover
This catches families out constantly, so it is worth being blunt: Medicare does not pay for ongoing help with bathing, meals, dressing, and housekeeping.
Medicare covers short-term skilled care, such as a nurse or a physical therapist for a limited period after a hospital stay. That is home health, and it is a different service from what we provide. The daily, ongoing, non-medical help that keeps someone in their own home is not part of it.
That is not a reason to give up. It is the reason the other four routes above exist. If you are not sure which service you are looking at, our guide on home health versus in-home care sets the two side by side.
Where to start if money is the obstacle
Call us anyway. We would rather spend twenty minutes helping you understand your options than have you put off getting help because you assumed you could not afford it.
If the Medicaid waiver is the right route, that process runs through the Mississippi Division of Medicaid and takes time, so the sooner someone starts it, the better. If we are not the right agency for your situation, we will say so.
Ask us what it would cost for your situation.
Not a range for someone else's mother. A number for the schedule yours actually needs.