Home care services near you can provide personal care, help with daily routines, companionship, or support at home, depending on what you need. To find in-home support, identify the tasks you want help with, check which services are available locally, and ask providers about costs, scheduling, and coverage.
The right fit depends on the person’s needs and the kind of help they want to receive at home. If you’re also sorting out insurance or member support, read our broader overview, “UnitedHealthcare: How to Navigate Coverage, Care and Member Support,” for related context.
| Option | Useful for | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Area Agency on Aging | Finding local services | Which local options fit the requested support |
| Eldercare Locator | Finding a local AAA | That the referral serves your area |
| Medicare Care Compare | Comparing Medicare-certified home health agencies | Whether the agency’s services fit your needs |
| Direct provider inquiry | Checking a specific agency or caregiver | Background checks, licensing, insurance, duties, and costs |
- 1 Eldercare Locator route to find a local Area Agency on Aging
- 1 Medicare Care Compare tool named for comparing Medicare-certified home health agencies
- (866) 959-2969 Comfort Keepers contact number listed for specialized care inquiries
What kind of home care do you need?
Daily assistance or health care?
Choose home care by listing the exact tasks you need help with, then separate everyday assistance from medical care. Personal care, such as help with washing or dressing, and household assistance, such as laundry or meal preparation, are daily-support needs; health-related support may require a home health agency. The distinction affects which provider and payment route to investigate.
- Everyday assistance: record personal-care and household tasks separately, so providers can respond to the actual work involved.
- Health-related support: note the care needed and ask a healthcare professional whether a home health agency is appropriate; Medicare’s Care Compare tool can help you find and compare Medicare-certified agencies.
Record the schedule and priorities
A useful care request says when help is needed—such as mornings, evenings, or overnight—and which tasks take priority. Flag specialized needs, including dementia care, so you can look for a provider equipped to address them rather than treating the request as general household help.
Share the written task list and schedule with your healthcare professional when asking for recommendations. Specific details make it easier to discuss the right type of support and identify relevant local providers, including your Area Agency on Aging.
Where can you find home care services near me?
Find home care services near you by contacting your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA), which can connect older adults and families with local services. If you don’t know which AAA serves your area, use the Eldercare Locator to find it.
Other ways to find local providers
Family, friends, and neighbors can share referrals based on their experience with local home care. Ask healthcare professionals for recommendations as well, particularly when you’re looking for support that needs to fit around a person’s care needs.
- Local services: Contact your AAA for connections to nearby support, or use the Eldercare Locator to identify the agency to call.
- Personal referrals: Ask family, friends, and neighbors which providers they have used.
- Care recommendations: Ask healthcare professionals for suggestions. For a broader guide to coverage, care, and member support, see “UnitedHealthcare: How to Navigate Coverage, Care and Member Support.”
How can you compare local agencies and caregivers?
Compare services, not just agency names.
Use Medicare’s Care Compare tool to find and compare Medicare-certified home health agencies in your area, then check whether each agency offers the kind of help the household needs. Medicare certification identifies a particular type of agency; it does not automatically make that agency the right choice for every form of personal or household assistance.
- Service fit: Ask whether the provider offers the specific support requested, rather than assuming that every home-care need is covered by Medicare-certified home health services.
- How requests are assessed: Ask each provider how it evaluates a home-care request and what information it uses to shape support.
- Care planning: Ask how the provider develops and updates a care plan, and who is involved in those decisions.
Ask how the provider works.
Medicare’s Care Compare is useful for comparing certified home health agencies, but it is not a substitute for discussing the actual service with a provider. Before choosing, have each agency explain its services, its assessment process, and how the proposed plan will address the household’s needs.
Comfort Keepers describes an in-home evaluation and personalized care plans. Treat those as features to ask that provider about—not proof of credentials or a reason to skip checks on the provider’s qualifications and suitability.
What should you verify before arranging care?
Before arranging home care, check the provider’s background, licensing and insurance, confirm exactly who will deliver the service and what it covers, and ask how an in-home evaluation will inform the care plan. These checks apply whether you find a provider through your local Area Agency on Aging or Medicare’s Care Compare tool.
- Background: Ask how the provider screens prospective caregivers and what checks it completes. Seek referrals from family, friends or neighbors, and ask healthcare professionals for recommendations; a referral is a starting point, not a substitute for checking the provider.
- Licensing and insurance: Ask the provider to confirm its licensing and insurance, and verify that the documents apply to the service and location you are considering. Do this before agreeing to care.
- People and responsibilities: Confirm who will come into the home, which tasks are included and how the provider communicates changes to the arrangement. Ask what happens if the assigned caregiver or the person’s needs change.
What an in-home evaluation covers
Before accepting a proposed evaluation, ask what information the provider will gather, how it will assess the person’s needs and preferences, and how its findings will shape the care plan. Comfort Keepers, for example, offers in-home evaluations and describes its plans as personalized; ask the company what its evaluation and any proprietary diagnostic tools mean for the services proposed. Request the resulting plan in writing so you can check that its tasks and responsibilities match what you discussed.
What are the limits of directories and provider claims?
Do not treat a listing as verification
A directory referral is a lead, not proof that a caregiver or agency is licensed, insured or suitable for your needs; verify each point directly before arranging care. Medicare Care Compare is for searching and comparing Medicare-certified home health agencies, not for answering every question about non-medical help at home.
- Licensing and insurance: Ask the specific caregiver or agency to confirm both, and check the relevant details yourself.
- Service fit: Clarify what help is offered, including whether it matches the support you need at home.
- Medicare Care Compare: Use it to compare Medicare-certified home health agencies; do not treat it as a complete directory or assessment of non-medical home assistance.
- Provider evaluations: A personalized evaluation or proprietary tool, such as Comfort Keepers’ approach, reflects that provider’s process—not an independent credential. Ask what the evaluation means for the services offered.
Confirm price and payment directly
The available information provides no general prices or guarantee that a particular service will be covered. Before agreeing to care, ask the provider for the cost of the services you want and confirm payment terms, including what is and is not included; do not assume a directory listing or Medicare comparison establishes either.
What should you ask before care begins?
Before home care begins, get written answers about the exact tasks, assigned caregiver, screening and credentials, care-plan reviews, and every charge or coverage limit. A service described as “in-home care” can mean personal assistance, household help, or medical home health; confirm which services the provider will actually deliver.
Confirm the care and the people providing it
- Tasks: Ask whether the plan includes help with bathing, dressing, meals, or housekeeping, and identify any excluded tasks. Have the provider specify who handles a need that falls outside the agreement.
- Caregiver: Ask who will enter the home and what background checks, licensing, and insurance the provider can verify. For medical home health, use Medicare Care Compare to search and compare Medicare-certified agencies; do not assume every in-home support provider is a home health agency.
- Assessment: Ask how the provider will assess needs before the first visit, document the care plan, and revise it if health or daily support needs change. Comfort Keepers, for example, describes in-home evaluations and personalized care plans; ask what its assessment means for the specific services offered locally.
Cost and coverage: Request an itemized estimate showing the rate, billing unit, minimum visit, travel or cancellation charges, and payment schedule. Ask what Medicare or other coverage applies to the specific service, and get any limits or out-of-pocket costs in writing before signing; do not assume non-medical household help is covered as medical home health.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find home care services near me?
How do I compare Medicare-certified home health agencies?
What should I check before hiring an in-home provider?
Can a home-care provider assess needs at home?
Where can I ask about specialized dementia care?
Key takeaways
- Find your local Area Agency on Aging through the Eldercare Locator.
- Use Medicare Care Compare for Medicare-certified home health agencies.
- Verify background checks, licensing, and insurance before arranging care.
- Get service details and costs directly from the provider; the available material gives no general price range.
Sources
- PPL — “In-Home Elderly Care: Understanding Your Choices”
- helpguide.org — “Home Care Services and In-Home Assistance for Seniors”
- In-Home Care — “Comfort Keepers”
- Alzheimer's Association — “In-Home Care”
- U.S. News — “Understanding Your Home Healthcare Service Options”
