Senior Home Care Cost in Santa Cruz

Between now and the year 2030, on a daily basis an average of 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 years old. Among those individuals, about 70% of them will need senior care services at some point in their lives.

With these stats in mind, more people than ever are beginning to look at senior services for their elderly loved ones. And one of the most important factors for these individuals is the senior home care cost in Santa Cruz, and what they should expect to pay for this assistance.

Does Your Loved One Need In-Home Senior Care?

Every type of senior services will vary based on the individual who needs assistance. All seniors age differently, making it important to determine the level of their health before deciding whether they need in-home senior care or something else.

Some of the things to watch for as you are looking into these services include:

• The senior’s overall mobility
• Their cognitive function from day-to-day
• Their ability to complete basic housekeeping tasks
• How well they can take care of themselves with activities of daily living (ADLs)
• Whether they have feelings of isolation or loneliness
• Struggles with fine motor skills
• If they are still able to drive themselves around
• Significant fluctuations in weight
• Injuries or falls becoming more frequent

When it comes to in-home senior care services, reputable providers typically offer caring companionship, personal home care, meal planning, transportation, housekeeping, and respite care.

It is important to identify whether your senior loved one needs in-home senior care or something more than that. Most in-home care providers don’t provide medical treatments and other types of medical care. This includes services like physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, medical tests, advanced memory care, and beyond.

As you consider in-home senior care costs, you may want to think about how much assistance your family member will need and how often. This will help you determine whether they can be cared for safely at home or if they should be residing in a nursing home or assisted living facility.

How Much Does In-Home Senior Care Cost?

The national average in-home senior care cost is about $4,481 per month depending on the level of care provided. The price will vary based on your loved one’s needs and how much help they require throughout the week. Your monthly costs could be less than the average or more.

One of the biggest factors in senior care cost is how many hours the provider spends at your family member’s home during the week. Many seniors only need one or two hours worth of assistance in a 7-day period, while others may require someone be with them 24 hours a day.

With so many types of senior care services available, you can more easily get an idea of what you can expect to pay by choosing the level your loved one needs.

Caring Companionship

It’s no secret that seniors tend to get lonely as they get older and their families begin to grow busier in their own personal lives. A caring companion can be brought in to provide friendship and support for a senior who would like to have someone around on occasion.

This type of in-home senior care is for those who are still able to live independently and need little to no assistance in their daily living. But instead of feeling isolated and lonely on a daily basis, your loved one can have a companion who comes by to spend quality time with them.

Caring companions can read with them, play board games, do puzzles, or simply talk with your senior family member.

Personal Home Care

The average cost of in-home care for seniors will also factor in whether the caregiver provides personal care services. This generally includes assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as:

• Ambulation: Assistance with getting up and around their living space, walking around, or being transferred to and from their bed.
• Basic Hygiene: Senior in-home care providers can help with showering, bathing, brushing teeth, combing hair, and more.
• Daily Dressing: To avoid lounging around in their pajamas all day, your senior loved one can count on a personal care provider to help them get dressed and ready daily.
• Eating: From meal planning and preparation to feeding your family member, in-home personal caregivers can help with all things food and nutrition.
• Toileting: Assisting with making it to the restroom on time as well as the following cleanup.

Respite Care

Many seniors already have family members or friends serving as their caregivers but even those individuals need time for themselves every now and then. Respite care offers that break at the times when it’s needed most as a short-term alternative for at-home care.

This is highly beneficial for the physical and mental health of caregivers as they can take a vacation or simply enjoy some alone time at their own home. An experienced replacement will provide all the same assistance the senior requires to avoid any lapse in their livelihood.

The in-home senior care cost of respite services will depend on the length of time and the level of care that is needed during that period.

How Can I Pay for Home Care?

As you determine the cost of in-home senior care, the next step will be to decide how you plan to pay for it. Your payment options will depend on your insurance providers, available funds, and government-based program availability.

Some of the most common ways people pay for their senior care cost are with:

• Medicaid
• Medicare
• Private Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Reverse Mortgage
• Personal Funds

What Will Your In-Home Care Cost Be?

Now that you have an understanding of the average cost of in-home care for seniors, the next step is to get a quote from a reputable service provider. Pacific Angels Home Care is the top option for home care services in Santa Cruz, with a great variety of services and friendly caregivers on staff.

Give us a call today at (831) 708-2876 or reach out to us online using our online form to schedule an in-home senior care consultation!

Logan Derrick

After being told once that his content writing was like magic, Logan took on the title of Wordcraft Wizard. He is a professional content marketing strategist with a deep knowledge of SEO, digital marketing, web design, and more. He is dedicated to providing powerful, relevant, and engaging content without all the "fluff".