Paying for Care

The cost of in-home care depends on three things: how many hours of care are needed each week, what level of support is involved, and whether care includes overnight, live-in or continuous coverage.

That is why we do not publish a single hourly rate. A few companionship hours a week and round-the-clock dementia support are very different services. We give you clear, specific pricing at your free assessment, based on the plan we build together.

This is how most of our families pay: privately, from income, savings, retirement accounts or family contributions. It is the most straightforward route — no eligibility criteria, no approval process, and full control over the schedule.

Families often split the cost between siblings, or combine private pay with a long-term care insurance benefit that only covers part of the hours.

If your loved one holds a long-term care insurance policy, it may cover a substantial share of in-home care costs. Policies vary widely in what they cover, what triggers benefits, and whether there is a waiting period before payments begin.

We can provide documentation and care records that support a claim. See our Long-Term Care Insurance page for what to look for in a policy and what to ask the insurer.

We would rather tell you this up front than after an assessment, so here it is plainly: Gentle Touch Home Assist does not accept Medicare, and we do not accept veterans' benefits. We are a private-pay agency.

On Medicare specifically, this is not unusual and it is worth understanding why. Medicare does not pay for non-medical home care of the kind we provide. It may cover short-term skilled home health ordered by a physician — nursing visits, physical therapy — but not ongoing help with bathing, meals, housekeeping or companionship. That is true across the industry, not just of us.

If your loved one is a veteran, or if Medicare or a state program is the only realistic way to fund care, we are not the right fit — and we will say so rather than let you spend time on an assessment that leads nowhere. Your local Area Agency on Aging can point you toward providers who work with those programs.