In-home senior care works in four steps: you call, someone visits the home to learn what your relative needs, the agency matches a Caregiver, and the first visit is scheduled.
The short version
- In-home senior care starts with a phone call, then a visit at your relative's home to talk about needs, then a match with a Caregiver and a first scheduled visit.
- Non-medical home care covers company, rides, meals, bathing help, light housekeeping and medication reminders. It does not cover nursing or therapy.
- Medicare does not pay for long-term custodial care, so most families use savings, long-term care insurance, VA benefits or ALTCS.
- Before you call, write down the hours of help you need, the daily tasks that are hard, and any health conditions the Caregiver should know about.
- Ask any agency how it screens Caregivers, what happens if the match is wrong, and what the minimum visit length is.
Maybe your mother in Scottsdale is skipping meals, or your husband can no longer be left alone while you run errands. Seniors Helping Seniors® Scottsdale does not provide home health, skilled nursing, hospice or assisted living.
Talk to someone in Scottsdale
Call Seniors Helping Seniors® Scottsdale on a weekday and a person answers. Describe the week you have had and you will hear what makes sense next, with no obligation.
What does in-home care look like day to day?
Non-medical home care means a person comes to the house to help with daily life. There is no clinician on the visit.
A visit might run two hours or eight. A Caregiver may arrive at 9 in the morning, make breakfast, remind your father to take his pills, and sit with him over coffee. Then comes a short walk before the Arizona heat builds, light laundry, and a ride to a doctor's appointment.
Common tasks include:
- Meals and cleanup
- Bathing and dressing help
- Rides to appointments and the store
- Light housekeeping
- Company and conversation
Medication reminders are fine. A Caregiver can say, "It's time for your 8 o'clock pills." A Caregiver does not hand out doses, change them, dress wounds or give therapy. That is skilled care at home, and a separate kind of provider does it.
Some families want the same person each time. Ask for that. A steady face matters most to someone with memory loss, who may feel unsettled by new people. You can see the full list on the All Care Services page.
What does in-home care cost, and who pays?
Prices vary by agency, so get the hourly rate in writing from at least three. The national median for a non-medical caregiver was $35 an hour in 2025, according to the CareScout Cost of Care Survey (opens in new tab). At 44 hours a week, that comes to $80,080 a year. This is a national comparison, not an agency quote.
Medicare is the surprise for many families. It does not pay for long-term custodial care, the help with bathing, dressing and eating, as Medicare.gov explains (opens in new tab). You pay for services it does not cover.
Arizona's Medicaid long-term care program, the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) (opens in new tab), can cover care at home for people who meet its financial and care needs requirements. For help sorting out these programs, the Area Agency on Aging, Region One (opens in new tab) runs a 24-hour Senior HELP LINE for Maricopa County and can point you to caregiver support and respite.
Personal funds, such as savings or a pension, are another payment source listed by the National Institute on Aging (opens in new tab).
Many long-term care insurance policies reimburse non-medical home care.
Veterans and surviving spouses can ask about VA Aid and Attendance (opens in new tab), a pension add-on for people who need help with daily activities, through VA Phoenix Health Care (opens in new tab).
If your relative has dementia and Traditional Medicare, a program called Medicare GUIDE (opens in new tab) may help. It offers up to $2,500 a year of in-home respite for eligible families.
What should you do before and during the first call?
Start with a notepad. Ten minutes of notes will make the call faster.
- Write down what is hard right now: meals, bathing, falls, driving, loneliness.
- Count the hours you think you need, and which days.
- List health conditions and the doctor's name.
- Note who pays, and find any long-term care insurance policy.
- Decide who will be at the home for the first visit.
Then call. Ask how Caregivers are screened, whether they are background-checked, and whether the office is bonded and insured. Ask what the minimum visit is. Ask what happens if your mother does not click with the Caregiver.
The agency will then visit the home. Walk through where your relative needs help, such as getting into the shower or reaching food in the kitchen. Explain when medication reminders are needed. Your relative should be in the room.
What happens if you call Seniors Helping Seniors® Scottsdale?
We answer (480) 674-5400 Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM, with 24/7 coverage for emergencies. We reply to emails in under 4 hours. We offer a free care visit that costs nothing and carries no obligation. Our Caregivers are seniors themselves and are background-checked, and the office is bonded and insured. We provide non-medical care in Scottsdale and nearby areas, as outlined on our Scottsdale Senior Home Care page.
Not sure which kind of help fits?
Every family's week looks different. Tell Seniors Helping Seniors® Scottsdale what yours looks like and you will get a plain answer on what would help in Scottsdale, and what it would cost, before anything is booked.
Questions families ask about in-home senior care
How fast can care start?
It depends on the agency and on how many hours you need. Ask for a start date during your first call.
Can I try it for a few hours before committing?
Ask whether the agency offers a short trial before you book ongoing visits. Ask about the minimum visit length, and ask whether you can change the schedule later.
Will my mother accept a stranger in her home?
Often not at first. Tell her the Caregiver is a helper for a few hours, not a replacement for you. If your mother skips lunch but refuses help, ask whether she would accept someone making lunch while you run an errand. Let her choose the meal and discuss the visit with her before booking. Afterward, ask what she wants changed before arranging another visit.
Is in-home care the same as home health?
No. Home health is skilled care at home, ordered by a doctor. Non-medical home care helps with daily living. Some families use both.
What if I live far away from my parent in Scottsdale?
Ask the office how it will update you. Ask who your office contact will be and whether someone can call you after the first visit. You can also request that someone check in on a set day each week.
Does in-home care cost less than a care facility?
It can, if you need fewer hours. CareScout's 2025 survey puts assisted living at a national median of $6,200 a month. Compare that with the hours you need at an hourly rate quoted in writing.
