Find Home Care in Delaware

Home care or senior home care in Delaware is provided by senior home care agencies through the services of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, home health aides, home attendants, social workers, and therapists. Senior home care is available to people that need varying levels of care. Services can be provided a few hours a week or constantly throughout the day. For those that don’t need specialized care but need help around the house, personal care is another option. The intention is to keep seniors in their homes and allow them to be independent. There are about 163 agencies and the average monthly cost of Senior Home Care is $4,195. 

Find HOME CARE Facilities In DELAWARE

Find Senior Caring Options by County

Home Care in Delaware - Cost Comparison

When seeking a home health care aide for you or your loved one, it’s important to understand one’s individual needs for care. Generally speaking, licensed medical professionals work under the direction of a physician, with non-medical paraprofessionals working alongside other professionals in many cases. Home care can provide services such as housekeeping, general shopping, and medication management, to full-on nursing care and medical attention. Depending on what will be required on the job, the cost of this care will vary from each city to the next. 

There are a number of cities throughout Delaware that have senior home care agencies but Dover has the largest number and the median monthly cost for senior home health care is $4,195.

CityHomemaker Services Monthly CostsHome Health Aide Monthly Costs
Dover$4,195$4,195
State Median$4,195$4,481

Recreation & Attractions in Delaware

Delaware has so much to offer besides their well-known beaches. Other attractions include the Brandywine Creek, Grand House Opera, Nassau Valley Vineyards, the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, and much more. The Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library was founded by Henry Francis du Pont and is a collection of American decorative art along with artifacts from the du Pont family. Due to the library having the best works in its collection, many scholars from all over the world come study the literary pieces. Delaware also hosts some delicious events such as the Rehoboth Beach Chocolate Festival, the Apple-Scrapple Festival, showcasing local food, fun, music, and more.

As a senior, there are still places to go and things to see in Delaware. There are senior centers throughout the state that provide senior-oriented activities such as crafts, billiards, bingo, and exercise classes. Specialized senior trips are also available near or far like a trip to Cape May by the Cape May-Lewes ferry or a tour of the Nemours Mansion and Gardens.

Delaware's Climate, Geography & Culture 

The climate in Delaware is considered humid and temperate with low winter temperatures averaging 25 degrees and summer highs averaging 86 degrees. The bodies of water surrounding the state lessen the frequency of extreme temperature fluctuations. Delaware is prone to severe weather with Nor’easters during the spring and winter, tropical storms during the fall, and severe thunderstorms during the summer. 45 inches of rain and 15 inches of snowfall over the 110 days of measurable precipitation throughout the year.

Delaware is America's first state and though small, contains many historic highlights. Having remained largely unchanged in some places for over 300 years, visitors to Delaware can explore coastal towns like Lewes and New Castle for a step back in time to glimpse where colonial life had taken place. Overall, you'll find happy residents excited to show you what makes this state a great place to live!

Crime & Safety in Delaware

Sperling’s Best Places ranked Delaware 52 on a scale of 100 (1 being the lowest crime) for violent crime and 48 for property crime; the United States overall ranked 41 for violent crime and 44 for property crime.  The city of Wilmington is a hotspot for crime, which is why the Cease Violence Wilmington was created. Theodore Jackson Senior is the creator of the program with the original intention being to help fight crime on a local level. The program sends people called interrupters to the crime hotspots to talk to those who are potential offenders or have offended. The aim is to steer the young adults away from a life of crime through helping them find jobs or other outlets. 

When seeking home care in Delaware, it's best to understand where the safer areas are in order to promote you or your elderly loved one's peace of mind. Some of the safest cities in Delaware include:

LocationViolent Crime Per 1,000 ResidentsProperty Crime Per 1,000 Residents
Clayton2.6112.40
Ocean View0.4816.46
Elsmere3.5620.25
Newark3.1722.70

(source: safewise.com)

Delaware's Home Care Regulations & Laws

34 states in total along with the District of Columbia require a minimum federal standard of 75 hours of training. Additionally, 16 hours of supervised clinical training with 12 hours of continuing education every 12 month period are required to maintain a certification. 

According to federal legislation (42 CFR 484.36), Medicare-certified home health agencies are required to employ only health aides who have been trained and evaluated by the approved programs of their state of practice. These regulations provide the subject areas and required skills, as well as the qualifications for trainers approved to administer the competency evaluation process. 

Payment Options for Delaware Home Care

Paying for home care is possible through a variety of different methods, with some more financially plausible than others. After you’ve determined the general price of home care near you, understanding how to pay is next: 

To start, Medicare Supplemental Insurances do cover Medicare copayments and deductibles for medical home care, as long as it is determined to be necessary. Otherwise, Medicare does not pay for home care aides, and only covers medical home health care very selectively. The benefits of medicare just do not apply to non-medical care, period. 

Next, U.S. veterans can receive assistance for home care through benefits like the Improved Pension or Homebound and Aid & Attendance Pension. To apply you can contact your local Area Agency on Aging.

Most seniors will choose to pay privately to avoid the hassle of maintaining insurances and other qualifications. Besides using one’s own savings to pay for care, others may choose to pay through a reverse mortgage, by opening a home equity line of credit or by converting their life insurance policies. If you had purchased long-term care insurance earlier in life, this option is also very viable. 

Finally, Medicaid is an insurance program for low-income seniors and their families that can be used to pay for non-medical home care, home health care, and other home support programs. Since Medicaid rules are state-specific, your eligibility and benefits will change based on location. Care received outside of a nursing home is generally referred to as Home and Community Based Services (HCBS). 

Senior & Elderly Rights for Home Care in Delaware

As a senior receiving home care from a Medicare-approved home health agency, you retain various guaranteed rights and protections. When you start with your care, it is required that the home health agency’s caretaker must provide you with a written copy of your rights. Firstly, you are entitled to choose your own home health agency, although if you are on a managed care plan your choices may be fewer. Caretakers are to treat you and your personal property with respect at all times, minding your preferences for privacy when necessary. You are also encouraged to make decisions about the services medical or non-medical you are to receive. 

Some may reach a point where they are unable to make decisions regarding their own medical care — luckily, a family member or legal guardian can step in as an advocate on your behalf. It is also important to note that your Constitutional rights and those afforded to you by the Bill of Rights are retained throughout your care. If you believe a violation of these rights has occurred, reach out to an elder law professional to understand what actions may be possible. 

Delaware Home Care: Medical Records Rules & Regulations

While receiving home care or any other medical service in Delaware, your rights to obtain written or digital copies of your medical records is possible via written request. It is a common misconception that this information cannot be released to you due to privacy laws, however, this is simply not true. While some cases warrant the denial releasing your information, your healthcare provider must respect your requests and respond within 30 days, or as many as 60 days later including a statement addressing the delay. 

Details of your mental and physical health are included in your protected health information which includes medical records, billing records, claims adjudication records, and other private documents. By reviewing your information you’ll always be able to make any corrections needed with the supervision of your healthcare provider and ensure the overall accuracy of these records. 

Finding the perfect senior care community is only part of making your loved one’s senior living transition smooth. At SeniorCaring, we know that it is also equally important to be aware of what other community services and resources are available to your family’s senior. Choose your location and find local resources for your senior.