Ohio Department of Aging

• Older Ohioans & Families
• Providers & Professionals
• Advocacy & Legislation

• Welcome
• Healthy and Active Aging
• Money Matters
• Home & Community Supports
• Caregiving
• Long-term Services & Supports
• Help for People Receiving Long-term Care
• Info Center
• About Us

If you're like most Ohioans, you'd prefer to live out your life in your own home. But maybe your health isn't quite what it used to be and you find you need help with daily activities, such as bathing, cleaning, cooking, etc. This doesn't mean the end of your independence.

A blend of home and community-based care services may provide the assistance you need to remain safely in your home. Services could include: Adult day care; care management; homemaker and chore services; home-delivered and congregate meals; friendly visitors, senior companions and telephone reassurance; home health and personal care services; home modification; respite and hospice care; personal emergency response systems; protective services and transportation.

Service availability and cost may vary by region. To find out what is available where you live, contact your Area Agency on Aging.

If you are able to pay for services in your home, you can elect to go through a home care agency or to hire a private home care worker. The choice is yours, but should be based on your needs and resources. There are benefits and drawbacks to each approach.

• Hiring privately allows you to pick the worker who is most compatible with you and your situation and gives you more flexibility in scheduling. However, you will be responsible for hiring, training and paying workers and finding replacements to cover illness and other time off, and you may be liable for on-the-job injuries.
• By going through an agency for in-home care, you eliminate most of the administrative tasks (hiring, training, paying, scheduling, etc.) associated with hiring privately. In addition, the agency may be able to provide more services than you could obtain yourself. However, help through an agency is typically more expensive and you may have less flexibility in selecting and scheduling your worker.

If you cannot afford to pay for help in your home and are eligible for Medicaid, you may be able to take advantage of our PASSPORT or Choices Medicaid waiver programs.

A free assessment by staff at your Area Agency on Aging can help you identify your needs and find service providers in your area.

Home Health Compare is a national service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that can help you identify and compare local home health providers .