State-licensed home care agencies
Agencies that send caregivers to the home to help with bathing, dressing, meals, medications and companionship, according to state licensing records.
What a home care agency does
A home care agency (also called personal care, companion or homemaker services, depending on the state) sends trained caregivers to the home by the hour, by shift or as live-in help. They help with everyday activities: bathing, dressing, eating, moving around safely, remembering medications, running errands and keeping company. It’s different from home health, which is medical care (nursing and therapy) ordered by a doctor.
Medicare usually doesn’t pay for this everyday care; many families pay privately, with long-term care insurance or, if they qualify, through state Medicaid programs. Estimate what it would cost and compare it with other options.
When you call, ask whether the caregivers are employees of the agency, whether they speak Spanish if your family needs it, how they cover absences and what the minimum number of hours per visit is.
Sources: Texas HHSC — Directory of Home and Community Support Services Agencies (HCSSA) with an Active License · New York State Department of Health — Licensed Home Care Services Agencies (Health Facility General Information) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection — Homemaker-Companion Agencies (eLicense, data.ct.gov) · Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment — State-licensed Home Care Agencies and Home Health Agencies · Maryland Department of Health — Office of Health Care Quality: Residential Service Agencies · Florida Agency for Health Care Administration — FloridaHealthFinder (Home Health Agencies, Homemaker and Companion Services, Nurse Registries) · California Department of Social Services — Community Care Licensing, Home Care Services Bureau: Home Care Organizations · Illinois Department of Public Health — directories of Home Health, Home Services and Home Nursing Agencies (data.illinois.gov) · Minnesota Department of Health — Health Care Provider Directory: Home Care and Home Health Agencies · North Carolina DHHS — Division of Health Service Regulation: Licensed Home Care Agencies (Home Care All) · Oregon Health Authority — Health Facility Licensing and Certification: Licensed In-Home Care Agencies · Wisconsin Department of Health Services — Division of Quality Assurance: Personal Care Agencies · Ohio Department of Health — EID Health Care Provider Report: Facility Listing (licensed Home Health Agencies) · Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Licensing and Background Checks — Licensed Health Care Facilities (UGRC): Assisted Living, Personal Care Agencies and Home Health Agencies · Hawaii Department of Health — Office of Health Care Assurance: Licensed Home Care Agencies and Home Health Agencies (Hawaii Statewide GIS Program) · Delaware Division of Health Care Quality — Licensed Personal Assistance Services Agencies and Home Health Agencies · Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services — Office of Inspector General: Personal Services Agencies and Private Duty Nursing Agencies · Indiana Department of Health — Personal Services Agency and Home Health Agency Directories · South Carolina Department of Public Health — Healthcare Quality: Licensed In-Home Care Providers and Home Health Agencies. Methodology.
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