Discharge instructions assume someone is there. A caregiver covers the practical side: the ride home, picking up prescriptions, stocking the fridge, cooking, light housekeeping, laundry, and a steady arm getting up, showered and dressed while strength comes back.
02
Medication reminders and appointments
Caregivers keep track of the schedule, prompt the right dose at the right time, and drive to follow-up visits, physical therapy and the pharmacy, so nothing on the discharge sheet gets missed.
03
Overnight presence
The first nights home are when falls and worry happen. An overnight caregiver is awake and nearby for bathroom trips, a glass of water, or simply knowing someone is there.
04
Working alongside home health
If a nurse or therapist has been ordered, we fit around their visits. They handle the clinical side; we cover the hours in between, every day.
05
Short-term or ongoing
Many families book two to four weeks and stop when life is back to normal. If recovery takes longer, or it becomes clear more help is needed, the same caregiver can simply keep coming.
06
How it starts
One phone call, often from the hospital room. Tell us the discharge date and what the doctor has said to expect; we'll build a plan around it and have a caregiver ready for the ride home.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between home care and home health?
They sound alike but are different services. Home health is medical: skilled nursing and therapy, ordered by a doctor, usually short-term after an illness, surgery or hospital stay — and often covered by Medicare for homebound people who need intermittent skilled care. Home care — what ABS Austin provides — is non-medical: ongoing help with bathing, dressing, meals, housekeeping, errands and companionship, scheduled by the hour and typically paid privately. Many families use both at once: a nurse visits twice a week while a caregiver covers daily living every day. Learn what non-medical home care includes.
How does home care work?
It starts with a conversation. You call (512) 430-4354 or reach out online, and we schedule a complimentary in-home consultation anywhere in the Austin area — from Round Rock and Georgetown down to Buda and Kyle. Together we build a care plan around your family's routines: which days, which hours, which tasks. We then match a trained, background-checked caregiver to your loved one's needs and personality, and our office handles scheduling, supervision and backup coverage. The plan isn't fixed — hours can go up or down as needs change. Start with a complimentary consultation.
What home care services are available?
Non-medical home care covers the everyday things that keep life at home working: personal care (bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and transfers), meal planning and preparation, light housekeeping and laundry, medication reminders, errands and transportation to appointments, companionship and engagement, support for people living with dementia, respite for family caregivers, and overnight or around-the-clock schedules. ABS Austin serves Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Lakeway, Pflugerville, Leander, West Lake Hills, Buda and Kyle. Every plan is custom — tell us what your family needs.
When does Medicare cover home care?
Medicare covers home health care only in a specific situation: a doctor or other provider sees you face-to-face, confirms you need care and orders it; you need part-time or intermittent skilled services (nursing or therapy); and you're homebound — leaving home takes considerable effort or isn't recommended. Even then, coverage is limited to part-time hours. Medicare does not pay for long-term custodial care — the ongoing non-medical help with daily living that most aging-in-place families actually need. For that, families plan privately. Talk through your options at a complimentary consultation.
Who provides home care, and what does a caregiver do?
Professional caregivers — trained, background-checked and supervised by the agency's office team. A caregiver's day is shaped by the care plan: help with bathing, dressing and grooming; preparing meals; light housekeeping; medication reminders; driving to appointments and errands; and genuine companionship — conversation, walks, cards, a shared cup of coffee. What a non-medical caregiver doesn't do is nursing: no injections, wound care or clinical procedures. At ABS Austin we match caregivers to clients by needs and personality, not just availability, because the relationship is most of the job. Meet us at a complimentary consultation.
Can home care provide respite for family caregivers?
Yes. A caregiver steps in for a few hours a week, a full day or an overnight so a family caregiver can rest. The person keeps their routine at home, and the same caregiver returns week after week.
