What home care costs in Austin

Less than most families expect. Medicare covers part-time, intermittent skilled home health — skilled nursing and therapy ordered by a doctor for someone who is homebound. It explicitly does not cover 24-hour care at home, home meal delivery, homemaker services unrelated to a care plan, or "custodial or personal care" (help bathing, dressing, using the bathroom) when that's the only care needed. That last category is exactly what non-medical home care provides, so families typically pay privately or use long-term care insurance. Ask us about paying for care in Austin — the consultation is complimentary.

Yes, for those who qualify. Texas Medicaid's STAR+PLUS managed-care program serves adults 65 and older and adults with disabilities, and it covers long-term services and supports — including personal assistance services, described by Texas HHS as "help in your home with basic daily activities." Its Home and Community Based Services program helps people stay at home who would otherwise need a nursing home. Eligibility runs through Texas HHSC, with income and functional requirements, and services are arranged through your Medicaid health plan. If you're weighing every way to pay for care in Austin, start with a complimentary consultation — we'll point you in the right direction.

Sometimes. IRS Publication 502 explains when long-term care services count as a medical expense; a tax preparer can say if it applies. With a long-term care policy, we organize the claim paperwork and follow up with the carrier.

Neither is "better" — they solve different problems. Assisted living offers a built-in community, prepared meals and staff on site, but it means leaving a home your parent may be deeply attached to, and staff attention is shared across many residents. Home care is one-on-one in familiar surroundings, with hours matched to actual needs — which can make it the gentler first step. The honest questions to work through: how much support is needed each day, does your parent want to move, and what does each option truly cost at the hours required? We'll help you think it through — book a complimentary consultation.

It depends on the level of need. Nursing homes exist for people who need round-the-clock skilled nursing and medical supervision — care that can't reasonably be delivered at home. Home care is non-medical support with daily living, delivered one-on-one where the person already lives. When needs can be met safely at home, many Austin families prefer it: familiar surroundings, continuity, family nearby, and hours scaled to the actual need rather than an institutional routine. When medical needs are constant, a nursing facility is the right call — and an honest agency will say so. Talk through what fits your family.