The following is a sample of the many services and resources available to help adults remain at home. Learn more about:
Hiring an Aide
who to contact to find out more about these services.
People that need help with such things as preparing meals, personal care (e.g. bathing, dressing), and housekeeping have several options for hiring help. See “Hiring Skilled Nursing Care” below if skilled nursing or other professional care is needed.
For more information, visit Consumer Directed Washington to find an office near you or call them at 866-214-9899.
AARP has an entire section on providing care at home – including an article Help Wanted: Tips for Hiring a Home-Care Worker.
How to Find and Hire a Home Care Worker
Videos
Home Care Agencies
Home care agencies recruit, train, pay, supervise, and are responsible for the care provided by the aide they send to your home. These agencies are licensed by Washington State. Use The National Association of Home Care and Hospice locator to find a home care agency in your area or contact your local Senior Information and Assistance office.
Private Hires
You can also find, hire, train, pay, and supervise an aide yourself. Learn more from the Family Caregiver Alliance’s fact sheet hiring in-home help.
Volunteer chore services
Volunteer chore services exists for low income adults who can’t afford to pay for in-home services but do not qualify for other state assistance. Volunteers can help with things like household chores, shopping, moving, minor home repair, yard care, personal care, and transportation.
Hiring Skilled Nursing Care
who to contact to find out more about these services.
Home health care agencies
People that need skilled nursing care (e.g. wound care, giving injections) often get it from a home health agency. Home health agencies recruit, supervise, and pay the person and assume responsibility for the care provided. Home health care through an agency must be authorized by a doctor. Home health care agencies are licensed by Washington State.
Use The National Association of Home Care and Hospice locator to find a home health agency in your area or contact your local Senior Information and Assistance office.
You can also hire a nurse or therapist directly. In this case, you are responsible for finding, hiring, supervising, and paying the person. Learn more from the Family Caregiver Alliance’s fact sheet hiring in-home help .
Adults receiving state-funds (Medicaid) to pay for long term care services may also be eligible for the Nurse Delegation Program. With Nurse Delegation, a caregiver may be trained to help with certain nursing type care tasks in your home or a boarding or adult family home. Learn more about Nurse Delegation.
To find a home health agency in your area:
- Use Medicare’s Home Health Care website run by Medicare. This on-line tool provides you with information on how well the home health agencies in your area care for their patients.
- Use The National Association of Home Care and Hospice locator to find a home health agency in your area.
- Contact your local Senior Information and Assistance office.
Community Resources
who to contact to find out more about these services.
Adult Day Centers
Adult day centers are a daytime program for an adult who needs some level of care but doesn’t need the level of care provided by an RN or rehabilitative therapist. Services in most adult day center programs include help with personal care, social services and activities, education, routine health monitoring, general therapeutic activities, a nutritious meal and snacks, coordination of transportation, first aid, and emergency care.
Adult Day Health
Adult day health is a daytime program for an adult who needs skilled nursing care or a licensed rehabilitative therapist. An adult day health center provides skilled nursing services, rehabilitative therapy such as physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech-language therapy, brief psychological and/or counseling services and all of the services listed for adult day center above.
Companion Services
Routine visits or phone calls are made to people who live alone or are not able to leave their home. Some companion services may also include help with transportation of shopping.
Home Delivered Meals
Nutritious meals are delivered to people who have difficulty leaving their home. Another option for meals for seniors is in a group setting at many senior center.
Senior Centers
Senior centers are facilities in a community where older people can meet, share a meal, get services, and take part in recreational activities.
Transportation
Transportation is provided for someone who no longer can drive or has access to a car.
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)
Providence ElderPlace is an innovative program of health care and social services for older adults. Our model of care is known as PACE (Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly). PACE programs keep older adults as healthy as possible in the community by providing comprehensive health care and social services.
For participants who:
- Reside in King, Spokane, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties
- Are age 55 or older, qualify for Medicare and/or Medicaid
- Need assistance with daily activities but can still live safely in a community-based setting
- Include those with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia
For More Information
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Providence ElderPlace (King, Snohomish, and Spokane Counties)
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International Community Health Services (King County only)
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PNW PACE Partners (King and Pierce Counties)
Home Modification / Assistive Technology
who to contact to find out more about these services.
Environmental modifications
Modifications are added into the home that help an adult with a medical or disabling condition adapt to his/her changing needs safely (e.g. ramps, a grab-bar in the shower or near a toilet, or widened doorways for a wheelchair).
Learn more about different types of assistive technology and how to find them.
- ABLEDATA
- National Public Website on Assistive Technology
- Washington Assistive Technology Act Program
Find, try out and get assistive technology (AT) and see links to low interest loans that may be available.
Personal Emergency Response System (PERS)
An adult is given an electronic device to summon help in an emergency. The device is connected to a phone or the adult may also wear a portable “help” button. When activated, staff at a response center call 911 or take whatever action has been asked for ahead of time.
Hospice Care and Respite Care
who to contact to find out more about these services.
Hospice care
Hospice care involves a team of professionals and volunteers who provide medical, psychological, and spiritual care to a dying person and his or her family. Hospice care is normally provided in the person's home but is also available in other care settings, including a hospital. Hospice staff are available 24 hours a day to help care for the dying person, ensure he or she is comfortable and free from pain, and provide counseling and support for the person and his or her family. Learn more from the Hospice Association of America's library of publications about hospice care.
To find a hospice agency in your area contact:
- The National Association of Home Care and Hospice locator
- The Washington State Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
- Your local Senior Information and Assistance office
Respite Care
Respite care is when another person or facility temporarily takes care of a frail adult so the person caring for them at home can have a break. Respite care can be arranged through the Family Caregiver Support Program (FCSP), home health agencies, adult family homes, Assisted Living Facilities, adult day health or adult day center, nursing facilities, or family, friends, and volunteers.