Lehigh County · Pennsylvania
Home Care in Allentown, PA
Allentown is the Lehigh Valley's largest city, with two health networks and four hospital campuses inside or at its edge. It's Your Home Care provides licensed, non-medical in-home care and elderly care across the city's neighborhoods and in Whitehall, South Whitehall, Salisbury and the other Lehigh County suburbs around it.
Why Allentown families call us
Allentown calls come from every kind of household. A daughter in South Whitehall whose father in the West End can no longer manage the stairs after a hip replacement. A son commuting to New Jersey who needs someone with his mother on weekdays. A husband on the East Side caring for his wife with Alzheimer's who has not slept through the night in months. Some families have lived in the city for generations; many others have parents who moved here to be near children and grandchildren and now need more help than the family can give.
Allentown has a large Spanish-speaking community, and for many families language matters as much as the schedule. When we match a caregiver we consider needs, personality, schedule, location and language, so tell us during the consultation what language your parent is most comfortable in and we will tell you honestly what we can arrange.
Homes and neighborhoods across the city
Center City and the older wards around it are mostly brick row homes, three stories in many blocks, with narrow staircases and bathrooms on the second floor. The West End, around Muhlenberg College and the parks along Cedar Creek, has more twins and single homes with yards and front porches. The East Side and South Side mix row homes, twins and post-war singles on hilly streets toward the Lehigh River and South Mountain. Around the city, Whitehall, South Whitehall, Salisbury, Emmaus and Upper Macungie add ranch homes, townhouses and apartment complexes.
Each setting changes the plan. In a Center City row home it is usually the stairs, the bathroom and getting groceries without a car. In a West End twin it might be bathing help and someone to drive to appointments along Cedar Crest Boulevard. In an apartment it might be companionship, meals and Medication Reminders. We work this out with you at the consultation.
Allentown's hospitals and coming home
Allentown is unusual in having two health networks with campuses in the city. Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest is on South Cedar Crest Boulevard at the city's western edge, and Lehigh Valley Hospital–17th Street is in the city near Chew Street. St. Luke's has its Allentown Campus on Hamilton Street and its Sacred Heart Campus on Chew Street in Center City. People who need inpatient rehabilitation after a stroke or major surgery sometimes go to a rehab hospital before coming home; see coming home from rehab.
Whichever campus your parent leaves, call us with the discharge date and address. A caregiver can meet them at home, help them settle, make a meal, set up reminders per the discharge instructions and stay overnight for the first nights if needed. Nursing and therapy come from the home health agency the hospital arranges; we work alongside them. See coming home from Lehigh Valley Hospital and coming home from a St. Luke's campus.
How care starts in Allentown
- Call (717) 695-2704 or request a consultation online. Tell us the address, what a normal day looks like now and what changed recently.
- In-home consultation. A care coordinator visits the home in Allentown or the nearby suburbs, meets your parent and walks the house with you. Lehigh County is farther from our Harrisburg office than our core counties, so the visit can take a little longer to schedule than the one to two business days typical around Harrisburg.
- Written care plan listing each task, the schedule, and your parent's preferences and routines.
- Caregiver match on care needs, personality, language, schedule and location, with an introduction before the first shift when schedules allow.
- Ongoing check-ins from our office, and on-call support for active clients outside office hours.
An honest word about scheduling
A city the size of Allentown is easier to staff than rural counties, but schedules still depend on caregiver availability. Longer visits and recurring shifts are easier to staff consistently than a single one-hour visit, and very early or late start times take more planning. If a language preference or a particular schedule narrows the options, we will tell you that at the consultation rather than after care starts.
Paying for care in Allentown
- Lehigh County Aging & Adult Services, in the Lehigh County Government Center on South Seventh Street, (610) 782-3200. It handles the OPTIONS program for residents 60 and older, care management, protective services and the long-term care ombudsman. We accept OPTIONS through the county AAA. See how the OPTIONS program works.
- Long-term care insurance. We provide the care plan, daily notes and itemized invoices most carriers ask for. See how long-term care insurance claims work.
- VA benefits. Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits can help eligible veterans and surviving spouses pay for care at home. See VA benefits for home care in Pennsylvania.
- Medicaid waiver programs. Community HealthChoices (UPMC Community HealthChoices, PA Health & Wellness, AmeriHealth Caritas), the OBRA waiver and Act 150. We are an enrolled provider, and your parent can choose any willing and qualified provider. See home care through Medicaid waiver programs.
- Medicare does not pay for ongoing non-medical home care. It covers intermittent skilled home health visits when a doctor orders them, which is a different service from ours.
Read how to pay for home care in Pennsylvania for the full picture.
Neighborhoods and nearby towns we cover
- Center City
- West End
- East Side
- South Side
- Whitehall Township
- South Whitehall Township
- Salisbury Township
- Emmaus
- Fountain Hill
- Catasauqua
- Upper Macungie Township
- Macungie
- Bethlehem
Situations we help Allentown families with
Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest
Lehigh Valley Health Network (also LVH–Muhlenberg, LVH–17th Street, LVH–Hecktown Oaks, LVH–Carbon, LVH–Schuylkill)
St. Luke's University Hospital–Bethlehem
St. Luke's University Health Network (also Allentown, Sacred Heart, Anderson, Easton, Carbon and Miners campuses)
After surgery
A hip, a knee, a heart, a back. The surgeon says recovery at home is fine as long as someone is there. You want to say yes to that. Here is how to make it true.
Dementia and memory loss
The repeated questions. The stove left on. The night you found the front door open. You want to keep them home, and you are starting to wonder how much longer you can.
You need a break (respite)
You have not slept through the night in months. You have canceled your own doctor's appointments twice. You love them and you are running on empty. Respite is not giving up; it is how you keep going.
Long-distance family
You call every day. You visit when you can. But the weekly drive is not enough anymore, and every unanswered phone call sends your stomach through the floor. You need someone local you can trust.
Questions Allentown families ask us
Do you provide senior care and in-home caregivers in Allentown?
Can you match my mother with a caregiver who speaks Spanish?
Which Allentown hospitals do your clients come home from?
Who runs the OPTIONS program in Allentown?
Sources
- Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest — Lehigh Valley Health Network
- Lehigh Valley Hospital–17th Street — Lehigh Valley Health Network
- St. Luke's Hospital – Allentown Campus — St. Luke's University Health Network
- Apply for the OPTIONS Program — Pennsylvania Department of Aging
This article is general information for Pennsylvania families and is not medical, legal, financial, or insurance advice. It's Your Home Care is a non-medical home care agency licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health; we do not provide skilled nursing or medical services. Program rules and eligibility change; confirm details with the agency or program named, your physician, or a qualified advisor before making decisions.
Talk to a care coordinator who knows Allentown
Tell us what is happening at home. We will explain your options, including what private pay, long-term care insurance, VA benefits, and Pennsylvania waiver programs may cover, and schedule an in-home care consultation when you are ready.