Guides
Home care guides for Pennsylvania families
Evergreen, sourced explainers written for families in Central and Eastern Pennsylvania. Each guide is reviewed on a schedule and shows its last update date. For shorter, timely pieces, see the Journal.
Paying for Care
VA benefits for home care in Pennsylvania: Aid and Attendance and other help for veterans
Aid and Attendance, Housebound and VA home care programs: who they help, how to apply, and where Pennsylvania veterans and widows can get free help with a claim.
Is home care tax deductible? A plain-English guide for families
When in-home care counts as a medical expense, who can claim it, the dependent care credit, HSA and FSA rules, and how Pennsylvania treats it.
How to Pay for Home Care in Pennsylvania: Private Pay, Insurance, VA Benefits, OPTIONS, and Medicaid Waivers (2026)
Every way Pennsylvania families pay for non-medical home care in 2026: private pay, long-term care insurance, VA Aid and Attendance, the OPTIONS program, the Caregiver Support Program, Community HealthChoices, OBRA and Act 150, plus the federal tax deduction. Who qualifies, what each pays, and how to start.
How Long-Term Care Insurance Pays for Home Care in Pennsylvania: Triggers, Elimination Periods, and the Paperwork Carriers Ask For
How long-term care insurance covers non-medical home care: the two-of-six ADL and cognitive impairment triggers, elimination periods, reimbursement vs. indemnity policies, why carriers require a licensed agency, exactly what documentation they ask for, and how to start a claim in Pennsylvania.
Choosing an Agency
Questions to ask a home care agency: a checklist for Pennsylvania families
A family checklist for calling home care agencies in Pennsylvania: license, caregivers, backup, staying in touch, paying for care and your rights.
Your rights with a home care agency in Pennsylvania
Your rights with a Pennsylvania home care agency in plain words: a say in the care plan, notice before care ends, money protections, and how to raise a concern.
Hiring a private caregiver vs. using a home care agency in Pennsylvania
Who is the employer, taxes and insurance, screening and backup: what hiring a caregiver directly involves compared with a licensed home care agency.
How to Verify a Pennsylvania Home Care Agency's License (and What That License Means for You)
Step-by-step: look up any Pennsylvania home care agency or registry on the Department of Health's license search, understand what 'agency' versus 'registry' means for who employs the caregiver, and know the protections every licensed agency owes you under Pennsylvania's home care rules.
Types of Care
Home care vs. home health care: what each one does for your family
Home care vs. home health care in plain words: who comes to the house, what Medicare pays for, and how the two teams share the weeks after a hospital stay.
Companion care vs. personal care: which one does your parent need?
Company and help around the house vs. hands-on help with bathing, dressing and toileting: what each includes, the signs to watch for, and how each is paid for.
When does someone with dementia need 24-hour care at home?
The safety signs, night-time patterns and caregiver limits that point to round-the-clock dementia care at home, and the steps in between.
24-Hour Home Care vs. Live-In Care in Pennsylvania: Which One Fits
Family Caregiving
Signs an aging parent needs help at home, and what to do next
What to look for in the kitchen, bathroom, mail and medicine cabinet, and gentle next steps that keep your parent in charge.
A room-by-room home safety checklist to lower the risk of falls
Walk the house with this checklist based on CDC and NIA advice: stairs, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, outside, and the questions to ask the doctor.
The first week of home care: what to expect and how to prepare
How to prepare the house and the paperwork, what happens on day one, the check-in, and what to do if the caregiver match is not right.
Home Care vs. Assisted Living vs. Nursing Home in Pennsylvania: How to Decide
Pennsylvania Programs
Does Medicaid pay for home care in Pennsylvania? A family guide to Community HealthChoices
How Medicaid pays for home care in Pennsylvania through Community HealthChoices: the first call, qualifying, choosing a plan and a provider, and when family can be paid.
The OPTIONS program: in-home help for Pennsylvania seniors 60 and older
Who qualifies for OPTIONS, what it can pay for, how the Area Agency on Aging visit works, what your parent may contribute, waiting lists, and how to start.
The Act 150 program: help at home for adults 18 to 59 with physical disabilities
Who qualifies for Act 150, how it differs from Community HealthChoices, using an agency or hiring your own attendant, what you may contribute, and what happens at 60.
Area Agencies on Aging in Pennsylvania: who to call in each of our 16 counties
The Area Agency on Aging name and phone number for each of our 16 counties, and how they can help: OPTIONS, care managers, caregiver support, protection from abuse and more.
The LIFE program (PACE) vs. home care: how Pennsylvania families choose
How Pennsylvania's all-in-one LIFE program works, who qualifies, which providers serve our counties, and how it differs from care at home.
Home care glossary for Pennsylvania families
Plain-English definitions of the terms you will hear from hospitals, insurers and Pennsylvania programs, from ADLs and Chapter 611 to NFCE and OPTIONS.
Talk to a care coordinator today
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.