Home Care in Dauphin County, PA

Why Dauphin County families call us

Dauphin County is home to about 290,000 people, and roughly one in five is 65 or older. It is also where It’s Your Home Care began. Our office sits at 600 North 2nd Street, a few blocks from the Capitol, and the majority of our caregivers live in Harrisburg, Susquehanna Township, Lower Paxton, Swatara, Derry Township and the boroughs along Route 22 and Route 322. That density matters in practical ways: shorter travel times, more choice when matching a caregiver’s personality and language to a client, and a deeper bench when a regular caregiver is sick or the roads are icy.

The county’s older adults live in very different settings. Row homes in Midtown and Allison Hill often have stairs and no first-floor bathroom, so bathing assistance and safe transfers come up early in the conversation. Ranch homes in Colonial Park, Paxtonia and Linglestown tend to be easier to age in, and families there ask us about companionship, meals, and someone to drive to appointments at UPMC Community Osteopathic or Penn State Health’s Hershey campus. In Upper Dauphin, from Halifax up through Millersburg and Elizabethville, distance is the issue; adult children who live in the Harrisburg suburbs want a reliable local presence between their weekend visits.

How care starts in Dauphin County

1. A phone call to (717) 695-2704. A care coordinator asks what is happening at home, who is involved in decisions, and how soon help is needed.
2. An in-home consultation, usually within one to two business days. We look at the home together, talk through routines, and discuss what the family wants to keep doing themselves.
3. A written care plan outlining the schedule and support before care begins.
4. A caregiver introduction. You meet the caregiver before the first shift when schedules allow. We match on care needs, personality, language, and location.
5. Ongoing check-ins with the family, and an on-call line for active clients when something changes after hours.

Care situations we see most often in Dauphin County

• An older adult living alone in Harrisburg or Steelton who is skipping meals or falling behind on housekeeping and medications.
• A spouse in Hershey or Hummelstown caring for a partner with dementia who needs a few hours of respite each week to rest, shop, or see their own doctor.
• Families coordinating a discharge from UPMC Harrisburg, UPMC Community Osteopathic, or the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and needing someone home for the first days or nights.
• State employees and retirees in Susquehanna and Lower Paxton townships arranging morning and evening personal care around their own work schedules.
• Adults under 60 with physical disabilities who direct their own care through the Act 150 Program or Community HealthChoices.

Working alongside Dauphin County’s health systems

Dauphin County has two large hospital systems, UPMC (Harrisburg and Community Osteopathic) and Penn State Health (Hershey Medical Center), plus a network of outpatient clinics, dialysis centers, and rehabilitation facilities. We are a non-medical agency, so we do not provide skilled nursing or therapy. What we do is make the medical plan workable at home: transportation and companionship for appointments, meals that follow the diet the dietitian recommended, reminders to take medications as prescribed, and a calm presence between visits from the home health nurse.

Communities we serve in Dauphin County

Our caregivers cover Harrisburg and the surrounding boroughs and townships, including:

• Harrisburg
• Hershey
• Hummelstown
• Middletown
• Lower Paxton Township
• Susquehanna Township
• Swatara Township
• Derry Township
• Linglestown
• Halifax
• Millersburg
• Elizabethville
• Steelton
• Highspire
• Penbrook
• Paxtang

Looking for a specific town? See our city pages for Harrisburg and Lower Paxton Township.

Coming home from the hospital in Dauphin County

Many families call us the day a discharge planner says "someone needs to be home with them." We regularly support clients returning from Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (Hershey), UPMC Harrisburg, UPMC Community Osteopathic (Harrisburg). Tell us the expected discharge date and we will try to have a caregiver ready for the first day home, help with the transition (getting settled, meals, medication reminders per the discharge instructions, and follow-up appointment logistics), and coordinate with any home health nurses or therapists the physician has ordered. We provide non-medical support; skilled services come from the home health agency your doctor chooses.

Paying for home care in Dauphin County

• Long-term care insurance. We provide the care plan, daily notes, and itemized invoices most carriers require. How LTC insurance claims work.
• VA benefits. Aid and Attendance and Housebound pension add-ons can support care at home for eligible veterans and surviving spouses.
• OPTIONS program (age 60+). Contact the Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging at (717) 780-6130 or online.
• Medicaid and state programs. Community HealthChoices (CHC) waiver, OBRA waiver, and the Act 150 Program. We are an enrolled provider; you have the right to choose any willing and qualified provider, so you can ask your service coordinator for It's Your Home Care by name.

Read the full guide: How to pay for home care in Pennsylvania.

Local resources for Dauphin County families

• PA Link to Aging and Disability Resources · 1-800-753-8827 — Statewide help line that connects Dauphin County residents to local aging and disability services.
• Independent Enrollment Broker (Community HealthChoices) · 1-877-550-4227 — Starts the Medicaid waiver (CHC) eligibility process for adults who may qualify for personal assistance services.
• Pennsylvania Department of Health home care complaint line · 1-866-826-3644 — State hotline for concerns about any licensed home care agency or registry.