Our services
Light housekeeping, laundry and errands
When the house has become too much for your mom or dad, homemaker help keeps it tidy and livable around them: dishes done, laundry folded, the bed changed, paths clear, groceries in the refrigerator. It is part of in-home care, not a cleaning service, and we are clear about the difference.
What homemaker help includes
Tidying the rooms your parent uses: dusting, wiping counters, sweeping, vacuuming and keeping walkways clear.
Laundry from start to finish, including the trip to a basement washer your parent should not be making.
Changing the bed and freshening linens, and more often after an accident at night.
Dishes, kitchen cleanup and a weekly sweep of the refrigerator for expired food.
Grocery lists, shopping and errands such as prescription pickups and the post office, as the care plan sets out.
What is light housekeeping in home care?
Light housekeeping, also called homemaker services, is help with the household tasks that keep a home clean, safe and workable for the person who lives there. Pennsylvania's home care rules count help with household activities such as housework, laundry, shopping and meals as a home care service, and caregivers must show competency in them.
Most often it is part of a visit that also includes personal care, meals or companionship. While your father rests after his shower, the caregiver starts a load of laundry, changes the sheets and wipes down the bathroom.
Why do household tasks become the problem?
Housework slips because the body work involved, such as bending, carrying, reaching and climbing stairs, is exactly what arthritis, heart or lung disease, or a recent surgery makes hardest. In many older Central Pennsylvania homes, from York and Hanover to Pottsville and Lebanon, the washer and dryer are in the basement down a steep set of wooden stairs. Carrying a laundry basket down them can be one of the riskier things an older adult does in a week. Taking that trip off your parent's list is often the reason families start with homemaker help.
Clutter on the floor, a pile of mail on the stairs and a bed that has not been changed in weeks are also among the first things families notice on a visit home. Our home safety checklist walks through what to clear first.
What will the caregiver do around the house?
| Area | What the caregiver does |
|---|---|
| Kitchen | Washing dishes or loading the dishwasher, wiping counters and the stovetop, cleaning the microwave, taking out kitchen trash, checking dates in the refrigerator |
| Bathroom | Wiping the sink, toilet and tub after use, fresh towels, restocking toilet paper and soap |
| Bedroom | Making the bed, changing linens, putting clean clothes away, keeping the path to the bathroom clear |
| Living areas | Dusting, vacuuming and sweeping the rooms your parent uses, straightening up, watering houseplants |
| Laundry | Washing, drying, folding and putting away your parent's clothes, towels and bedding; light ironing |
| Errands | Grocery shopping, prescription pickup, the post office or bank drop-off, the library, as set out in the care plan |
| Household | Sorting mail into piles for the family, keeping a calendar current, putting trash and recycling out on collection day |
What is not part of homemaker help?
Homemaker services are light housekeeping for the client, not a cleaning service for the whole household. Heavy or deep cleaning is outside home care: moving furniture, washing walls or outside windows, shampooing carpets, cleaning out an attic, garage or basement, or anything that requires a ladder. They do not do yard work, and they do not clean up after other members of the household or their pets beyond what the client's own space needs. For a home that has become badly cluttered or unsanitary, a professional cleaning crew is the right first step; a caregiver can then help keep it that way.
Caregivers can sort the mail and set bills aside, but managing money belongs to your parent, the family or the person your parent has chosen. Pennsylvania's home care rules bar a home care agency and people affiliated with it from taking power of attorney or guardianship over a client.
Can the caregiver run errands?
Errands are included when the care plan sets them out. A caregiver can shop from a list your parent writes, unpack a grocery delivery a daughter in Pittsburgh ordered online, pick up a prescription, or go along with your parent to the store so they can choose for themselves. For appointments, see help after surgery and our page on everyday reminders, which covers accompaniment.
How are homemaker services paid for?
Medicare does not pay for ongoing non-medical home care, including housekeeping, laundry and shopping when that is the help a person needs. Families pay privately, use long-term care insurance (many policies cover homemaker help once benefits are triggered), use VA benefits, or receive help through a Pennsylvania program such as OPTIONS through the county Area Agency on Aging or Community HealthChoices. Our guide to paying for home care in Pennsylvania covers each one.
Starting homemaker help
Call (717) 695-2704. During the in-home consultation we walk through the house with you, agree which tasks the caregiver will do and how often, and write them into the care plan so everyone, including your parent, knows what to expect from each visit.
Related services and situations
Companionship and everyday help
Since your mother lost your father, the days are long and quiet. Meals have become toast. The mail piles up. She does not need medical care. She needs a person.
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.
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.
Meal preparation and feeding assistance
Home-cooked meals that follow the doctor's diet, groceries and a safe refrigerator, and patient help at the table when eating is hard.
Frequently asked questions
What housekeeping does a home care aide do?
Is light housekeeping the same as a cleaning service?
Will the caregiver do laundry for my parents if both live at home?
Can I hire a caregiver just for housekeeping?
Does long-term care insurance pay for homemaker services?
Sources
- 28 Pa. Code § 611.5 — Definitions (home care services, companionship services) — Pennsylvania Code
- 28 Pa. Code § 611.57 — Consumer protections — Pennsylvania Code
- Home health services: what Medicare does not cover — Medicare.gov
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 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.