Companion Care and Homemaking from ASSIST@HOME Quality Care provides the help you need, right at home.
Maybe you’ve noticed Mom and Dad’s house starting to decline: counters are dirty, shelves need dusting. Or perhaps your sister’s health is waning; she’s growing older and forgets to take her medications. Whatever the signs, you’re beginning to wonder if your loved one needs help around the house. We offer just that: nonclinical assistance for those who need it, without leaving the comfort of home.
What Is Companionship Care and Homemaking?
From doing the laundry and taking out the garbage to reading out loud or playing cards, professionals in companionship care and homemaking serve as another body within the home. They’re available to help remind patients when to take their medications, pick up around the house and even drive someone to a hair appointment. Both services differ slightly in how they work.
Companionship Care
The purpose of companionship care is to offer company and friendship. Companions may help with certain household chores, such as laying out towels before a shower, but their primary purpose is to spend time with the patient. Grown children may want
to hire companions to keep an eye on their aging parents, for example. Some of the services offered by companionship care include:
- Transportation
- Reading a book aloud
- Playing games
- Accompanying the patient for a walk outside
- Letter writing
- Monitoring the home
- Homemaking
Think of homemaking as an addition to companionship care. With a homemaker, patients will receive all the benefits of a companion—such as transportation—but with added bonuses. Homemaking extends to include tasks such as cooking, cleaning and even grocery shopping.
Some of the services offered by homemaking include:
- Laundry
- Cooking
- Taking out the garbage
- Light housekeeping
- Organization
- Respite care
Cheaper Than Home Health Aides
Companionship care and homemaking do not include personal, hands-on care. For example, companions 
cannot help patients bathe or take their medications. Instead, they can prepare the bath and remind patients to take their medications. Most states require additional licensing for personal, hands-on care.
Therefore, hiring companions or homemakers will cost less than hiring a home health aide, who undergoes additional training and needs a state license to provide hands-on care. The difference in cost can run $4-5 less per hour.