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The Village of Arlington Heights is a dynamic and diverse community in Cook County, Illinois, that offers a charming mixture of urban and suburban features. People over the age of 65 make up 19.6% of its population of 76,000, illustrating its popularity among retirees. It boasts a high degree of walkability and favorable safety ratings with violent and property crime rates that are well under the national average. Arlington Heights is listed on the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities due to its state-of-the-art senior center, which combines the services of multiple charities and nonprofits under one roof. It offers a range of age-friendly initiatives that include an intergenerational snow removal program and all-ages modifications to its Park District programs.
As a part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Metro Area, Arlington Heights combines the benefits of a small, friendly close-knit community with ready access to the arts, culture and services of a world-class major city, including its own Northwest Community Healthcare clinic. The village also boasts plenty of opportunities for walking, boating and other outdoor activities. All these benefits come together to make it an attractive destination for retirees seeking home care.
In the Chicago area, where the Village of Arlington Heights is located, the average monthly cost of home care is $5,672, and home health care services are nearly the same at $5,720 according to Genworth Financial’s 2021 Cost of Care Survey. This can vary depending on the precise location, and the price gap for home health care can widen further when added medical services are factored in.
The monthly average figures from Genworth assume 44 hours of care per week. If you need more or fewer hours of care, the actual costs will vary accordingly. The hourly average for home care services is $29.75, and the hourly average for home health care services is $30.
In Arlington Heights, and the Chicago area more generally, the costs of home care and home health care are slightly higher than the statewide average costs and the prices in most neighboring cities. Seniors in Rockford pay an average of $5,625 for both types of care, for example, while in Kankakee, they cost $5,148. In nearby Danville, however, the rates get much higher with an $8,818 monthly average.
The average monthly cost of home care and home health care in Arlington Heights is at the higher end of the price range compared to alternative types of care. At the least expensive end of the spectrum is adult day care, which averages $1,842 per month, while nursing home care in a semiprivate setting is slightly pricier than home health care at $6,996 per month. Assisted living costs are cheaper than either type of in-home care at $4,825 a month.
Finding a home care provider for yourself or a loved one can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Below, we explain the process of how to find a home care provider in 5 simple steps. Use the infographic below to help guide your search for in-home care in Arlington Heights, IL.
What You Should Know
The AHSC brings together a wide variety of services, events and activities for seniors under the same roof, and it provides an access point for multiple programs specifically dedicated to supporting seniors and people with disabilities in their own homes. The Intergenerational Snow Shoveling program provides seniors with the names and contact numbers of teenagers who are willing to shovel snow, while a parallel Intergenerational Lawn Mowing program operates during the spring and summer months. The AHSC provides an access point for the local branch of the Northwest Community Hospital network and for senior services offered by the village. It also serves as a convenient center of operations for multiple independent charities and nonprofits that manage their own senior support initiatives.
Who Is Eligible?
Events and services at the AHSC are open to any Arlington Heights resident aged 55 or older. Some services may have further eligibility requirements depending on the specifics of the support provided.
How to Get Started
You can reach the AHSC by phone at (847) 253-5532 for more information.
What You Should Know
The donation-driven Lending Closet service of the Arlington Heights Nursing Club provides no-charge medical equipment loans to residents of the village. This includes walkers, wheelchairs, mobility aids, commodes and portable bath and toilet rails. Donations to the Lending Closet, which has been in operation since the founding of the first Arlington Heights Nurses Club chapter in 1938, also support scholarships for local nursing students.
Who Is Eligible?
The service is available to all residents of Arlington Heights without an age limit. The Lending Closet is open from 10:00 a.m. until noon Tuesdays through Fridays.
How to Get Started
Call (847) 797-5315 for more information.
What You Should Know
Catholic Charities, through the Archdiocese of Chicago, has a dedicated location at the Arlington Heights Senior Center that provides access to a wide range of senior services and programs. These include home-delivered meals, transportation for medical appointments, family caregiver support and help with navigating and applying for a wide range of benefits that can pay for home care services. Staff can help with applications to the Illinois Department on Aging’s Community Care Program (CCP), which, among other things, can provide access to homemaker assistance services. Access to all of these supports can be further streamlined under the umbrella of a Senior Case Management service focused on helping older adults live independently in their own homes and communities.
Who Is Eligible?
The various services and programs accessible through Catholic Charities are generally available to residents aged 55 or older although eligibility requirements may vary depending on the particular service.
How to Get Started
Call Catholic Charities Northwest Senior Services for more information at (847) 253-5500. You can also reach out directly to the Illinois Department on Aging at (312) 655-7470.
What You Should Know
Founded in 2006, Connections to Care provides reliable volunteer-based transportation for seniors. Volunteers pick up clients at their homes and drive them to and from appointments. They assist them in and out of those appointments and provide camaraderie along the way. Focused on providing support for most kinds of medical appointments, C2C volunteers provide rides for regular checkups, dentist visits, vision screenings, lab and blood tests, wound care appointments, dialysis and pacemaker checks. All C2C drivers are prescreened, specially trained and carry additional insurance.
Who Is Eligible?
Clients must be 60 years of age or older, residents of C2C’s territory and able to get in and out of a car independently. It’s fine if you use a cane or walker. C2C cannot provide rides for appointments involving anesthesia. Rides need to be booked with at least one week’s notice.
How to Get Started
To book a ride or to get more information, you can contact Connections to Care at (847) 222-9227.
What You Should Know
The Illinois Department on Aging offers services and advocacy for Illinois seniors and their caregivers. It provides guidance on benefits and operates services that are focused on encouraging independence, dignity and quality of life. These programs are coordinated by 13 Area Agencies on Aging throughout the state, including the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services. Of special and direct relevance to seniors receiving in-home care in the Chicago area is the Home Care Ombudsman program, which addresses questions about home care services available through Medicare and certain Home- and Community-Based Services Waivers. The ombudsman helps those who have received denial or termination letters for in-home services, have trouble contacting their care coordinators or are unhappy with the services they’re receiving.
Who Is Eligible?
The Home Care Ombudsman program assists people who are enrolled in the Medicare-Medicaid Alignment Initiative (MMAI) and are served by a Managed Care Organization as well as those who are receiving in-home care through an HCBS Waiver program, including the Persons who are Elderly Waiver.
How to Get Started
You can contact a Home Care Ombudsman by emailing [email protected] or by calling (800) 252-8966.