Home Care in Buffalo, NY

If you’re looking to retire in upstate New York, Buffalo is worth considering. Nicknamed the City of Good Neighbors, the community offers a friendly, welcoming atmosphere and a plethora of outdoor recreation and entertainment amenities for you to enjoy. Not only is Buffalo recognized as one of the best places to retire in the state of New York, but with its low cost of living and affordable health care services, it’s also ranked as one of the most affordable cities to live in the United States. Perhaps that’s why 12.4% of the city’s more than 255,000 residents are seniors aged 65 and older.

Located on Lake Erie, the city offers a beautiful waterfront area where you can go fishing or boating, and easy access to hiking and biking trails at Allegheny National Forest and Letchworth State Park. You’ll enjoy warm, sunny summers, and while winters are accompanied by snow, temperatures are relatively mild. You can visit cultural attractions, such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin D. Martin House and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, or the internationally renowned wonder of Niagara Falls. Whether you’re a sports fan who prefers football, hockey or baseball, you can attend hometown games of the city’s professional sports teams.

Based on the data provided by Genworth Financial’s 2020 Cost of Care Survey, home care services cost an average of $4,767 per month in Buffalo. If you require light medical support in addition to basic homemaking services, home health care may be a better option, which costs around $4,957 per month.

These costs have been calculated based on an average of 44 hours of in-home assistance per week to give you an overall sense of what home care services can cost. Using these figures, the hourly rates for home care and home health care are $25 and $26, respectively. Depending on the amount of assistance and type of care you need, your monthly costs may be higher or lower.

The Cost of Home Care & Home Health Care in Nearby Cities

While Buffalo’s home care costs may be higher than the national average, it’s an affordable option compared to many other cities in New York. For example, home care services in nearby Rochester cost an average of $4,814 per month, and home health care is priced at $5,243. In Syracuse, you can expect to pay about $100 more for home care and almost $400 more for home health care. The most expensive city in Western New York is Ithaca, where homemaking services average $5,554 and the assistance of a home health aide averages $5,625 per month.

Remember that there’s not necessarily a right or wrong choice – it comes down to choosing a provider that you feel comfortable with and who’s capable of meeting your specific needs. No matter which provider you choose, you should always have a formal arrangement with your expectations and the payment rate in writing. Doing so will prevent confusion or potential disagreements down the line so that the focus remains on helping the person receiving care.

FeedMore WNY

What You Should Know
FeedMore WNY offers a variety of nutrition programs and meal services to ensure seniors continue to enjoy a healthy, independent lifestyle. Its home-delivered meal program offers nutritious dishes brought right to your doorstep, along with a daily check-in and friendly visit to help minimize feelings of isolation. Each delivery consists of a hot lunch and cold dinner delivered at lunchtime. While a voluntary contribution of $7 per daily delivery or $35 per week is appreciated, there’s no financial obligation, and you won’t be denied receiving this service if you’re unable to contribute.

FeedMore WNY also offers Stay Fit Dining congregate dining, AniMeals pet food delivery and nutrition education programs.

Who Is Eligible?
If you’re aged 60 and older, living in Erie County and unable to shop or prepare your own meals, you’re eligible to receive assistance from FeedMore WNY.

How to Get Started
To sign up, you can complete and submit the online form found on the program’s website. A staff member will follow up with you to complete the enrollment process. You can also apply by calling the FeedMore WNY office at (716) 822-2002.

Matt Urban Center Senior Services

What You Should Know
The Matt Urban Center’s Senior Services Department can connect you with a variety of resources in Buffalo to help you remain living independently at home as long as possible. Its dedicated case management services are helpful in finding services to meet your needs, such as personal care assistance, food delivery, medical appointment transportation, personal emergency response systems and social day programs. It also provides information on available senior benefits, such as HEAP, Medicaid, SNAP and homeowners tax rebates, and offers assistance completing applications.

Who Is Eligible?
You can receive assistance from the Matt Urban Center’s Senior Services Department if you’re aged 60 or older, living in East Buffalo, the Town of Cheektowaga or West Seneca and considered low income. Individual programs and benefits may have different eligibility requirements, in terms of age, disability or income restrictions.

How to Get Started
To find out what programs are available in your area and apply, you can contact the Matt Urban Center’s Director of Senior Services at (716) 893-7222, ext.207. Questions about medical transportation services can be directed to (716) 858-7433.

Weatherization Assistance Program

What You Should Know
The Weatherization Assistance Program may award you up to $5,000 to weatherize your home and help reduce your heating and cooling costs. Funds may be used for services such as energy assessments, insulation, air sealing, heating system improvements, appliance upgrades and minor home repairs.

Who Is Eligible?
If you live in the city of Buffalo and meet the income requirements, you’re eligible to apply for this program. For seniors, the program requires that your household income is at or below 60% of the New York state median income.

How to Get Started
For more information or to apply for weatherization assistance, enter your address to find a WAP provider in your area of Buffalo.

Telephone Assurance Program (TAP)

What You Should Know
If you’re living at home and experiencing feelings of loneliness and isolation, Erie County’s Telephone Assurance Program provides regular phone calls that give you the opportunity to socialize and feel connected to your community. The program will match you with a volunteer who checks on your well-being, offers reassurance and provides a friendly ear.

Who Is Eligible?
To become a member and receive phone calls, you should be 60 years of age or older and living on your own in Erie County.

How to Get Started
For more information about how to become a member and start receiving this service, you can call TAP’s main office at (716) 218-1400.

Erie County Department of Senior Services

What You Should Know
As the region’s designated Area Agency on Aging, the Erie County Department of Senior Services can help you access the information and resources you need to comfortably age in place. Trained staff members are available to connect you to resources, answer questions about programs and benefits and offer referrals whenever needed. For instance, the department can tell you about statewide benefits you may qualify for, such as food stamps, SSI, HEAP and New York’s EPIC prescription plan, and provide health insurance counseling.

The department is also responsible for facilitating a variety of programs, including the Going Places transportation van to help you get to appointments and errands, Stay Fit nutrition sites and the Caregiver Resource Center designed to support family and friends who act as caregivers.

Who Is Eligible?
These services are available to all seniors residing in Erie County, regardless of income. As long as you’re aged 60 and older, you’re eligible to receive assistance from the department.

How to Get Started
To get information about Erie County’s many senior resources and receive a comprehensive listing of all the services available to you, you can call the Department of Senior Services at (716) 858-8526 .