Home Care in Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis is the capital and largest city in Indiana, home of the world-famous Motor Speedway and one of the largest small towns in the Midwest. Indianapolis is home to more than 876,000 people, and more than 12% of the city’s residents are seniors aged 65 and over. That number is set to increase to nearly 21% by 2030.

The close, community feeling in Indianapolis is bolstered by the popular and very senior-friendly attractions in town, such as the symphony orchestra and the celebrated Canal Walk downtown. The Indianapolis City Market is an outdoor retail and recreation site close to downtown, built to accommodate pedestrians and seniors with limited mobility with wide aisles between stalls and scooters you can rent for your visit.

All around Indianapolis, you have your pick of wide-open green spaces, golf courses and senior-friendly hiking and walking trails, most of which are accessible to adults of all mobility levels. On rainy days, you can spend some quality time indoors at the Indiana State Museum, which offers discount admissions for seniors.

Home care and home health services in Indianapolis are close in price, at $4,385 and $4,767 a month, respectively, according to Genworth Financial’s 2020 Cost of Care Survey. The exact cost you can expect to pay varies a bit depending on where in town you live and how much extra care you need, if any.

The numbers available through Genworth assume a 44-hour week for in-home caregiver support. If you need more or fewer hours than that, you can expect to pay an average of $23 an hour for home care and $25 an hour for in-home health services.

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

The cost for home care in Indianapolis is the same as the state average for the rest of Indiana, though your price for home health services is a bit higher, $4,767 a month versus $4,576 for the state. Indianapolis prices are slightly higher than most of the other cities in Indiana. Muncie, for example, runs an average monthly cost of $4,099 and $4,481 for home care and home health care, while Evansville has some of the lowest costs in the state, at $4,004 and $4,195, respectively. Terre Haute is close to the middle, at $4,385 for home care and $4,439 a month for home health care.

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.

Indiana Department on Aging and Elder Services

What You Should Know
Indiana’s Department on Aging and Elder Services has several programs to help support you in your home. You can contact a department case manager for help signing up for transportation assistance, home-delivered meals, healthy aging programs and prescription drug discount programs. Your caregiver can get free training through the department, and you can get a referral to support groups and bereavement services, if you need.

When you contact the department by phone, you will be put in touch with a case manager who can evaluate your needs and make recommendations for programs you are eligible for. The manager can help you file applications for benefits and appeal adverse decisions, if necessary.

Who Is Eligible?
You’re eligible for help from the department if you’re a senior aged 60 or over who lives in Indiana. Reach out to the Indianapolis office for assistance from a local caseworker.

How to Get Started
To learn more or sign up for elder services, call the department’s hotline at (866) 963-7383. You can report elder abuse or safety concerns to the reporting hotline at (800) 992-6978.

Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly

What You Should Know
The PACE program in Indianapolis offers support for local seniors aged 55 and over with comprehensive aging-in-place services. To help you stay safe and independent in your home, PACE provides adult day health care, medical care from a PACE physician familiar with the details of your medical history and reasonable transportation assistance. PACE services include referrals for assisted living and nursing home care, assistance with hospital admissions and all necessary peripheral medical services, such as prescription drugs, therapeutic services and dental, vision and other allied health services.

Your first contact with Indiana PACE is likely to be with an intake worker who can assess your needs and set up a personal care plan. The assessment and services are provided free of charge, as are outside referrals for services PACE doesn’t offer.

Who Is Eligible?
You may be eligible for PACE support if you live in Indiana and are aged 55 or over. Some benefits have maximum income and asset limits, which your caseworker can help you understand.

How to Get Started
You can sign up for PACE in Indianapolis through Franciscan Health & Wellness by calling (317) 528-7223.

Be Well Indiana

What You Should Know
Be Well Indiana supports seniors with free mental health services that can help you connect with the Alzheimer’s and other dementia resources you or a loved one may need. The organization offers free screening and assessment services with competent senior mental health professionals, as well as referrals for care. You can reach out to the service for assistance getting in-home care, residential placement or trained caregiver support. Substance abuse support is available through the organization’s helpline. If you’re a veteran, Be Well Indiana offers emotional and mental health services tailored specifically for your needs.

Your first contact with Be Well Indiana is usually over the phone, with an intake worker who can assess your needs. If you need an assessment or mental health screening, your caseworker can schedule the appointment for you. Crisis intervention is available through the organization’s 24-hour helpline.

Who Is Eligible?
All Indianapolis seniors are eligible for help with the services Be Well Indiana offers. If you believe that you or a senior loved one might need an Alzheimer’s or dementia screening, if you have mental or emotional health needs or if you have a substance abuse issue, you can reach out to the organization at no cost. Calls to the crisis line may be made anonymously.

How to Get Started
Call (800) 403-0864 to speak with a Be Well Indiana intake worker. If you have an immediate need for help, you can dial 211 to speak with a worker at the project’s helpline.

Indiana Home- and Community-Based Services Waiver

What You Should Know
The Indiana Home and Community-Based Waiver Services program can help you stay in the comfort of your own home, rather than move to a residential senior living community. Services offered through the program include in-home caregiver support, nonemergency medical transportation and self-directed attendant care. Through the waiver program, you might be able to get no-cost accessibility modifications to your home or vehicle, home-delivered meal service and a personal emergency response system, if you need that. If you require certain specialized medical equipment or nutritional supplements, program workers can help you with a referral, and case manager support is available.

When you apply for a waiver, the intake worker assesses your eligibility and needs and helps you sign up for the benefits that will help you remain comfortably in your home. If you need an attendant, the waiver program is structured to give you control over hiring and firing decisions with a voucher for payment.

Who Is Eligible?
You may be eligible for a waiver if you’re a senior who qualifies for Medicaid, has a medical or disability-related need for assistance and meets the program’s income and asset limits.

How to Get Started
To learn more about the program or start the enrollment process, call (317) 232-4650 to speak with a Waiver Provider Specialist.