Home Care in Louisiana

In Louisiana, the average monthly costs of in-home care and home health care are $3,623 and $3,718, respectively. In-home care commonly assists with daily living activities, housekeeping and meal preparation, while home health care expands the service to include various medical treatments such as skilled nursing and physical, speech or occupational therapies. Compared to what seniors pay around the country, older adults in Louisiana save more than $1,000 a month on either type of senior care.

Out of itself and the three states bordering it, Louisiana’s home care costs are the most affordable. Though Mississippi’s median cost of home care is also less than the national average, its seniors are still paying about $190 more per month on home care than Louisiana’s older adults and $95 more on home health care.

With its median cost of home care $953 above Louisiana’s average, Texas is the costliest of the neighboring states, followed by Arkansas, where home care costs an average of $562 more per month than Louisiana. For home health care, Arkansas seniors spend about $477 a month more, on average, while Mississippi seniors pay slightly more than in Louisiana.

Home care is the second most affordable type of senior care in Louisiana, followed by home health care. For assisted living, you can expect to spend about $125 more per month than you would with home care, and in a nursing home with a semiprivate room, you’ll pay around $2,136 more each month for your care. Coming in at $1,835 a month less than home care, adult day care is Louisiana’s least expensive type of senior care.

Louisiana’s Medicaid program doesn’t pay for home care directly; however, through several waiver programs, many of the state’s older residents can afford the care and support to continue living at home.

The Program for All-Inclusive Care can help seniors requiring a nursing home level of care avoid placement, allowing them to receive skilled nursing, therapy and other services from local health care providers. The Community Choices Waiver offers numerous benefits, including assistance with daily living activities and monitored in-home care. Seniors who participate in the Long-Term Personal Care Services program can get help with their personal hygiene, grocery shopping and other household chores.

The programs below could help Louisiana’s seniors maintain their independence throughout retirement by receiving the care they need at home instead of in an institutional environment.

To qualify for Medicaid, seniors must meet the program’s income and asset requirements. A single older adult’s yearly income cannot exceed $10,092 with total assets below $2,000. For an older couple to be eligible, their annual income and total assets have to stay below $15,132 and $3,000, respectively.

There are several ways you can apply for Medicaid in Louisiana. You can apply online directly or download the application from the Medicaid site and mail or fax it in. You could also visit a nearby Medicaid office.

What Information You Will Need

When applying for Medicaid or one of its waiver programs, seniors must provide various documentation. Some of the most important are:

• Social Security numbers for citizens and document numbers for legal immigrants
• Employer and income information
• If applicable, policy numbers for current health insurance and insurance coverage information through a household member’s employer

How to Get Help Applying for Medicaid

Louisiana’s seniors can reach out to the organizations mentioned below and get answers to their questions about Medicaid and its coverage, how it compares with Medicare and the quickest way to apply.

Medicare doesn’t pay for non-medical home care, but it can cover the cost of the medical version of home care, called “Home Healthcare” in some situations. In order to be eligible, you need to be homebound and have a referral from your doctor for the specific type of medical care that is needed. There are also other restrictions that apply.

Below is an overview of some of the services typically covered by Medicare for those who are eligible:

• Physical Therapy: Physical therapy is used to help patients recover from injuries (broken bones, knee injuries, etc.), and to treat ongoing conditions such as arthritis. Additionally, physical therapy is often provided in the home to help seniors recover from surgeries and procedures, such as a knee or hip replacement.
• Nursing Care: Licensed nurses can provide a number of medical services (such as wound care, changing feeding tubes, etc.) for those who need medical care, but don’t need to stay in a hospital full-time.
• Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapy is designed to help seniors regain or maintain the ability to accomplish normal, daily tasks, such as bathing, dressing, eating, etc., and providers can travel to your home if needed.
• Speech Therapy: Seniors can lose the ability to adequately communicate for many reasons, and speech therapists are there to help seniors regain the ability to communicate using a variety of means. Additionally, speech therapists help to keep seniors independent by modifying diets and teaching special techniques to swallow safely.

As mentioned above, home care is distinctly different from home healthcare, but there is some overlap – so while Medicare doesn’t cover non-medical home care, there are personal care services that may be covered in special circumstances – such as an occupational therapist helping with eating or dressing.

Read our guide to Medicare and Home Care Coverage for more information.

While the above programs can be a great way to make home care affordable for many people, they are not the right solution for everyone. Thankfully, there are other ways to make home care more affordable for you and your family. For more information about your other options, read our section on Other Ways to Pay for this guide.

The following resources can help seniors continue to live safely at home with services that increase home safety, lower expenses and increase access to essential goods.

With the exception of fully remote employees, Louisiana requires all in-home care and home health care workers to have the COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) mandates this rule, and the last enforcement date for this mandate in Louisiana was April 14, 2022. New employees must be fully vaccinated before completing any tasks or services for their agency.

These rules are current as of April 2022, but seniors should reach out to local agencies for the latest information because it changes often. Some home care agencies may have vaccine requirements that are more stringent than the state’s mandate, so it’s worth it for seniors to check with each home care agency they’re considering.

The Health Standards Section of the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals regulates home care in Louisiana.

Whether you are looking for yourself or a loved one, finding a quality home care provider can be a stressful process. To help you overcome this challenge, we’ve created a helpful checklist below that can help guide you through the process of both determining your needs, and finding a home care agency that will be the best fit for you and your family.

Download PDF Here

Learn More About Home Care in Louisiana’s Top Cities

• Baton Rouge