Situated in southwestern Iredell County less than 30 miles from Charlotte, Mooresville is home to just over 51,500 residents including nearly 7,000 seniors aged 65 and older. Although the overall cost of living in the area is slightly above the nationwide average, North Carolina doesn’t tax Social Security retirement benefits. All other types of retirement income are taxed at a preferential rate, and that can help make Mooreville affordable for retirees.
Health care services are readily available at Iredell Mooresville, a modern facility with a 24-hour urgent care center, rehabilitation and imaging services, and an ambulatory surgery center. Comprehensive acute care is also offered at the Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, a 123-bed hospital with dedicated cardiology, orthopedic surgery and oncology clinics.
Seniors who want to age-in-place with help from a home care provider may find that the mix of urban amenities and historic small-town charm found in Mooresville makes it a great place to retire to.
According to Genworth Financial’s 2021 Cost of Care Survey, you can expect to pay about $4,668 per month for home care services in Mooresville. Home health care, a type of care that includes some skilled intermittent nursing and rehabilitation therapies, is slightly more expensive at about $4,767 per month.
These rates are based on 44 hours of care weekly, which may be more, or less, care than you require to continue living independently. You can estimate what your home care expenses are likely to be by multiplying the hourly average rate, $24.48, by the number of hours of support you require each week, month or year.
At $4,668 and $4,767 respectively, Mooresville’s median home care and home health care rates are above the statewide averages, yet lower than the national median rates. In nearby Asheville, seniors pay an average of $4,957 per month for either type of in-home care. Home care and home health care rates are significantly lower in Fayetteville ($4,004) and Winston ($3,909).
In Mooresville, average senior care rates start at $1,192 per month for adult day care services. Assisted living care costs around $4,400 per month, while home care runs about $4,668. The median monthly home health care rate is $4,767, and you can expect to pay an average of $7,756 for a semiprivate room in a skilled nursing facility.
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 Mooresville, NC.
What You Should Know
The Iredell Council on Aging is an established non-profit organization that serves seniors aged 60 and older. Funding for programs comes from several government sources including federal, state, county and town taxes, as well as the local United Way and private donors.
The Council operates two in-home care programs to help seniors avoid placement in a residential facility. The Personal Care II program is staffed by certified nursing assistants and personal care aides who can provide up to four hours of in-home assistance with personal care, meal prep and light housekeeping. The Chore Services program gives eligible seniors up to two hours of weekly help with household chores, such as cleaning, running errands and doing laundry.
Who Is Eligible?
Eligibility for Iredell Council on Aging’s in-home services is determined by the agency’s in-home services care coordinator following a comprehensive in-home needs assessment.
There are no set fees for in-home care services delivered through these programs. Seniors are asked to contribute to their care costs on a sliding-scale basis.
How to Get Started
To learn more about Iredell Council on Aging’s Personal Care II and Chore Services programs, contact the in-home services coordinator at (704) 873-5171.
What You Should Know
It can be hard to prepare healthy meals at home, especially if you’re a senior who lives by yourself or with your spouse. The Senior Nutrition Program operated by the Iredell Council on Aging is designed to help older adults maintain a healthy, balanced diet by providing congregate meals at a number of local churches.
If you’re unable to travel to one of the congregate meal sites, you can apply for the home delivered meal service, often called Meals on Wheels. This service is open to seniors who are housebound and who otherwise wouldn’t have access to a hot, prepared meal.
Who Is Eligible?
To qualify for a hot lunch meal at any of the county’s four congregate meal sites, you simply need to be a senior who lives anywhere in Iredell County. The home-delivered meal program is only available to seniors who are unable to leave their home except to attend medical appointments.
There’s no financial eligibility criteria, and while there’s no set price for the meals, you’re encouraged to make a small donation to the program if you’re able to.
How to Get Started
To learn more about the Senior Nutrition Program, call (704) 873-5171.
What You Should Know
The Weatherization Assistance Program, WAP, is a federally-funded, locally-administered program that helps low-income households reduce their heating and cooling costs. Services offered include upgrading your lighting to energy-efficient bulbs, sealing air leaks, installing insulation and tuning up your furnace and air conditioner.
The Heating Appliance Repair and Replacement Program, HARRP, focuses on repairing and upgrading inefficient furnaces and space heaters in the homes of low-income seniors, people with disabilities and families with small children. You don’t need to own your home to get help through these programs, and applicants can live in a house, apartment building or mobile home.
Who Is Eligible?
You may qualify for free help through these programs if you have a relatively low household income. As of January, 2020, the annual income limit was $25,520 for a single-person household, while families with two adults could earn up to $34,480 per year.
If you already receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, you’re pre-qualified for these two energy-efficiency programs.
How to Get Started
To learn more about the WAP and the HARRP, call (704) 872-8141.
What You Should Know
If you’re a senior aged 60 or older who needs transportation to local non-emergency medical appointments, to run errands, or to travel to your nearest senior nutrition site, you may be eligible for free rides with the Iredell County Area Public Transit (ICATS) program.
This on-demand, curb-to-curb public transit service operates county-wide. Once approved as a ICATS rider, you can reserve your trips anywhere from 48 hours up to one month in advance. If you’re unable to keep a reservation, you’ll be asked to call the booking line to cancel your trip as soon as possible. Riders who are recorded as ‘no-shows’ for three trips are temporarily prohibited from using the ICATS services.
Who Is Eligible?
To qualify as a ICATS rider, you must be a senior aged 60 or older who lives in Iredell County. You must also have no other means of traveling to appointments and destinations in the county.
How to Get Started
To learn more about ICATS, call (704) 873-5171.
What You Should Know
If you’re a low-income senior who’s struggling to keep up with essential home repairs, you may qualify for low-cost help through Habitat for Humanity’s Critical Home Repair program.
Eligible repairs include fixing broken hand rails and steps, patching leaky roofs, resolving electrical and plumbing hazards, and installing accessibility features such as wheelchair ramps, grab bars and raised toilet seats.
Who Is Eligible?
To qualify for help through the Critical Home Repair program, you must have owned and occupied your detached or manufactured home for at least two years. Your household income can’t exceed 80% of the area median income, and you’ll need to make a small contribution towards material costs.
How to Get Started
To learn more, call Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region at (704) 376-2054.