Home Care in Southfield, MI

Situated just north of Detroit in Oakland County, Southfield is known for it’s safe, walkable neighborhoods, affordable housing and proximity to the U.S./Canada border. The total population of Southfield is just over 76,500, and one in five residents here are aged 65 and older.

You’ll appreciate the fact that Southfield’s overall cost of living is nearly identical to the nationwide median, which can help you make the most of your retirement budget. Better yet, there’s plenty of year-round activities and attractions in the city to enjoy, including over 775 acres of city-owned parks, green spaces and nature preserves.

Southfield is home to a number of shopping centers and plazas, many of which host seniors’ indoor walking clubs during the winter months. If you’re interested in arts and culture, you’ll find a number of unique museums, galleries and theaters in Southfield, many of which are either free or offer discounted rates to seniors.

You won’t have to leave Southfield to find health care services because the city has a number of medical centers, clinics and hospitals. Southfield’s Henry Ford Medical Center offers a range of services for adults, including primary care, lab and rehabilitation services. Around-the-clock critical care, including primary stroke care, is available at the Ascension Providence Hospital — Southfield.

According to Genworth Financial’s 2020 Cost of Care Survey, you can expect to pay around $4,767 per month for home care in Southfield. Median rates for home health care services, which also include some limited in-home medical care delivered by a licensed medical professional, are slightly higher at $4,957 per month.

Genworth’s figures are based on 44 hours of care weekly. You can estimate your actual home care costs by multiplying the average hourly rate by the number of hours of support you expect you’ll need. In Southfield, the average hourly home care rate is $25.

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

Home care rates in Southfield match the median rate in Ann Arbor, while Southfield’s home health care rates are higher than Ann Arbor’s $4,862 monthly average. In nearby Flint, seniors pay about $4,576 for either type of in-home care, while those same services are costlier in Monroe, where the monthly median for home care and home health care is $4,957.

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.

Oakland Meals on Wheels 

What You Should Know
Shopping for groceries and preparing healthy meals can be difficult, especially if you’re living with mobility limitations, cooking only for yourself or caring for a fragile loved one.

Oakland Meals on Wheels can help you maintain a balanced diet while also providing you with the peace of mind that comes with having a friendly volunteer check in on you. This nonprofit organization delivers hot noontime meals to homebound seniors each weekday, and additional frozen meals may be available for use on the weekends and holidays.

Who Is Eligible?
To qualify for home meal delivery from meals on wheels, you need to be a housebound senior aged 60 or older or be caring for a homebound elder or adult with disabilities. There is no financial eligibility criteria.

How to Get Started
To learn more about Oakland County’s Meals on Wheels program, call (248) 689-0001.

Southfield Home Improvement Program

What You Should Know
The Southfield Home Improvement Program helps low-income homeowners keep their homes in good repair while also addressing code violations and safety issues. This program provides eligible homeowners with low-interest home improvement loans toward specific home maintenance and improvement projects.

Some of the repairs that SHIP funding can be used toward includes weatherization; fixing outstanding issues with your home’s heating, electrical and/or plumbing; repairing damaged roofs; and eliminating trip-and-fall hazards on your property. You may also be able to access funding to help make your home safer and more accessible by installing grab bars in your bathroom, upgrading handrails and building a wheelchair ramp.

Who Is Eligible?
To qualify for SHIP, you must have owned your home for at least one year and you must currently occupy your house. You must also be up to date on your property taxes and homeowner’s insurance, and you can have no more than one lien, such as a mortgage, on your home.

You’ll also need to show that your annual income falls within the current income limits for SHIP, which are adjusted on an annual basis.

How to Get Started
To learn more about the SHIP and to find out if you meet the current income limits, call the Southfield Building Department at (248) 796-4177.

Southfield Parks and Recreation — Senior Activities

What You Should Know
If you’re looking to stay active, make new friends and enjoy hobbies and activities with other seniors, you’ll find plenty of free and low-cost programs offered by Southfield’s Parks and Recreation Department.

The Department plans a wide range of fitness classes, social groups, arts and crafting workshops, day trips and special events for seniors. Many of these programs are held at the city’s Southfield Pavilion, a fully accessible building. Regular senior’s activities also include the annual AARP tax clinic, where you can have your income tax return prepared at no cost.

Who Is Eligible?
All Southfield seniors are welcome to participate in the senior’s activities offered by the Parks and Recreation department.

How to Get Started
For up-to-date programming information, call the Parks and Recreation Information Desk at (248) 796-4620.

Area Agency on Aging 1-B 

What You Should Know
The Area Agency on Aging 1-B is a federally mandated nonprofit organization that works to improve services and programs for seniors, people living with disabilities and their families.

The AAA provides a number of direct services to seniors including community dining programs and in-home care for those who are covered by some government benefit plans. Seniors can call the AAA to sign up for free Medicare and Medicaid counseling, to enroll in a free fall-prevention workshop and to find out about other local services for older adults.

Who Is Eligible?
As a Southfield senior, you’re eligible for many of the AAA’s programs and services. Eligibility for some services may be based on income, your health insurance coverage and your personal care needs.

How to Get Started
To learn more about the kind of supports you can access through the AAA, call the toll-free information line at (800) 852-7795.

SMART

What You Should Know
SMART is the local public transit provider for Southfield, and as a senior, you can ride any regular fixed-route bus for just 25% of the regular full adult fare.

All SMART buses are ADA-compliant, which means they can accommodate mobility devices such as walkers and wheelchairs. If you’re unable to use the regular bus services due to a disability, you can apply to use the ADA paratransit service, a shared-ride, reservation-based service that provides curb-to-curb rides in small lift-equipped buses.

Who Is Eligible?
Anyone is eligible to use the public transit system. If you’d like to use the ADA paratransit service, you’ll need to have your disability verified by your doctor and complete an in-person assessment at the SMART offices.

How to Get Started
To learn more about public transit and paratransit services in Southfield, call the SMART customer service line at (866) 962-5515.