What is the difference between home care and home health care?
Home care (what a home health aide agency like Meris provides) is non-medical support: personal care, companionship, homemaking, meals, and supervision that help someone live safely at home. Home health care is skilled medical care — nursing and therapy — ordered by a physician, usually after a hospital stay. Many families use both at different times, and our care coordinators can help you understand which your loved one needs.
How much does in-home care cost?
The cost depends on the hours, tasks, and schedule in your care plan. After your free in-home assessment, Meris gives you a written estimate — no surprises, and no care starts until you approve it.
Does Medicare pay for a home health aide?
Only in a limited way. Medicare covers intermittent skilled home health for homebound patients under a doctor's plan, but it does not cover ongoing custodial care — personal care as the only service, homemaker help, or 24-hour care. Most families pay privately or use long-term care insurance, Medicaid programs, or VA benefits. See our Cost & Payment section for details.
How do you screen and train your caregivers?
Meris caregivers are carefully screened and background-checked, trained for the care they provide, and supervised with in-home visits and regular care-plan reviews.
What happens at the free in-home assessment?
A care coordinator visits your home, free and with no obligation. We'll talk through daily routines, mobility, memory and safety concerns, the medication list, meal preferences, budget, and scheduling — and we'll complete a complimentary home safety and fall-risk assessment. You'll receive a written, personalized care plan with tasks, schedule, and costs. It helps to have your loved one present, along with their medical history and medication list.
When does care start — and can we change the schedule?
Once you approve the care plan, we arrange the first visits and confirm the schedule with you. Schedules are flexible: add hours, reduce them, pause for a hospital stay, or switch caregivers if the match isn't right. Just email us — that's exactly what our care coordinators are for.
What if our caregiver can't make a visit?
If a caregiver can't make a visit, we work to arrange another caregiver familiar with the care plan. Consistent matching is a priority, and we will keep you informed if a change is needed.