When is the right time to decide between a nursing home and keeping your loved one at home with home care?

You’ve Just Begun Your Search for Home Care Services for Your Nursing Needs

Understandably, this is a big life change for the entire family. Choosing the right level of care, a care provider, whether you need memory care, assisted living, or other factors, means you always want to make sure you’re choosing the one that’s best for everybody’s needs. Sometimes it comes down to being able to pay for home care; other times, you need more personal care and a place that’s close or right at home. We’ll go over some information that can help you make the best choice and take a little off your plate. 

The Benefits of In-Home Care vs Nursing Home Care

There are several types of in-home care providers, but the right option depends on the level of care you need. You can find skilled nursing care, hospice care, non-medical home care (more on this later), companion care, full-time care, and part-time care. All allow you to remain at home — an important part of the picture for many people. 

Home healthcare lets your loved one stay safe at home in a space that’s familiar and comforting. It may be a place that’s easier for you to visit, or even a place where you can keep a watchful eye on them. Statistics show that the home environment can significantly lower hospital readmissions, improve quality of care, reduce costs and infection risk, shorten recovery time, and increase independence. Staying at home still allows you to create a care plan that covers everyone’s personal needs. No two cases are the same. 

A few other factors to consider when thinking about whether nursing home services are right for you: depending on the facility you choose, you might not get in due to the long-term care insurance you carry. They’re not all created equal. Nursing homes provide options on how to help pay for their services, but at the end of the day, they are a business, and it’s their goal to squeeze every last penny out of you. Full-time care is not cheap. There may even be a waiting list just to get in. 

As of 2026, the CDC recognizes the many benefits of receiving care at home compared to nursing home care or assisted living facilities. Senior care offers many benefits, like your loved ones being isolated from others with illnesses that could affect them. Living at home reduces the risk of repeat hospital visits and lengthy stays that can cost exorbitant fees. You can limit visitors, which is another factor the home setting can mitigate. 

Often, people want to visit their parents/family members in their private homes and have access anytime—no restricted visiting hours. Consistent caregivers coming every day — what we call continuity of care. Daily living needs in a place that is free from distraction, overcrowding, and high patient-to-caregiver ratios. Long-term care facilities usually have visiting hours; some also have high employee turnover. Depending on the number of nursing home residents and staff, the number of people a single nurse and/or aide cares for tends to fluctuate. This isn’t the case with home health care services.

Our goal is to send the same home health aides for every shift where care is needed. If they’re unavailable for the shift, we find a backup. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case with all of the care agencies. Oftentimes, other agencies either don’t show up, and some don’t bother to call to let you know that they’ll be absent. We make every effort to see that this is provided to every client. 

The Downsides to Using a Home Care Provider vs a Nursing Home

Something often overlooked is the cost of home care vs moving into a nursing home or assisted living and what that looks like financially. If you plan to use Medicaid for a nursing home or assisted living environment in the state of Ohio, no problem. But if you don’t plan, you might lose your house and any other assets they can sell. A lot of people aren't aware of a few rules. The biggest one is being on Medicaid. There’s an excellent chance they will take your house to help pay for your care. 

You might be thinking, well, I’ll just put my house in my child’s name (or another trusted family member or friend), and I’m in the clear. You’re half right and half wrong. This is where the surprise comes in. Right now, if you choose that route, you’ll really need to have planned ahead. If the house is not in someone else’s name for MORE than five years, they will take it. Five years and one day seems to be the magic number, but honestly, why risk it? You can still put a house in someone's name, continue to live there and get the best possible care right in your own home (with home health care, that is).

In all fairness, nursing homes do provide skilled medical care professionals. But depending on which home care service you choose, it may not offer the same. The level of care needed is a big factor in choosing which is best and ultimately which you can afford.  

Back to insurance and payments for a moment. Home care services are covered only by certain insurance providers. Medicare is NOT one of them. Medicaid (which we currently do not accept) does allow payments for home care services; however, it’s harder to find a health care provider because of the hoops they must jump through to get approved. Additionally, some insurance companies require the service provider to register (which is fine with us here at Lewis Home Care). Other insurance companies pay for home care services, but- and this is a big but- they make you pay for the services yourself first, then request an invoice from us, and then reimburse you afterward. Lewis Home Care accepts checks in person and by mail, as well as payments through a web link we can email or text you that accepts ACH transfers, all major credit cards (including tap-to-pay, chip cards), Apple Pay and Google Pay. We’re not picky. 

Non-Medical Home Health Care

After the options above, some services (like us) offer non-medical home care. They significantly reduce home care costs because they offer a less intensive type of care than hospice or inpatient care, for example. Non-medical home care focuses on supporting people who are better suited to stay at home and don’t have serious health issues that require constant medical supervision. Think of it as more personal care services. Medication reminders, help ambulating (walking to and from) the bathroom or other activities. Help with toileting and bathing. A ride up the street to a doctor's office. Meal preparation. Light housework. Companion care. Help with everyday activities that are easier with a helping hand. 

But you may be asking, can’t a nursing home do that? Can’t every home care agency do that? The short answer is yes, but they don’t do it at the prices we offer. Why pay for a nurse with a bachelor's or master's degree to help your parents go to the bathroom? Nursing home costs don’t compare to having help around the house at a much more affordable price, with consistent support. Senior living should be a time for relaxation and for your loved ones to feel secure knowing dedicated staff is taking care of them.

Comparing home health care agencies is part of the process, and we hope you’ll give us a call or send us an email (you can do that here) to learn about the services we offer. We would be thrilled to have the chance to join your care team and treat your loved ones like family.

Final thoughts

If you have any questions about our services, please don't hesitate to contact us. We offer a FREE home visit to make sure our services align with your needs. If we cannot help you for some reason, we are happy to point you to a company that can. Our dedicated Registered Nurse comes to each home visit and evaluates each potential client. Lewis Home Care never requires a binding long-term contract. As long as you pay for the services you receive, you are free to use our services for as long or as little as you like. Management is always available to answer any questions or concerns, and we look forward to serving you. If you'd like to learn more about the business itself, you can find more information here.