Start here
You don't have to know the right word for it.
Start with what's happening at home. Tell us what changed, and we'll help you work out the hours and the kind of help that fit.
How do I work out what kind of home care we need?
Start with what changed rather than a service name: which hours are hardest, what’s being missed, and who is helping now. We’ll talk it through with you and explain the options. Companion care covers company, meals, the house, errands and reminders. Personal care adds hands-on help with bathing, dressing and the bathroom. Either can be arranged by the hour, overnight, live-in or around the clock. We provide personal care in Connecticut and New Jersey. In New York we provide companion care, by the hour, overnight, live-in or around the clock.
What changed?
- Something just happenedA fall, a call from the hospital, a night that went badly. You need to know what can happen this week.
Talk through what's needed now - They are coming home from hospitalThe discharge date is set and nobody has said who helps once they're through the front door.
Plan the first 72 hours home - Memory is changingThe same questions again, skipped meals, hard evenings, help that gets refused. You want support that doesn't take over.
How memory support works at home - The nights are the problemGetting up, wandering, calling out, and nobody in the house getting a full night's sleep.
How overnight care works - I can't keep doing this aloneYou've been the one doing it all for months. A few hours back each week can make a real difference.
Respite and regular hours - Nothing is wrong yet, and I want to be readyYou can see where this is heading and you'd rather decide now, while there's time.
Plan before a crisis
Each one opens a page about that kind of help. Nothing asks for your details until you’re ready.
How hourly and live-in care compare with 24/7 care
Here's how a day and a night look with hourly, live-in and 24-hour care, so you can picture which one fits your household.
Hourly care
Help during the hours you choose, from a few mornings a week to full days.
Someone present and awake from 8am to 11am. Someone present and awake from 5pm to 8pm.Any hours you choose. Shown here as a morning and an evening visit, just as an example.
Live-in care
Someone in the house all day and all night, sleeping at night.
Someone present and asleep from midnight to 7am. Someone present and awake from 7am to 10pm. Someone present and asleep from 10pm to midnight.The caregiver sleeps, and can be woken when something needs doing. It suits households where the nights are mostly settled.
Awake 24-hour care
A rotating team, awake through every shift. Nobody sleeps on duty.
Someone present and awake from midnight to midnight.Typically two twelve hour or three eight hour shifts, so somebody is always both present and awake. No spare bedroom is needed because nobody sleeps in the house.
- Someone here and awake
- Someone here, asleep
- Nobody here
Many families mix them: an awake caregiver on the hardest nights, hourly help in the day. Live-in care compared with awake 24-hour care goes through it properly, and what each one costs is on the paying for care page.
If none of those fit
Describe it in your own words instead
Most situations don't fit neatly into a tile. Tell us what's going on, in whatever words come to mind. The phone is the faster route, and there's a person on the other end of it.
Call (203) 936-6847 for Connecticut or New York, or (973) 315-5323 for New Jersey. Neither is an emergency line. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Common first questions
I don't know what kind of care we need. Where do I start?
Start with what changed. Pick the situation that sounds closest, or call and tell us about the last week or two. You don't need a service name. We'll help you work out the hours and the kind of help that fit.
Do I need a diagnosis before you can help?
No. Tell us what the day looks like now, what has become hard and who else is helping. That's all we need to start the conversation.
How quickly can care start?
Tell us where care is needed, the hours and the help you're looking for. We'll check the arrangements and explain the next steps for your situation.
Can you help when someone is coming home from the hospital?
Yes. Endurance Homebound is our plan for the first 72 hours after a hospital discharge. Tell us when your parent is due home and the help they'll need, and we'll talk through the arrangements with you.
More practical help is in our guidance library, and the kinds of care are side by side on the care options page.
Talk with our care team
Let's talk about the help you need
Tell us a little about what's happening, and we'll call to talk it through. The first conversation is free, and nothing starts until you say so.
In New Jersey, call (973) 315-5323. Looking for work? See caregiver jobs.