Guidance · Home or a community
Before you plan a move, explore what care at home could make possible.
Needing more help does not always mean leaving home. Personal support can make it possible to keep familiar routines and the comfort of your own surroundings. We can talk through the day-to-day help you need and the care options available. If your loved one already lives in an assisted living community, ask us about additional one-to-one support there, too.
Care at home
What staying home makes possible
A caregiver comes to the house and the help is built around one person. Here's what that keeps in place.
- Familiar surroundings
- Their own bed, their own kitchen, the view they know. For someone with memory changes, familiar rooms and a routine already in place are worth a great deal.
- Attention that's all theirs
- During care hours, the caregiver is there for one person, at their pace, with time to sit and talk.
- The day runs their way
- Breakfast when they like it, a bath at the usual time, the walk after lunch. The care plan follows the routine they already have.
- The family stays close
- Drop in whenever you like. Your Care Manager keeps you posted, so you can spend your visits being family.
- The same few faces
- Relationship continuity with a small number of caregivers who learn the household well.
It starts with a registered nurse visiting at home, getting to know your mother or father and writing the care plan with your family. We choose a caregiver with them in mind and introduce them before the first visit. How care works with us.
Side by side
Care at home, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing
These are different settings with different kinds of help, so it's worth looking at each one on its own.
| What you are comparing | Care at home | Assisted living | Memory care | Skilled nursing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where they live | In their own home, with their own things around them. | In an apartment or room within a residential community. | In a community or a dedicated area designed for people living with dementia, often with secured doors. | In a nursing home, usually in a private or shared room. |
| Day-to-day help | Companion care or hands-on personal care from a caregiver, for the hours you choose, from a few a week up to around the clock. | Help with daily activities from community staff who look after many residents. What's included varies from one community to the next. | Daily help and supervision from staff trained in dementia care. | Help with daily activities alongside nursing care. |
| Whose routine | Theirs. Meals, bathing, outings and bedtime happen when they always have. | Shaped around the community's meal times and activity calendar. | A structured day set by the community. | Organized around nursing care and the facility's daily schedule. |
| Nursing care | In Connecticut, our separate company, Endurance Home Health, can provide skilled nursing at home and work alongside your caregiver. | Varies. Some communities have nurses on site, and others arrange outside services. | Varies by community. | Available around the clock. |
| Company and activities | A caregiver brings conversation, outings and help getting to the places and people they enjoy. | Shared dining, planned activities and neighbors close by. | Activities planned for people living with memory changes. | Varies by facility. |
| How the cost is set | By the schedule, the kind of help and where care takes place. | Usually a monthly fee, with the services included set by each community. | Usually a monthly fee, with the services included set by each community. | A daily or monthly rate set by the facility. |
| Best fit when | Staying at home is what they want, and the help they need can be arranged there. | Someone would enjoy a smaller home with meals, activities and neighbors nearby, and needs some help each day. | Someone living with dementia needs a secured setting and a structured day. | Someone needs skilled nursing care around the clock. |
| Another option may fit better when | They'd like more neighbors and activities on their doorstep. A better fit may be an assisted living community, where we can still add one-to-one help. | They want to stay in their own home. Care at home can bring the help to them. | They're settled at home and can stay safely with the right support. A better fit may be memory support at home. | The main need is daily help and company. Care at home or assisted living may suit better. |
Every community is different, so this is a general picture. Ask each one what it provides and how it charges. 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.
Already in a community
One-to-one help in assisted living
If your parent already lives in assisted living or another care community, we can add one-to-one support there, too.
A caregiver can keep them company, help with the daily routine, walk with them to meals and activities, and spend unhurried time together, working alongside the community’s own team. Your Care Manager keeps you posted, wherever you live. Care in assisted living and care communities.
Questions about choosing where care happens
Should we choose home care or assisted living?
If your husband or your mother wants to stay home and the help they need can be arranged there, home is worth exploring first. Care at home keeps their own surroundings and routines, with one-to-one attention during care hours. Assisted living suits people who'd like a smaller home with meals, activities and neighbors close by. We're glad to talk through both with you.
What is the difference between assisted living, memory care and a nursing home?
Assisted living is a residential community with help for daily activities. Memory care is a setting designed for people living with dementia, usually with secured doors and a structured day. A nursing home, also called skilled nursing, provides nursing care around the clock. Each community decides what it includes, so it's worth asking.
Can someone who needs nursing still be cared for at home?
Needing nursing doesn't have to mean a move. In Connecticut, our separate company, Endurance Home Health, provides skilled nursing, home health aides and physical therapy at home, and can work alongside your Endurance caregiver. Tell us what's needed and we'll explain the options.
My mother already lives in assisted living. Can you help there?
Yes. We provide one-to-one help inside assisted living and other care communities, working alongside the staff there. A caregiver can keep her company, help with her daily routine and give her unhurried time. Tell us about the community and what she needs.
How does the cost of home care compare with a community?
It depends on the help needed. Home care is arranged by the schedule, while communities usually charge a monthly fee, so the comparison changes with the hours of care. We'll explain what a home care plan would cost, so you can set it beside the communities you're considering.
Can we start at home and decide later?
Yes. Care at home can begin with a few hours a week and grow as needs change, and the care plan is reviewed along the way. Starting at home gives your family time to see what helps, without rushing a move.
Related: home care vs assisted living, home care vs a nursing home, memory support at home and how families pay for care.