Albany Senior AdvisorHow much does home care cost around Albany?
CareScout's 2025 New York median is $35 an hour for a non-medical caregiver.
| Hours of paid help per week | Monthly cost at $35/hour | Compared with the $7,110 assisted living median |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | $1,213 | below it |
| 16 | $2,427 | below it |
| 24 | $3,640 | below it |
| 35 | $5,308 | below it |
| 44 | $6,673 | below it |
| 47 | $7,128 | above it |
| 60 | $9,100 | above it |
| 84 | $12,740 | above it |
| 168 | $25,480 | above it |
What is the difference between a CHHA and a LHCSA?
A certified home health agency provides Medicare- and Medicaid-certified skilled care; a licensed home care services agency provides aides and nursing paid privately or through Medicaid plans.
Agencies with Capital Region office addresses on the state roster include 5 certified home health agencies, 60 licensed home care services agencies and 2 hospice licenses; many serve several counties, so ask each one whether it covers your parent's town.
Can a relative be paid to care for my parent?
Yes, through CDPAP for Medicaid recipients; most relatives other than a spouse can be hired.
Public Partnerships LLC is the statewide fiscal intermediary.
What is EISEP?
The Expanded In-home Services for the Elderly Program provides cost-shared home care and case management through county Offices for the Aging for people not eligible for Medicaid.
Ask the Office for the Aging about waiting lists.
How is hospice different from palliative care?
Palliative care can come at any stage alongside treatment; hospice is for people with six months or less to live who stop curative treatment.
New York's roster shows 2 hospice licenses with offices in the nine counties: High Peaks Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc., The Community Hospice, Inc..
Does Medicare pay for hospice at home?
Yes: Medicare's hospice benefit covers the team, drugs and equipment for the terminal illness at home or in a residence.
It does not cover room and board in a facility.
How quickly can home care start?
Private-pay agency care can often start within days once an assessment is done, while Medicaid-funded home care takes longer because it needs an independent assessment and plan enrollment first.
Ask agencies about their current wait for new clients in your parent's town.
Side by side
| Home care in New York | Home care in New York is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Licenses | CHHA and LHCSA | Unregulated personal care |
| Medicare | Skilled home health only | Hourly aides |
| Medicaid | MLTC, CDPAP, PACE | Available without assessment |
Every answer here comes from New York law or regulation, a Department of Health publication, CMS, the VA, a county Office for the Aging or CareScout's 2025 cost survey. When a figure changes, we update the answer together with the reference page it links to, and where no published number exists we say so rather than estimate.
