Hours drive the bill at home.
Care at home is paid by the hour, so what she needs shapes the cost more than any rate card. The CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 puts the national median at about $35 an hour for a non-medical caregiver, which is its single category for help with bathing, dressing, meals and company. Ask any provider for a written weekly total, not just an hourly rate.
What the other paths cost.
From the same survey, the national medians are about $95 a day for adult day health care, $6,200 a month for assisted living, and $9,581 a month for a shared room in a nursing home. State medians sit well above and below those figures, so ask for numbers where she actually lives. Watch the hours behind any monthly figure for care at home: the survey builds its monthly numbers on 44 hours of care a week, which is far more than most families start with.
What changes the number.
More hours, overnight or live-in care, dementia support, weekends and holidays, and minimum visit lengths all move the price. So does a second person in the home. Ask what a normal week costs, then ask what a hard week costs.
Modifications are usually one-time, not monthly.
Grab bars, a walk-in shower, better lighting or a ramp are paid once, then keep paying you back in easier days. Get two written quotes, and ask who assesses the home before any work is agreed.
Ask for the real number in writing.
Before anyone signs anything, ask for the rate, the minimum hours, what happens to the bill if a visit is cancelled, and what would make the price change. A provider who cannot put that on one page is telling you something.