Not every senior needs a home health aide or a medically trained caregiver. Many just need consistent help with the small daily tasks that add up: getting groceries, making a nutritious meal, keeping the house safe and clean, and having someone check in regularly. That is what non-medical daily living support covers, and it is usually the first paid help a family brings in - well before considering assisted living or skilled nursing care.

What is included

Daily living support is non-clinical: no medication administration beyond simple reminders, no wound care, no clinical monitoring. Typical services include:

  • Meal preparation. Planning and cooking meals in the home, sometimes batch-cooking several days at once.
  • Light housekeeping. Laundry, dishes, tidying, and vacuuming - not deep cleaning or heavy chores.
  • Errands and grocery shopping. Either running errands independently or accompanying the senior to do them together.
  • Medication reminders. Prompting at the right time, not administering or managing dosages.
  • Routine check-ins. Daily or weekly visits or calls to confirm someone is safe, eating, and not isolated.
  • Light mobility assistance. Help getting around the house, in and out of chairs, but not hands-on personal care like bathing or dressing (that falls under personal care services instead).

What it costs

Non-medical daily living support is typically billed hourly, with most families starting at a few hours a few times a week rather than full-time care.

  • Hourly rate: roughly $25-$40/hour in most US metro areas, and CAD $28-$45/hour in most Canadian metros, though this varies by region and provider.
  • Typical starting package: 2-4 hours, 2-3 times per week, often $300-$800/month.
  • Full-time or live-in support: costs scale up significantly and start to approach the price of assisted living in many markets - worth comparing directly if care needs are increasing.

How it differs from companion care

Daily living support and companion visits overlap but are not identical. Companion visits emphasize social connection - conversation, activities, combating isolation. Daily living support emphasizes task completion - meals get cooked, the house stays livable, errands get done. Many providers offer both, and most families end up wanting some of each; ask any provider directly which tasks are included in their standard visit versus billed as an add-on.

Questions to ask a provider before hiring

Ask whether caregivers are employees or independent contractors (this affects liability and background-check consistency), whether the same person visits each time or the schedule rotates, what happens if a scheduled caregiver calls in sick, and whether a care plan is written down and shared with family. For anyone paying privately, ask for a simple written agreement covering hours, rate, and cancellation policy before the first visit.

Paying for it

Non-medical daily living support is rarely covered by Medicare or provincial health insurance, since it is not a medical service. Long-term care insurance policies often do cover it - check the policy's definition of "activities of daily living" and "instrumental activities of daily living," since coverage frequently depends on which category a task falls under. Veterans may qualify for the VA's Aid and Attendance benefit, and some state Medicaid HCBS waivers cover non-medical in-home support for eligible low-income seniors.

Find vetted daily living support providers near your parent on CareProximity, or request a free concierge match.