Quick Answer
Companion care is non-hands-on help: company, conversation, meals, light housekeeping, errands and supervision. Personal care adds hands-on help with the body: bathing, dressing, toileting, grooming and moving safely from bed to chair. If your parent needs physical help with any daily activity, they need personal care. Many families need both, from the same caregiver.
In This Guide
Key Takeaways
- →Companion care is about presence and household help. Personal care is hands-on help with bathing, dressing, toileting and moving.
- →If your parent needs physical help with even one daily activity, choose personal care.
- →Most families end up needing both, and one consistent caregiver can usually do both.
- →In Texas, agencies providing personal care must hold an HHSC license. Ask to see it.
- →Long-term care insurance usually pays when there's a need for help with 2 or more daily activities or cognitive impairment.
Families rarely call asking for "personal care" or "companion care." They call because Mom isn't eating well since Dad passed, or because they're worried about the shower. Those are different needs, and knowing which one you're solving helps you set up the right care from the start.
Here's how the two types of care differ, how to tell which your parent needs, and what each costs in Houston.
The Short Answer
Companion care is having someone there: conversation, meals, errands, a tidy house and someone noticing when things change. Personal care is hands-on: helping someone bathe, dress, use the toilet and move safely. The line is physical contact with daily activities.
What Companion Care Includes
- Conversation, company and activities your parent enjoys: cards, puzzles, walks, music
- Meal planning, cooking and eating together
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Errands, grocery shopping and rides to appointments
- Reminders for medications and appointments
- Supervision for someone who shouldn't be alone, including early memory loss
- Noticing changes in appetite, mood or behavior and telling the family
Companion care is often the right start for a parent who is physically independent but lonely, recently widowed, or no longer driving. Isolation affects health, and regular company gives someone a reason to get up, get dressed and eat a real meal.
What Personal Care Includes
- Help with bathing or showering, from standby help to full assistance
- Dressing, grooming and oral care
- Toileting and incontinence care
- Help getting in and out of bed, chairs and the car
- Walking alongside to prevent falls
- Everything included in companion care
Personal care is what most people mean when they say their parent "needs help." Because it involves hands-on care, it should come from trained caregivers employed by an agency licensed by Texas Health and Human Services. Ask any agency for its license number before you sign.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Companion care | Personal care | |
|---|---|---|
| Hands-on help with bathing, dressing, toileting | No | Yes |
| Meals, housekeeping, errands | Yes | Yes |
| Company and supervision | Yes | Yes |
| Medication reminders | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Loneliness, no longer driving, light household help | Unsteady on their feet, trouble bathing or dressing, dementia |
| Covered by long-term care insurance? | Sometimes, usually when there's cognitive impairment | Usually, once the benefit trigger is met |
How to Tell Which Your Parent Needs
Ask two questions:
- Can your parent bathe, dress, use the toilet and move around safely on their own? If the answer to any of these is no, or "not without struggling," they need personal care.
- Is your parent alone most of the day, skipping meals, or no longer getting out? If yes, companion care addresses that, and it can be combined with personal care.
A common starting point: a morning shift that covers the shower, getting dressed and breakfast. Mornings are when many families need the most hands-on help, and the schedule is easy to extend later.
Needs change over time. A parent who starts with companion care after losing a spouse may need personal care after a fall or as memory changes. Choose an agency whose caregivers can do both, so your parent doesn't have to get used to a new person when needs grow.
Costs and Insurance in Houston
Non-medical home care in Houston generally runs $25 to $35 an hour through a licensed agency. Companion-only care tends to sit at the lower end, while personal care, overnight shifts and dementia care cost more. BlueBonnet's rates start at $25 an hour, and schedules of 30 or more hours a week qualify for a volume discount. You can estimate costs with our rate calculator.
Medicare doesn't pay for either type of ongoing care. Long-term care insurance usually covers personal care once a practitioner certifies a need for help with two or more daily activities, or a cognitive impairment. Companion services are often covered as part of that plan of care. Some families also use HSA or FSA funds for part of the cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between companion care and personal care?
Companion care is non-hands-on help such as company, meals, housekeeping, errands and supervision. Personal care adds hands-on help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, toileting, grooming and moving safely.
Can one caregiver provide both companion care and personal care?
Yes. Most agency caregivers who provide personal care also provide companionship and household help, and having one consistent caregiver for both is usually easier for the person receiving care.
Is companion care covered by long-term care insurance?
Sometimes. Long-term care insurance usually pays once the policyholder needs help with two or more daily activities or has a cognitive impairment. Companion services are often covered as part of that plan of care, but companion-only care may not be. Check the policy or ask the carrier.
How much does companion care cost in Houston?
Companion care through a licensed agency in Houston generally costs about $25 an hour or more, toward the lower end of the $25 to $35 range for non-medical home care.
Does companion care include medication reminders?
Yes. Companion and personal caregivers can remind someone to take medications at the right times. Non-medical caregivers don't administer medications.
Related Reading
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