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In-Home Care - A number of factors affect cost and skill level of service you need. Homemakers, personal care assistants and companions will all cost less (typically $7.50 - $15.00 per hour) than home health aides or skilled nursing care ( typically $16-$25 or more an hour). Live-in care is usually priced by the day or week rather than hourly, and can run as high as $200 per day or more $4,500 - $6,900  a month. This is hard to compare so not included in comparison above.

An important part of planning for long-term care is deciding how to pay for services. This is because long-term care is very expensive, and contrary to what many people believe, their Medicare coverage will not pay for most of the long-term care services they need. While some people may qualify for Medicaid – the major payer of long-term care services, most people won't. There are other federal public programs, such as the Older Americans Act, or state funded programs, that pay some long-term care services, but like Medicaid they target those people with the most functional and financial need. Consequently, if you are one of the 70% of people over the age of 65 who will need long-term care services – there's a very good chance you will have to pay for some or all of your long-term care services out of your personal income and resources.

To make the best decisions about how to pay for long-term care you need to understand what services cost, what public programs you are eligible for and what they cover, what private financing options are available, and which ones work best for you.

1 "What is included in the price?" Available services will vary property to property. Some services come with the basic monthly charge; other services are provided at extra cost. You should expect the following basic services to be available:

Three meals per day served in a common dining room
Housekeeping services
Social and recreational activities
Medication management
Health promotion programs
Handicapped accessibility and an emergency system that alerts staff if a resident needs assistance
24-hour security Measured amount of time allotted for assistance with personal care

2 Normal utilities are included in the rent phone and cable are almost always an optional amenity you can add.