These two terms get used loosely, including by providers, which makes comparing quotes harder than it should be. The distinction matters because it changes the rate, the training required, and sometimes the licensing.
The simplest version: companion care is everything that does not involve touching the person. Personal care is everything that does.
Companion care is non-contact support. A caregiver is in the home, keeping things running and keeping an eye on how someone is doing.
Personal care is hands-on. It requires training in safe technique, particularly around transfers, because this is where injuries happen to both parties.
A useful test: can they manage getting washed and dressed safely on their own, even if slowly? If yes, you are probably looking at companion care. If getting in and out of the shower is the thing you worry about, you need personal care.
Families frequently start with companion care and move to personal care after a fall. If you are already close to that line, it is worth arranging personal care from the beginning so the caregiver is trained for it and you are not renegotiating mid-crisis.
Personal care usually carries a few dollars an hour more, reflecting the training involved. It is a smaller gap than most people expect, typically two to four dollars.
Because the gap is small, if there is any realistic chance of needing hands-on help within a few months, booking personal care from the start is usually the better decision.
Neither is medical care. Wound dressing, injections, catheter care and clinical assessment are home health, delivered by a licensed agency under a doctor's plan of care, and often covered by Medicare for a limited period.
The two work together. It is common for a family to have home health visiting a few times a week and non-medical care filling in the rest.
We arrange this across the Wasatch Front, from Ogden and Layton in the north through Salt Lake County and down to Provo, Orem and Springville. Pick your city from the service areas menu for local detail, costs and who pays.
Yes, and most do. A caregiver trained for personal care can also cook, clean and run errands. The distinction affects the rate and the training, not how many people come to the house.
Non-medical caregivers remind and prompt but do not administer. Anything involving injections or dosage decisions falls to a licensed nurse.
Usually personal care initially, stepping down to companion care as strength returns. Many families reduce hours over the first six to eight weeks.
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