Home Care in Ann Arbor

Home care in Ann Arbor, MI is paid for by Michigan Medicaid for residents who qualify for the Home Help program, and the caregiver can be a family member who is enrolled and paid through MDHHS. Supportive Solutions Homecare helps Washtenaw County families confirm eligibility, complete the assessment and set up caregiver payment, in English, Arabic or Spanish.

On this page

1. Home care in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County
2. Programs that pay for home care in Ann Arbor
3. How to apply for Home Help in Washtenaw County
4. Get paid to care for a family member in Ann Arbor
5. Home care services in Ann Arbor
6. Frequently asked questions

Home care in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County

Ann Arbor’s older residents include retired University of Michigan faculty, lifelong residents of the Old West Side and Burns Park, and international families who came for graduate school and stayed. What they share is a strong preference for aging in place in a walkable neighborhood near friends, the Farmers Market and their doctors at Michigan Medicine. Home care makes that possible without a move to assisted living.

We serve the whole city, including Kerrytown, Water Hill, the Northside, Burns Park, Lower Burns Park, Bryant, Pittsfield Village and the townships that ring the city: Pittsfield, Scio, Ann Arbor Township and Superior. We also cover Ypsilanti, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Milan and Whitmore Lake. Our companion post on home care in Lansing and Ann Arbor compares the two counties’ offices.

Programs that pay for home care in Ann Arbor

Program	Local contact	What it covers
Home Help (Medicaid)	Washtenaw County MDHHS adult services, 22 Center Street, Ypsilanti, (734) 481-2000	Personal care, housework, meals, shopping, with a caregiver the recipient chooses
MI Choice Waiver	AgeWays, Area Agency on Aging Region 1-B (waiver agent for Washtenaw)	Nursing-home level care delivered at home, plus respite, adult day services and equipment
Private pay	Supportive Solutions Homecare	Hourly care for households above Medicaid limits

Two points trip up Ann Arbor families. First, the MDHHS county office is in Ypsilanti, not Ann Arbor, and it serves every city and township in Washtenaw. Second, Washtenaw’s Area Agency on Aging is AgeWays, the same regional agency that covers Oakland and Macomb counties, not a local Ann Arbor organization. Both are easy to reach once you know where to look, and we contact them for you.

How to apply for Home Help in Washtenaw County

1. Check Medicaid first. Home Help requires active Medicaid. Our eligibility check gives you an answer in minutes, and MI Bridges is where a new application is filed.
2. Request an assessment through the Ypsilanti office. Ask for adult services and a Home Help assessment for your relative’s Ann Arbor address.
3. Meet the worker at home. The assessment covers bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, mobility and household tasks, and produces a monthly hour total.
4. Obtain the doctor’s signature on the medical needs form. Michigan Medicine geriatrics, Trinity Health Ann Arbor and the IHA and Packard Health clinics handle these forms regularly.
5. Enroll the caregiver. The chosen provider registers in CHAMPS, passes a background check and logs visits through EVV. We complete this with you.

Get paid to care for a family member in Ann Arbor

An adult child who moved back to town, a graduate student caring for a parent who followed them here, a longtime neighbor on the Old West Side: any of them can become the paid Home Help provider once the care recipient is approved. Home Help does not require a CNA license, and the provider does not need to be a relative.

Through Supportive Solutions, caregivers earn a minimum of $18 per hour. Some families pair Home Help hours with private-pay hours for extra coverage. Hours are approved monthly and paid through CHAMPS after EVV confirms each visit.

If you live in the same home as the person you care for, IRS Notice 2014-7 may allow the payments to be excluded from federal taxable income. Read more on our family caregiver pay page, then start at become a paid caregiver.

Home care services in Ann Arbor

• Personal care assistance with bathing, dressing, toileting and mobility
• Senior home care that keeps older adults in walkable neighborhoods near campus and downtown
• Dementia and Alzheimer’s care with consistent caregivers and supervision
• Post-surgery care after discharge from Michigan Medicine or Trinity Health
• Respite care for family caregivers who need a weekend or a week off
• Meals, housekeeping, laundry, grocery runs and medication reminders
• Companionship in English, Arabic or Spanish, including for international parents new to the area

Frequently asked questions

Where is the MDHHS office for Ann Arbor residents?

The Washtenaw County MDHHS office is on Center Street in Ypsilanti and serves all of Washtenaw County, including Ann Arbor, Saline, Dexter and Chelsea. You do not need to go in person to start Home Help; a phone request or a call from our office is enough to schedule the in-home assessment.

Which Ann Arbor neighborhoods and nearby towns do you serve?

All of Ann Arbor, including Burns Park, the Old West Side, Kerrytown, Water Hill and the Northside, plus Pittsfield, Scio and Superior townships, Ypsilanti, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Milan and Whitmore Lake. Across Michigan we also serve Detroit, Dearborn, Warren, Sterling Heights, Flint, Lansing and Grand Rapids.

Does Home Help cover care for a parent I brought over from abroad?

It can, if the parent has Michigan Medicaid. Eligibility depends on immigration status, income and assets, and some newer arrivals qualify while others do not. Our eligibility check and a short call will tell you where your parent stands, and we can explain the options in Arabic or Spanish if that helps.

Can a graduate student be paid as a family caregiver?

Yes. Home Help allows the provider to have other work or study as long as they complete the approved hours and log them with EVV. Many caregivers combine part-time study or a job with Home Help hours. The background check and CHAMPS enrollment are the only requirements.

How do I decide between Home Help and the MI Choice Waiver?

If your loved one mainly needs help with daily tasks, Home Help is usually the right fit. If they would otherwise need a nursing home and could use extra services such as adult day care or equipment, ask AgeWays about MI Choice. We can help you contact both and see which is approved faster.