Home Care in Grand Rapids

Home care in Grand Rapids, MI can be paid for by Michigan Medicaid through the Home Help program, with Kent County MDHHS approving hours and a family member or friend serving as the paid caregiver. Supportive Solutions Homecare helps west Michigan families apply, complete the assessment and enroll their caregiver in CHAMPS, with Spanish and Arabic support.

On this page

1. Home care in Grand Rapids, Kent County and west Michigan
2. Home Help and MI Choice in Kent County
3. Applying for Home Help in Grand Rapids
4. Get paid to care for a family member in Grand Rapids
5. Home care services in Grand Rapids
6. Frequently asked questions

Home care in Grand Rapids, Kent County and west Michigan

Grand Rapids is the largest city on the west side of the state and the medical hub for a wide region, with Corewell Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids and University of Michigan Health-West drawing patients from a dozen counties. Families often discover Home Help after a hospital discharge, when a social worker mentions that Medicaid can pay for care at home and even pay a relative to provide it.

We serve every part of the city, including Eastown, Heritage Hill, Creston, Alger Heights, the West Side, Roosevelt Park, Burton Heights, Garfield Park and the Southeast Side, and the suburbs of Wyoming, Kentwood, Grandville, Walker, East Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, Rockford, Ada, Cascade, Byron Center and Caledonia. Spanish-speaking families on the southwest side along Grandville Avenue and Clyde Park can work with bilingual caregivers and office staff. Read our post on Home Help and MI Choice in Grand Rapids for more.

Home Help and MI Choice in Kent County

Home Help through Kent County MDHHS

Home Help applications for Grand Rapids are handled by adult services at the Kent County MDHHS office, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Street SE, Suite 200, phone (616) 248-1000. A worker visits the home, scores the need for help with daily activities and household tasks, and approves a monthly hour total. Medicaid must be active first; MI Bridges is where new applications are filed. The program rules are explained on our Michigan Home Help page.

MI Choice through the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan

The MI Choice Waiver for Kent County is run by the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan, the Region 8 agency that also covers Allegan, Ionia, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo and Osceola counties. It is the waiver agent that screens for nursing-facility level of care and can add services such as adult day care, respite and home modifications on top of Home Help. Details are on our MI Choice Waiver page.

Applying for Home Help in Grand Rapids

1. Check Medicaid eligibility. Use our eligibility check to see whether your loved one’s income and assets fit, or apply on MI Bridges.
2. Request an assessment from Kent County. We call adult services on Franklin Street and ask for an in-home Home Help assessment.
3. Prepare for the visit. List what your loved one needs help with each day, including on their worst days, so the hour total reflects reality.
4. Have the medical needs form completed. Corewell Health, Trinity Health and Cherry Health providers across the city fill these out often.
5. Enroll the caregiver in CHAMPS. The chosen provider registers, clears a background check and sets up EVV to log visits.

Get paid to care for a family member in Grand Rapids

West Michigan families tend to take care of their own, and Home Help pays for that. A daughter in Kentwood driving to her mother’s house in Alger Heights every morning, a son who moved his father into the spare room in Walker, a church friend who checks in daily: each can be the paid provider once the care recipient is approved. No nursing credential is needed.

Through Supportive Solutions, caregivers earn a minimum of $18 per hour. Grand Rapids caregivers earn the same as those in Detroit. Hours come from the assessment and are paid through CHAMPS after each EVV-verified visit, with no agency deduction when you enroll as an individual provider.

Caregivers who live with the person they care for should ask about IRS Notice 2014-7, which may exclude Home Help pay from federal income tax as difficulty-of-care payments. Enroll at become a paid caregiver, and see how monthly pay is calculated on our family caregiver pay page.

Home care services in Grand Rapids

• Personal care: bathing, grooming, dressing, toileting and transfers
• Senior home care for older adults in Heritage Hill, Eastown and the suburbs who want to stay put
• Alzheimer’s and dementia care, including hands-on help with bathing, dressing and meals
• Disability home care for adults under 65
• Respite care for family caregivers who need a break
• Post-hospital recovery support after a stay at Corewell Health or Trinity Health
• Meals, housekeeping, laundry, shopping and medication reminders, in English, Spanish or Arabic

Frequently asked questions

Where do Grand Rapids residents apply for Home Help?

Through adult services at the Kent County MDHHS office on Martin Luther King Jr. Street SE, which covers Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Kentwood and the rest of Kent County. You can request the assessment by phone, and our office will make the call and follow up until the home visit is on the calendar.

Which Grand Rapids neighborhoods and suburbs do you cover?

All of Grand Rapids plus Wyoming, Kentwood, Grandville, Walker, East Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, Rockford, Ada, Cascade, Byron Center and Caledonia. Elsewhere in Michigan we serve Detroit, Dearborn, Warren, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Flint and Lansing. If you live in Ottawa County or further out, ask us about availability.

Do you have Spanish-speaking caregivers in Grand Rapids?

Yes. Several of our Grand Rapids caregivers are bilingual in Spanish and English, and our office can take your call in Spanish. We also help Spanish-speaking family members through CHAMPS enrollment and EVV setup so they can be paid as their relative’s provider. Arabic is available as well.

Can I use Home Help and MI Choice at the same time?

Some people do. Home Help covers personal care and household tasks, while MI Choice adds services for those who meet nursing-home level of care. The Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan coordinates MI Choice, and Kent County MDHHS handles Home Help. We help families apply to both when it makes sense.

How much does home care cost in Grand Rapids if I pay privately?

Private-pay rates are hourly and depend on the level of care, the number of hours and whether overnight coverage is needed. For families who qualify for Home Help, Medicaid pays the caregiver directly. We will tell you which applies before you commit to anything.