Senior Home Care in Michigan: In-Home Care for Elderly Adults

Senior home care in Michigan means a trained caregiver comes to your parent’s home to help with bathing, dressing, meals, housekeeping, and companionship so they can keep living where they are comfortable. For seniors on Medicaid, the MDHHS Home Help program pays for this care, and it can pay a family member to provide it.

On this page

1. What does senior home care include?
2. How does Medicaid pay for senior home care in Michigan?
3. Can a family member provide this care and get paid?
4. When is it time for in-home care for an elderly parent?
5. How to get started with senior home care
6. Senior home care across Michigan
7. Frequently asked questions

What does senior home care include?

Elderly care at home is built around the tasks your loved one can no longer do safely alone. Our caregivers provide non-medical support that fits the person.

• Personal care: bathing, showering, grooming, dressing, toileting, and incontinence care.
• Mobility help: getting out of bed, transferring to a chair or wheelchair, walking safely, and fall prevention.
• Meals: planning, cooking, feeding assistance, and following a doctor’s diet.
• Medication reminders: prompting to take medication on time.
• Housekeeping and laundry: keeping the kitchen, bathroom, and living areas clean and safe.
• Shopping and errands: groceries, pharmacy pickups, and rides to appointments where arranged.
• Companionship: conversation, walks, hobbies, and a check that your parent is eating well.

Skilled nursing, wound care, or physical therapy is home health care, ordered by a doctor and usually paid by Medicare. Our home care vs home health care guide explains the difference and how the two work together.

How does Medicaid pay for senior home care in Michigan?

Michigan has two Medicaid programs that pay for in-home care for elderly adults. Which one fits depends on your parent’s level of need.

Home Help (MDHHS)

Home Help is the state’s main Medicaid home care program, run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). To qualify, your parent must be enrolled in Michigan Medicaid and need hands-on help with at least one activity of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, or moving around. An MDHHS adult services worker visits the home, assesses each task, and authorizes a monthly number of care hours. The caregiver is paid directly by the state for those hours. Our Michigan Home Help program page covers eligibility and the application in detail.

MI Choice Waiver

The MI Choice Waiver is for seniors whose needs are high enough to qualify for a nursing home but who want to stay at home. It adds services Home Help does not cover, such as respite care, adult day programs, personal emergency response systems, and home modifications. You apply through your local Area Agency on Aging or waiver agent, and there can be a waiting list depending on your region.

Private pay and other options

Families not on Medicaid can hire us privately by the hour; long-term care insurance and some veterans’ benefits may reimburse part of the cost. If your parent is close to the Medicaid limit, start with our free Medicaid eligibility check before paying out of pocket; many families qualify and do not know it.

Can a family member provide this care and get paid?

Yes. Michigan Home Help allows the senior to choose their own caregiver, and that person can be an adult child, grandchild, sibling, other relative, friend, or neighbor. The family caregiver enrolls as an individual provider through the CHAMPS system, passes a background check, and records each visit with Electronic Visit Verification (EVV). MDHHS then pays the caregiver for the authorized hours.

A few rules apply. Under current MDHHS rules, a spouse or the parent of a minor child generally cannot be paid as the Home Help provider. The caregiver must be at least 18 and legally able to work in the United States. If you live with your parent, some or all of your pay may be excludable from federal income tax under IRS Notice 2014-7 as a difficulty-of-care payment; confirm with a tax professional.

We help families through every step of enrollment. Start at become a paid caregiver or read how to get paid to take care of a family member in Michigan.

When is it time for in-home care for an elderly parent?

These signs mean it is time to talk about senior home care now:

• A fall in the last six months, or unsteady walking on stairs or in the bathroom.
• Missed medications, expired food, or noticeable weight loss.
• Confusion about bills or appointments.
• A family caregiver who is exhausted or missing work.

Home care usually costs far less than a nursing home, and Medicaid pays for it when your parent qualifies. See home care vs nursing home vs adult foster care to compare options.

How to get started with senior home care

1. Check eligibility. Use our free eligibility check or call us. If your parent is not yet on Medicaid, we explain how to apply through MI Bridges.
2. Request the Home Help assessment. We help you contact the MDHHS office for your county and prepare for the in-home visit.
3. Choose the caregiver. A family member enrolls through CHAMPS, or we match your parent with one of our screened caregivers.
4. Start care. Hours begin once MDHHS approves the plan. We handle EVV, paperwork, and reassessments.

Senior home care across Michigan

We provide elderly care at home in Detroit, Dearborn, Warren, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Flint, Lansing, and Grand Rapids, and the surrounding communities. Our caregivers speak English, Arabic and Spanish. Visit our Michigan service area page to find your city.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get paid to take care of my elderly mother or father in Michigan?

Yes. If your parent is enrolled in Michigan Medicaid and needs hands-on help with daily activities, the MDHHS Home Help program can pay you as their individual caregiver. You enroll as a provider through CHAMPS, record visits with EVV, and are paid for the hours MDHHS authorizes. Supportive Solutions Homecare walks you through every step.

Does Medicaid pay for dementia care at home in Michigan?

Medicaid can pay for in-home dementia care through Home Help when your loved one needs hands-on help with bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, or moving around. If needs are heavier, the MI Choice Waiver adds services like respite and adult day care. Medicare does not pay for ongoing custodial dementia care at home.

Which Michigan cities do you serve for senior home care?

Supportive Solutions Homecare serves seniors and families across Michigan, including Detroit, Dearborn, Warren, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Flint, Lansing, and Grand Rapids, plus the surrounding suburbs and counties. We are a Michigan-only agency today, with Ohio coming soon. Call us if you live outside these cities and we will confirm coverage for your address.

What is the difference between senior home care and home health care?

Senior home care is non-medical support: bathing, dressing, meals, housekeeping, errands, and companionship, usually paid by Medicaid Home Help or privately. Home health care is skilled nursing or therapy ordered by a doctor for a limited period, usually paid by Medicare. Many seniors use both at different times. Read our home care vs home health care comparison for details.

Does my parent have to leave the house or move to get care?

No. Michigan’s Home Help and MI Choice programs are designed to keep seniors in their own homes or with family instead of a nursing home or adult foster care. Care is delivered where your parent lives. An MDHHS adult services worker visits the home for the assessment, and the caregiver comes to your parent, not the other way around.

How many hours of senior home care will Medicaid cover?

Hours are set by the MDHHS assessment, not by the agency. The adult services worker scores how much help your parent needs with each activity of daily living and instrumental task, and that score produces a monthly hour authorization. More needs mean more hours. If your parent’s condition changes, you can request a reassessment to adjust hours.