24-hour home care in Philadelphia provides around-the-clock support for seniors who cannot safely be left alone, including those with advanced dementia, high fall risk, serious chronic illness, recent hospitalization or end-of-life needs. Experienced caregivers work in rotating shifts to help with personal care, mobility, meals, medication reminders, nighttime needs and supervision, 7 days a week, so seniors can remain safely at home instead of moving to a facility.
What Is 24-Hour Home Care?
24-hour home care, also called 24/7 in-home care or round-the-clock care, means a caregiver is present in the senior's home every hour of the day and night. Caregivers typically work in shifts, such as two 12-hour shifts or three 8-hour shifts, so someone awake and alert is always available.
This level of care allows older adults with significant needs to stay in their own homes, whether that is a row home in South Philadelphia, a twin in Mayfair or a house in Chestnut Hill, rather than moving to a nursing home or memory care community.
24-Hour Care vs. Live-In Care: What Is the Difference?
Families often hear both terms. They are related but not the same.
24-hour shift care uses multiple caregivers in rotating shifts. Each caregiver is awake and working for their entire shift, including overnight. This model fits seniors who need help frequently during the night.
Live-in care uses one caregiver who stays in the home for an extended period, with required sleep and meal breaks. The senior must be able to sleep through most of the night, because the caregiver needs uninterrupted rest. Live-in care is generally less expensive but is not appropriate for seniors with significant nighttime needs.
An in-home assessment helps determine which model is safer for your loved one.
Signs a Senior Needs Around-the-Clock Support
Every situation is different, but these signs often indicate that part-time care is no longer enough.
Advanced Dementia or Alzheimer's Disease
Seniors in the middle and later stages of dementia may wander, leave the stove on, forget to eat or become confused and agitated, especially in the evening and at night. Sundowning, nighttime wandering and safety risks make constant supervision necessary.
Frequent Falls or High Fall Risk
Seniors who have fallen several times, cannot get up on their own or need help walking to the bathroom at night are at high risk when left alone, even for a short time.
Nighttime Needs
Frequent bathroom trips, incontinence care, repositioning in bed, breathing difficulties or insomnia all require someone awake overnight.
Serious Chronic Illness
Advanced heart failure, COPD, Parkinson's disease, ALS, kidney disease and complications from stroke often require constant monitoring and hands-on help.
Recovery After Hospitalization or Surgery
In the first days and weeks after discharge from a Philadelphia hospital, seniors may be weak, in pain and at high risk of falls and complications. Short-term 24-hour care can help them recover safely before stepping down to fewer hours.
Hospice and End-of-Life Care
Many families want a loved one to spend their final weeks at home. Hospice teams provide medical and comfort care through scheduled visits, while 24-hour home caregivers provide continuous personal care, companionship and support between those visits.
Family Caregiver Exhaustion
When a spouse or adult child has been providing care day and night, their health often breaks down. 24-hour home care protects the senior and the family caregiver.
Unsafe to Be Alone
If a senior cannot call for help in an emergency, does not recognize danger, or has had a recent incident such as a fire, a fall or getting lost, around-the-clock care is often the safest option.
What 24-Hour Caregivers Do
Around-the-clock caregivers provide continuous non-medical support, including:
- Bathing, grooming, dressing and oral care
- Toileting and incontinence care
- Transfers, repositioning and mobility help
- Meal preparation, feeding help and hydration
- Medication reminders
- Supervision and redirection for seniors with dementia
- Overnight monitoring and help with nighttime needs
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Companionship, conversation and engaging activities
- Accompanying seniors to appointments
- Communication with family about changes in condition
Benefits of 24-Hour Home Care
Safety at every hour. Many falls and emergencies happen at night. A caregiver is always present to respond.
One-on-one attention. Unlike a facility where staff care for many residents, a home caregiver focuses entirely on one person.
Comfort of home. Seniors stay with their belongings, routines, pets and neighbors, which is especially valuable for people living with memory loss.
Family peace of mind. Families can work, sleep and spend quality time with their loved one rather than managing every task.
Flexibility. 24-hour care can be used short term, such as after a hospital stay, or long term as needs require.
How Much Does 24-Hour Home Care Cost in Philadelphia?
24-hour care covers 168 hours per week, so it is the most intensive level of in-home care. National cost-of-care surveys place private-pay non-medical home care in the Philadelphia area at roughly the high twenties to mid-thirties per hour. At those rates, true around-the-clock shift care can range from roughly $18,000 to more than $23,000 per month, depending on the agency, care needs, weekends and holidays.
Live-in care may cost less when a senior sleeps through the night. Some families also combine family coverage with professional care, such as family covering weekends and caregivers covering weekdays and nights, to manage costs.
Paying for 24-Hour Care
Families commonly use a combination of:
- Private pay from income, savings or home equity
- Long-term care insurance, which often covers in-home care
- Retirement funds
- VA benefits, including Aid and Attendance for eligible veterans and surviving spouses
- Pennsylvania Medicaid through Community HealthChoices, which may cover some in-home personal care hours for eligible seniors
Medicare generally does not cover 24-hour non-medical home care. It may cover part-time skilled home health visits and hospice services for eligible patients.
24-Hour Home Care vs. Nursing Home Care
For many families, the alternative to 24-hour home care is a nursing home. Nursing homes provide skilled nursing care and are appropriate for seniors with complex medical needs. However, many seniors who need constant supervision and personal care, but not skilled nursing, can remain safely at home with 24-hour caregivers. Home care offers one-on-one attention, personal routines and familiar surroundings that a facility cannot replicate.
How to Arrange 24-Hour Home Care in Philadelphia
- Talk with your loved one's doctor about health conditions, safety risks and care needs.
- Schedule an in-home assessment with an experienced home care agency.
- Decide between shift care and live-in care based on nighttime needs.
- Prepare the home with fall prevention updates and a comfortable space for caregivers.
- Share your loved one's routines and preferences so caregivers can provide consistent, personalized care.
- Review the care plan regularly and adjust as needs change.
24/7 Home Care With Visiting Care Home Care Services
Visiting Care Home Care Services provides 24-hour home care for seniors in Philadelphia and surrounding Pennsylvania counties. Our experienced caregivers deliver round-the-clock personal care, mobility help, meals, medication reminders, dementia support, overnight assistance and companionship, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We build a personalized care plan for each client and coordinate consistent caregivers who get to know your loved one's routines. Families in Center City, Northeast Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, Roxborough, Chestnut Hill and nearby Bucks, Montgomery and Delaware counties trust us when their loved ones need care at every hour.
We accept all major credit cards, retirement funds, long-term care insurance and ACH payments.
Does your loved one need around-the-clock support? Contact Visiting Care Home Care Services at visitingcareservice.com to arrange 24-hour home care in Philadelphia.