Companion Care for Seniors in Brownsville, TN

About 590 residents of Brownsville aged 65 or older live alone, 32% of older residents in households (27% in Haywood County). They are the people companion care is usually for: mostly independent, but on their own for long stretches of the day.

16% of Brownsville households have no vehicle (11% in Haywood County). A companion who drives can turn a week at home into appointments, shopping and visits.

Of the 1,973 Brownsville residents aged 65 or older, 204 are 85 or older (10%). Before the first visit with someone in that oldest group, ask the family about hearing, eyesight, walking and any memory changes, so the visit is planned around them.

797 Brownsville households headed by someone 65 or older own their home and 505 rent. A companion visiting a house may also help with mail, light chores and keeping an eye on things; in an apartment building, ask whether visitors sign in.

About 369 older Brownsville residents (20%) live below the poverty line (16% in Haywood County). For them, Medicaid home and community-based services or the local Area Agency on Aging may cover some companion or homemaker hours, depending on the state program; private pay is not the only route.

At the Tennessee median aide wage of $15.45 an hour, 20 hours of help a week comes to about $1,339 a month in wages, which is 41% of the $3,234 monthly median income of Brownsville households headed by someone 65 or older. Private rates are agreed directly with the caregiver, so yours may be higher or lower. Tennessee has no state minimum wage law, so the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour applies to employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (U.S. Department of Labor).

Hiring directly, you agree the rate with the caregiver and usually become the household employer (U.S. Department of Labor rules). Some families qualify for programs that pay for care at home; see TennCare CHOICES: how to get paid to care for a family member in Tennessee.