Companion Care for Seniors in Greenwood, LA

About 180 residents of Greenwood aged 65 or older live alone, 20% of older residents in households (35% in Caddo Parish). They are the people companion care is usually for: mostly independent, but on their own for long stretches of the day.

10% of Greenwood households have no vehicle (9.9% in Caddo Parish). A companion who drives can turn a week at home into appointments, shopping and visits.

Of the 898 Greenwood residents aged 65 or older, 43 are 85 or older (4.8%). 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.

563 Greenwood households headed by someone 65 or older own their home and 73 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 114 older Greenwood residents (13%) live below the poverty line (16% in Caddo Parish). 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 Louisiana median aide wage of $10.83 an hour, 20 hours of help a week comes to about $939 a month in wages, which is 18% of the $5,079 monthly median income of Greenwood households headed by someone 65 or older. Private rates are agreed directly with the caregiver, so yours may be higher or lower. Louisiana 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 Medicaid programs for family caregivers: who can be paid, and the rules in 12 states.