Companion Care for Seniors in New Hope, MS

About 130 residents of New Hope aged 65 or older live alone, 27% of older residents in households (36% in Lowndes County). They are the people companion care is usually for: mostly independent, but on their own for long stretches of the day.

5.8% of New Hope households have no vehicle (6.1% in Lowndes County). A companion who drives can turn a week at home into appointments, shopping and visits.

Of the 484 New Hope residents aged 65 or older, 14 are 85 or older (2.9%). 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.

268 New Hope households headed by someone 65 or older own their home and 22 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 40 older New Hope residents (8.3%) live below the poverty line (14% in Lowndes 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 Mississippi median aide wage of $11.47 an hour, 20 hours of help a week comes to about $994 a month in wages, which is 21% of the $4,762 monthly median income of New Hope households headed by someone 65 or older. Private rates are agreed directly with the caregiver, so yours may be higher or lower. Mississippi 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.