Companion Care for Seniors in Senatobia, MS

About 366 residents of Senatobia aged 65 or older live alone, 31% of older residents in households (27% in Tate County). They are the people companion care is usually for: mostly independent, but on their own for long stretches of the day.

4.0% of Senatobia households have no vehicle (3.0% in Tate County). A companion who drives can turn a week at home into appointments, shopping and visits.

Of the 1,295 Senatobia residents aged 65 or older, 122 are 85 or older (9.4%). 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.

548 Senatobia households headed by someone 65 or older own their home and 175 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 82 older Senatobia residents (6.9%) live below the poverty line (8.3% in Tate 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 25% of the $3,899 monthly median income of Senatobia 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.