In-Home Dementia and Alzheimer's Care in North Charleston, SC

North Charleston has about 1,446 residents aged 85 or older among 14,951 aged 65 or older. The risk of Alzheimer’s rises steeply with age, and the Alzheimer’s Association estimates that about a third of people 85 and older have Alzheimer’s dementia.

37% of residents 65 and older report a disability (27% in Charleston County). The Census counts cognitive difficulty as one kind, alongside hearing, vision, walking, self-care and living independently.

36% of older North Charleston residents in households live alone. For someone with memory loss who lives alone, a few hours of daily check-ins are often the first step.

At the South Carolina median aide wage of $14.48 an hour, 20 hours of help a week comes to about $1,255 a month in wages, which is 34% of the $3,731 monthly median income of North Charleston households headed by someone 65 or older. Private rates are agreed directly with the caregiver, so yours may be higher or lower. South Carolina 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.