Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) for Home Care in Athens, TN

The nearest Medicare-certified nursing homes to Athens are Nhc Healthcare, Athens in Athens (1.0 mi), Life Care Center Of Athens in Athens (1.1 mi), Starr Regional Health & Rehabilitation in Etowah (8.3 mi). Nursing homes employ many of the area’s CNAs, and CNAs who want home care work often come from them.

Aides in Tennessee earn a median $15.45 an hour (BLS, May 2025, home health and personal care aides). 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).

Athens has about 393 residents aged 85 or older, the group most likely to need hands-on help with bathing, transfers and toileting.

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 37% of the $3,643 monthly median income of Athens 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.