Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) for Home Care in Ithaca, NY

The nearest Medicare-certified nursing homes to Ithaca are Beechtree Center For Rehabilitation And Nursing in Ithaca (0.5 mi), Oak Hill Rehabilitation And Nursing Care Center in Ithaca (1.0 mi), Cayuga Nursing And Rehabilitation Center in Ithaca (2.0 mi). Nursing homes employ many of the area’s CNAs, and CNAs who want home care work often come from them.

Aides in New York earn a median $19.05 an hour (BLS, May 2025, home health and personal care aides). New York's minimum wage is $17.00 in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties, $16.00 in the rest of the state (U.S. Department of Labor table, updated July 1, 2026).

Ithaca has about 300 residents aged 85 or older, the group most likely to need hands-on help with bathing, transfers and toileting.

At the New York median aide wage of $19.05 an hour, 20 hours of help a week comes to about $1,651 a month in wages, which is 26% of the $6,408 monthly median income of Ithaca households headed by someone 65 or older. Private rates are agreed directly with the caregiver, so yours may be higher or lower. New York's minimum wage is $17.00 in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties, $16.00 in the rest of the state (U.S. Department of Labor table, updated July 1, 2026).

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 CDPAP in New York: how to get paid to care for a family member.