Stroke Recovery Support at Home in New Ellenton, SC

Hospitals with an emergency department near New Ellenton: Aiken Regional Medical Center in Aiken (9.5 mi); Piedmont Augusta Hospital in Augusta (17 mi); Wellstar Mcg Health, Affiliated With Med Col in Augusta (18 mi). With stroke signs, call 911 rather than driving.

18 New Ellenton residents 65 or older have difficulty dressing or bathing (4.8%; 6.5% in Aiken County), and 133 have serious difficulty walking: the two kinds of help most often needed in the weeks after a stroke.

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 30% of the $4,197 monthly median income of New Ellenton 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.