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Community Resources

Home Care Assistance, In-Home Services

Many people would prefer to stay in their own homes and hire in-home helpers rather than move to an assisted living facility or nursing home. This often starts with tasks such as lawn care, housekeeping, home maintenance. The next order of need is often with the IADLS (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living), such as transportation, shopping, paying bills, cooking, health care, home care, safety and pet care. Some need assistance with ADL's (Activities of Daily Living such as dressing, bathing, eating and medication supervision, transfer from bed to chair). Others require skilled nursing due to their short or long term medical conditions. For an article on home care options and how to choose among them, click here. If you hire a caregiver, either individually, or through a company, read this article (click here) for information about tax and legal implications. For an article on how to be an informed home care consumer, click here.

It is important to identify your needs as it helps you select the appropriate care provider. Will it be sufficient to have this assistance for a few hours per day, or are there are safety concerns that would indicate 24 hour care? What will happen if the care provider doesn't come? Medicaid and Long Term Care Insurance may pay for some of these services. Medicare only pays for medical care.

There are various levels of home care:

Companions are paid to help and sometimes live in your home. They can provide meal preparation, housekeeping, shopping, transportation and laundry. They do no hands-on care and are not regulated. Companions can be found through homecare agencies or privately.

Home health aides are trained, certified and work under the supervision of a registered nurse. They help with personal care such as dressing, personal hygiene, and ambulation. Aides can be found primarily through homecare agencies.

Visiting Nurses are licensed nurses (RN or LPN) who can dispense medication and do follow-up medical care such as wound dressing and removal of stitches. This skilled care often follows hospital or rehabilitation center discharge and is provided over a limited period of time with intermittent visits. Sometimes a nurse is needed on a long-term basis for medical care. This care is often arranged by the discharge planner or doctor.

There are several considerations when deciding whether to find a care provider privately or go through an agency. A licensed agency should background check, train, and oversee their staff. Workers are bonded and insured, covered by workers compensation, and payroll taxes are paid. If the worker can not come for an appointed shift, the agency should replace them. If you chose private pay, the hourly rate is lower, but you are responsible for the payroll taxes and workers comp. You should inquire about training, certifications and recommendations. Check driver's license and record if you expect them to drive (not all agencies permit this). Whether private or agency employee, remember that this is one of the lowest paid and most challenging professions. Care providers are often juggling client and family needs themselves, and may leave for a higher paying or more satisfying position. Many also become very attached to the families they serve and provide high quality care. PSRC does not match private care providers with families.

Medicare-certified agencies can be found at the Medicare web site www.medicare.gov. They are both licensed and certified at the highest level. They provide of Medicare reimbursed skilled medical nursing and rehabilitation in the homefor people who are unable to leave home to receive thse services. Services are short-term and intermittent. Local providers include:

  • Mercer Street Friends Home Health Care 7 Dunmore Ave, Ewing NJ 08618 (609) 396-1507 www.mercerstreetfriends.org

  • Princeton Healthcare System Home Care Department 208 Bunn Dr, Princeton, NJ 08540 (609) 497-4900 www.princetonhcs.org

  • Robert Wood Johnson Visiting Nurses, 972 Shoppes Blvd, North Brunswick NJ 08902, 888 997-9584

  • Visiting Nurse Assoc. of Mercer County 171 Jersey St, Ste 201 Trenton NJ 08610 mail: PO Box 441 Trenton NJ 08603 (609) 695-3461 www.vnahomecare.org

Call 800-367-6543 or look at www.nj.gov/health/healthfacilities for Medicare-licensed homecare agencies. The National Private Duty Association is the national association for providers of private duty nursing and homecare. (317) 663-3637 www.privatedutyhomecare.org

Licensed Health Care Service firms are licensed by the State of NJ . They can provide personal care services, have nursing supervision, must use employees to provide services, must pay employee taxes, and employees providing health care services must be licensed/certified. Medicaid will cover services to income-eligible people as an alternative to institutional care if the person is home-bound and needs assistance with at least 2-3 Activites of Daily Living. The State of NJ Division of Consumer Affairs has created a Consumers Guide to Homemaker-HomeHealth Aides available at http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/hhh/hhhaguide.pdf. Some of these are local franchises of state or regional organizations, while othes are small local agencies. Local providers include:

Non-medical Home Care or Companion agencies hire many independent contractors to provide services, they do not pay payroll taxes or malpractice insurance, although some provide worker's compensation. Nursing supervision is often not provided; providers cannot provide hands-on care or personal services unless certified as an aide, and they may not provide health care services. These companions may come in for a few hours a week, or live in. They provide essential services such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, but are not licensed to give personal care. Local providers include:

  • Greenwood House Homemaker Program
  • Griswold Special Care
  • Home Helpers
    • Monroe Township, Middlesex and Somerset: (732) 656-151; 601 US Hwy 206, Ste. 26-316 Hillsborough NJ 08844 (908) 281-5300
    • Web site: www.homehelpers.com
  • Vivian Agency (companions from E. Europe )
    • 1075 Mt. Vernon Rd, Union NJ 07083
    • (908) 500-1067

Families can also privately hire certified home health aides to provide assistance with personal care and companionship. This is a business relationship between family and employee, with family assuming the responsibility for salary, payroll taxes and insurance. PSRC does not match private care providers with families.

Selecting a homecare agency

This checklist can help in your selection of a homecare agency:

  • Is the agency licensed and accredited, certified by Medicare?

  • Are employees bonded and insured?

  • How are employees screened prior to employment?

  • What kind of training do employees get?

  • Who supervises employees, how frequently?

  • Who pays employees? What are the fees?

  • Will the agency provide a written care plan?

  • Will the agency provide a replacement if the employee is ill?

Other Options

The Princeton Senior Resource Center's HomeFriends and LINK programs connect home-based older adults with adult and teen volunteers who visit weekly for companionship and minor assistance. These programs supplement but do not replace in-home care. For individuals who are otherwise fully independent, there are also organizations that offer assistance with specific tasks such as paying bills or transportation. See the Personal Assistance page for organizations offering these services, or call PSRC at (609) 924-7108 for more information.

Families who choose home-based care often find that they are using the services of several organizations for various aspects of care (meals on wheels, visitors, homecare, transportation, etc). It is very helpful to have a case manager to coordinate and oversee care, particularly when family is not nearby. PSRC social service staff can do assessments, and follow-up, and can help you find, select and connect with these services as your needs change. Professional Geriatric Care Managers also provide these services, are available 24/7, and can provide guardianship services if needed where there are no family members available.

Virtual Retirement Communities are another option currently receiving much attention. Here a person pays an annual fee to an organization which provides an array of services. This generally includes an assessment and case management with 24/7 availability. They provide referrals to affiliated services, such as counseling, meals, transportation, chores, home care, home maintenance, cleaning (sometimes at a discount) which help a person to remain at home as long as possible. The only virtual retirement community we are aware of at present is:

Family Care: Many families provide in-home care themselves, ranging from occasional shopping to full 24/7 care. There is a growing recognition of the importance of family caregivers and the need to support them in this challenging role. The State of New Jersey is beginning to make some funding available to compensate low-income caregivers and to provide support services and respite relief. PSRC recommends seeking information, support and respite if you are a family caregiver. Our Caregiver Resource Center offers support, counseling, education, information and other services to caregivers.

See also the Adaptive Technology and Home Modifications page which provides sources for information on health-related modifications to your home.


The Princeton Senior Resource Center does not endorse any of the resources listed on these pages. We collect and provide information from many sources as a service to those seeking services in the Princeton area. No listed provider pays to be in our directory.

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A United Way of Greater Mercer County Member Agency
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