What is Home Instead?
Home Instead is a home care franchise. It was founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska, and in 2021 it was acquired by Honor Technology. The company says its network spans six countries and nearly 1,200 locations, with more than 650 offices in the United States and Canada, and that each franchise is independently owned and operated.
Some people type the name backwards — "instead home care" or "at home instead" — but they mean the same company. Searches for at home instead senior care usually lead to the brand's older name, Home Instead Senior Care.
Home Instead services: what the caregivers do
Home Instead's site lists these home instead services:
- In-home companion care and personal care — bathing, dressing, meals, light housekeeping, medication reminders, transportation.
- Alzheimer's and dementia care.
- Home instead respite care, to give a family caregiver a break.
- 24-hour care, transitional care after a hospital stay, end-of-life support, veteran care and, at some offices, nurse-directed care.
Those are home instead home care services in the non-medical sense. Home Instead itself explains that home care is everyday, non-medical support, while home health care is medical care from licensed professionals. So a search for home instead home health or home instead home health care is really a search for home care; if your relative needs skilled nursing or therapy, see home health vs. home care and in-home nursing care.
Who are Home Instead caregivers?
Home instead caregivers — the company calls them Care Pros — are employees of the local franchise office. The office recruits, screens, trains and schedules them, and it's the employer of record. Home Instead says its network delivers tens of millions of hours of care a year.
This matters when you compare it with family caregiving. With an agency, a trained stranger comes to your parent's home, and you have an office to call if they're sick or it isn't working out. With a family caregiver program, the caregiver is you — someone your parent already trusts — and there's usually no backup unless you arrange it.
If you'd like to work as a caregiver rather than hire one, see caregiver jobs.
Home Instead near me: finding a local office
Because every location is a separate business, home instead near me and home instead senior care near me searches lead to a local franchise with its own phone number, rates and service area. Use the office finder on homeinstead.com. If you want to call home instead, use the number on your local office's page — we don't list phone numbers here, because they change and differ by office.
When you talk to a home instead agency office, ask:
- What is the hourly rate, and is there a minimum number of hours per visit or per week?
- Do you accept my parent's long-term care insurance, VA benefits or Medicaid waiver?
- Who will the caregiver be, and what happens when they're off?
- Is there a nurse or care manager who oversees the plan?
For a longer checklist, read how to choose a home care agency and compare other local home care agencies.
How families pay for Home Instead
Home Instead's own guidance says private pay is the main way people cover the cost of care. It also lists long-term care insurance, veterans assistance, Medicare Advantage plans and Medicaid waivers as possible sources, depending on the office and the plan.
| Payment source | Can it pay for Home Instead? | Can it pay a family member instead? |
|---|---|---|
| Private pay | Yes — the most common | Only if the family hires and pays a relative privately |
| Long-term care insurance | Often, depending on the policy | Some policies allow it; check yours |
| VA benefits | At some offices | Yes, through some VA programs for eligible veterans |
| Medicaid | Only where the local office accepts the state's waiver | Yes — the main route in every state |
| Medicare | No ongoing personal care | No |
For typical costs, see cost of in-home care and private pay home care. Medicare doesn't pay for ongoing non-medical care from any agency — read does Medicare pay family caregivers?
Find out in 2 minutes
Answer 5 easy questions. See your programs and pay before you share any contact info.
Home Instead vs. a paid family caregiver
The families who search for Home Instead often have a relative who already helps. The real question is whether to bring in an outside caregiver, or to have that relative paid for the care they give.
| Home Instead | Paid family caregiver (Medicaid) | Sunroom Care | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who gives the care | A trained caregiver from the local office | A relative or friend your family chooses | We don't give care |
| Who pays | Mostly the family, or insurance | Medicaid, through a state program | The program pays us — never the family |
| Cost to family | The office's hourly rate | Usually nothing | Free |
| Needs Medicaid? | No | Yes | Helps you check and apply |
| Backup when the caregiver is out | Yes, from the office | Family arranges it | — |
| Best for | Families paying privately who want a trained outside caregiver | Families with a relative already helping, and a Medicaid-eligible loved one | Finding the right program and doing the enrollment paperwork |
Neither route is "better". Home Instead does well where families want professional scheduling, dementia training and someone else to manage it all. A family caregiver program does well where your parent qualifies for Medicaid and would rather be cared for by someone they know. Read home care agency vs. paid family caregiver for the full comparison.
How getting paid as a family caregiver works
Every state and DC has at least one Medicaid program that can pay a relative. The mechanics are similar everywhere:
- Your relative qualifies for Medicaid long-term care and needs help with daily activities.
- An assessment sets how many hours a week are approved.
- Your relative chooses a self-directed option — consumer-directed care — and names you as the caregiver.
- A payroll agent handles your background check, taxes and pay.
In New York that's CDPAP; in California it's IHSS; in Georgia, Indiana and Ohio there's also Structured Family Caregiving, a daily stipend for a relative who lives with the member. Start with how to get paid to care for a family member.
Can you combine Home Instead with family care?
Yes, and many families do. A common pattern is a relative who is paid through Medicaid for the approved weekday hours, plus a few privately paid hours from an agency so the family caregiver can work, rest or travel. That's what home instead respite care is for.
Just keep the funding separate: Medicaid hours are paid through the program, and agency hours are billed by the agency. Read about respite care and part-time and short-term home care.
What if the caregiver is a spouse?
Home Instead doesn't change the rules about spouses, because it isn't a Medicaid program. Whether a spouse can be paid depends on the state. Oregon, Wisconsin and Colorado allow it in some programs; New York, Pennsylvania and Texas don't. Check your state's spousal caregiver rules and Medicaid family caregiver programs.
When Home Instead is the better choice
- Your relative doesn't qualify for Medicaid and the family can pay privately or has long-term care insurance.
- No one in the family can give the care, or wants to.
- You need specialized dementia support or overnight care that one relative can't cover alone.
- You need care to start quickly, before a Medicaid application is approved.
If none of that applies — your relative is on Medicaid or close to it, and someone they trust already helps — look at the paid family caregiver route first. See caring for aging parents.
Questions to ask before choosing any agency
Whether you choose Home Instead, Right at Home, Home Helpers or a smaller local agency, ask for the rate in writing, the minimum hours, the cancellation policy, how caregivers are trained and supervised, and how complaints are handled. Ask whether the office is licensed in your state. The answers vary office to office, even within one brand.
Where to go next
Frequently asked questions
Is Home Instead a home health agency?
No. Home Instead provides non-medical home care such as companionship, personal care and dementia care. Home health, meaning skilled nursing and therapy, is a different service.
Does Medicaid pay for Home Instead?
Sometimes. Home Instead says some offices work with Medicaid waivers, but most families pay privately or with insurance. Ask your local office.
Can Home Instead pay me to care for my own parent?
Home Instead employs its own caregivers. If you want to be paid to care for your parent, the usual route is a Medicaid self-directed program in your parent's state.
Does Medicare cover Home Instead?
Original Medicare does not pay for ongoing non-medical home care. Home Instead lists some Medicare Advantage plans as a possible payment source at some offices, so ask your plan and your local office.
Is every Home Instead office the same?
No. Each office is independently owned and operated, so rates, services and accepted payment can differ.
Is Sunroom Care part of Home Instead?
No. Sunroom Care is a separate, independent service that helps families enroll in state programs that pay a family caregiver. It is free to families.
Sources: Home Instead: official site (services, franchise model, locations) · Home Instead: paying for senior care · Wikipedia: Home Instead (founding, Honor acquisition) · Medicaid.gov: self-directed services. Program rules and rates change — always confirm with the program. Reviewed September 30, 2026.