Companion Care for Seniors in Ocean & Monmouth Counties
A companion caregiver brings conversation, outings and help around the house to your loved one's week, under a care plan overseen by a registered nurse.
- New Jersey License #HP0314200
- CHAP accredited
- BBB accredited, A+ rating
- Registered nurse oversees every care plan
- Free in-home assessment
Companion Care in Ocean and Monmouth Counties
Companion care from Award Homecare is non-medical support centered on company and everyday life at home. A companion caregiver spends time with your loved one and shares conversation and favorite activities. The caregiver also runs errands, accompanies them to appointments and helps keep the household in order. When hands-on help with bathing, dressing or moving around is also needed, the same care plan can include it.
Companionship matters to health as well as to happiness. According to the National Institute on Aging, older adults often spend more time alone as they age. Loneliness and social isolation are associated with higher risks of heart disease, depression and cognitive decline. Regular visits from a familiar caregiver give your loved one company to look forward to, and give the family the reassurance that someone is there.
What a Companion Caregiver Does
These services come from the companionship and household help described on our services page. Your loved one's care plan sets out which apply and when.
Conversation and Activities
Conversation, shared hobbies, scrapbooking, visits with friends and birthday celebrations, with time for the entertainment your loved one enjoys.
Errands and Appointments
Accompaniment to appointments, shopping and errands, transportation, and help with correspondence.
Help Around the House
Light housekeeping, organizing, grocery shopping, meal planning and preparation, laundry, bed-making, fresh linens, plant care and pet care.
Reminders and Safety
Prompting and reminders through the day, including medication reminders, and a watchful presence for safety and security.
A registered nurse oversees every care plan, and your family's dedicated case manager coordinates the details and serves as your point of contact for any question.
Companion Care and Personal Care Compared
Families often hear both terms. The difference lies in whether your loved one needs hands-on help with the basic activities of daily living, and Award Homecare provides both.
| Companion care | Personal care | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Company, activities, errands and help around the house | Hands-on help with bathing, dressing, toileting and moving safely |
| Typical tasks | Conversation, outings, appointments, meal preparation, laundry and light housekeeping | Bathing and personal hygiene, dressing and grooming, incontinence care, oral and skin care, mobility and transfer assistance |
| Often suits | Someone who manages their own self-care but spends long stretches alone or no longer drives | Someone who needs physical help to get through the day safely |
Many families begin with companion care and add personal care later. A registered nurse monitors your loved one's changing needs, and the care plan is adjusted as those needs change. For a loved one living with memory loss, our Dementia and Alzheimer's Care adds memory care support, safety supervision and wander prevention.
Companion Care in Assisted Living and Other Facilities
Our Facility Companion Care brings the same kind of support to seniors who live in assisted living communities or memory care facilities, or who are staying in a hospital. A companion caregiver provides one-to-one company, additional support and advocacy, complementing the care the facility itself provides.
Our caregivers keep families informed with regular updates, which is especially valuable when relatives cannot visit as often as they would like. Facility Companion Care has the same 20-hour weekly minimum as companion care at home. Call our office to discuss the facility and the schedule that would help most.
Scheduling Companion Care
Most companion care is scheduled as Hourly Care, in shifts of at least four hours with a minimum of 20 hours a week. Twenty hours might be four hours each weekday afternoon, for example, or longer visits on fewer days. The hours can be set around what matters most to your loved one. That might be a standing appointment, a weekly outing or the part of the day when the house feels quietest.
- Hourly Care. Shifts of at least four hours, with a 20-hour weekly minimum.
- Overnight Care. A caregiver in the home through the night.
- Live-in Full-time Care and 24-hour shifts. For a loved one who should not be alone for long, with companionship as part of each day.
Companion care also gives a family caregiver time for work, rest and their own appointments.
Companion Caregivers Families Can Trust
Our caregivers are rigorously selected, thoroughly vetted and continuously trained. Most are certified home health aides, and a very small number work only as companions and are not certified. Screening includes a background check, references, a certification check, health or TB screening, an interview and training. We then match each caregiver to your loved one's personality and needs. That matters a great deal in companion care, where conversation and shared interests are at the center of every visit.
New Jersey requires a business that places companions or personal care workers in the home of someone 60 or older, or of a person with a disability, to register as a Health Care Service Firm. Registration is with the Division of Consumer Affairs. Award Homecare holds New Jersey License #HP0314200, is CHAP accredited, and is insured and bonded with workers' compensation coverage. Our About page explains how to verify each credential.
How Companion Care Begins
Call or Send a Request
Call 732-994-0309 or use our contact form. Tell us about your loved one and the hours you have in mind.
Free In-Home Assessment
We meet your loved one at home and learn about their routine, their interests and the help they would welcome.
A Matched Caregiver
We match a caregiver to your loved one's personality and needs, and a registered nurse oversees the care plan.
Care Begins
Companion care can often begin within 24 hours, and at times the same day. Caregivers keep you informed with regular updates, and your case manager is your point of contact.
Paying for Companion Care
Companion care can be paid for privately, through long-term care insurance or with VA benefits, and Award Homecare is in-network with CareScout. We do not accept Medicaid or JACC. A quote is given by phone or after the free in-home assessment, based on the schedule and the help your loved one needs.
Medicare generally does not pay for companion care. Medicare.gov excludes homemaker services such as shopping and cleaning when they are unrelated to the care plan. It also excludes personal care when that is the only care needed.
Long-term care insurance policies set their own conditions. According to the Administration for Community Living, most policies pay benefits when a person needs help with two or more of six activities of daily living or has a cognitive impairment. A policy may therefore not cover companionship alone. Your insurer can confirm what your loved one's policy includes, and our guide to home care costs in New Jersey explains what affects the price.
Questions About Companion Care
What is companion care?
Companion care is non-medical support centered on company and everyday life at home, including conversation and activities, errands, accompaniment to appointments and help around the house. Award Homecare provides it in Ocean and Monmouth Counties, and the care plan can add hands-on personal care when it is needed.
How is a companion different from a home health aide?
A companion focuses on company and household help, while a home health aide helps with personal care such as bathing and dressing. In New Jersey, a certified home health aide is certified by the Board of Nursing, and most of our caregivers hold that certification. Our home health aide page explains the certification and how to confirm it.
Does Medicare pay for companion care?
In most cases, Medicare does not pay for companion care. Its home health benefit excludes homemaker services unrelated to the care plan, and personal care when that is the only care needed. Families pay for our companion care privately, through long-term care insurance or with VA benefits.
Can a companion caregiver take my parent to appointments?
Accompaniment to appointments, shopping and errands is part of our companionship services, and transportation is among them. Whether the caregiver drives or travels with your loved one depends on the arrangement, which we set out in the care plan.
Is there a minimum number of hours?
Hourly Care is scheduled in shifts of at least four hours, with a minimum of 20 hours a week. The same 20-hour weekly minimum applies to Facility Companion Care. Overnight, live-in and 24-hour schedules are reviewed at the free in-home assessment.
Can companion care help someone with early memory loss?
Companion care can be part of the support for someone in the early stage of memory loss, when help often means reminders, rides, shared meals and company. As needs grow, our Dementia and Alzheimer's Care adds memory care support, safety supervision and wander prevention. Questions about diagnosis belong with your loved one's physician.
Arrange Companion Care With Award Homecare
Call us or request a free in-home assessment. We will learn about your loved one's interests and routine, and suggest a schedule that suits them.
Award Homecare LLC, 2214 Route 37 East, Suite 9, Toms River, NJ 08753. New Jersey License #HP0314200.
