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Adult Day Care vs. In-Home Care

Adult day care runs on a schedule and gives a caregiver their day back. In-home care comes to the house on whatever schedule you set.

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Short answer

Ohio's 2024 CareScout adult day health care median is roughly $21,580 a year, well below the cost of full-time in-home care, and Ohio's PASSPORT waiver can help cover it for eligible seniors.

What each actually is

Adult day care runs on a facility's schedule -- usually weekday daytime hours -- with structured activities, meals and supervision, and gives a family caregiver their day back rather than requiring someone in the home. In-home care comes to the house on whatever schedule the family sets.

Why families in the Cincinnati area combine both

A common pattern: adult day care a few days a week to give a caregiver a predictable break, paired with lighter in-home help on the other days, rather than paying for one or the other at full scale.

Questions families ask

What is MyCare Ohio?

MyCare Ohio (sometimes referenced as 'Next Generation MyCare') is Ohio's managed care program for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, coordinating medical care, behavioral health and long-term services and supports through one managed care plan.

Is Ohio's Medicaid expansion the same thing as long-term care Medicaid for seniors?

No. Ohio expanded Medicaid under the ACA in 2014 for lower-income adults generally, using an income-based (MAGI) test. Long-term care Medicaid for seniors uses a completely different, non-MAGI aged/blind/disabled eligibility pathway that predates the ACA expansion.

Does Ohio's Assisted Living Waiver have a waiting list?

Waiver capacity and waitlist status change over time and are not a fixed fact this site publishes a number for. Ask the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio directly for current status before assuming either way.

What happens to a Medicaid recipient's estate after they pass away in Ohio?

Ohio's Medicaid Estate Recovery Program can seek repayment from the estate of a Medicaid recipient who received long-term care services, generally pursued after the recipient's death and, where a spouse survives, typically deferred until after the surviving spouse's death.

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