Everything you're probably wondering about home care

Our rates are published and don't change based on who's asking:

• Companion and emotional support — $39/hour
• Respite care — $41/hour
• Personal care — $43/hour
• Dementia and complex care — $47/hour
• Overnight awake care — $43/hour ($516 for a 12-hour night)

Live-in care is quoted after an assessment. Mileage applies when a caregiver drives their own car, and holidays are billed at 1.5×.

Generally no. Medicare covers short-term skilled care ordered by a doctor, usually after a hospital stay. It does not cover ongoing help with bathing, meals, companionship or supervision, which is what most families need.

No. Healing Hearts is private pay — families pay us directly. There's no insurance approval process in the middle, which is part of why we can usually start care within 24 to 48 hours.

Three hours per visit. Most agencies require four, so if a few shorter visits a week is what your family needs, that's something we can actually do.

No. There's no long-term contract and no cancellation penalty. You can change or stop the schedule with reasonable notice, as set out in your service agreement.

Because you shouldn't have to sit through a sales call to find out whether you can afford care. Our rates are the same for everyone, and your exact rate is confirmed in writing after the free assessment.

Usually within 24 to 48 hours of your first call, including straight from a hospital or rehab discharge. If it will take longer in your town, we'll tell you on that first call.

It's free and takes about an hour. Amalia comes to the house, meets your family member, sees how they move through their own home, and asks what a good day and a bad day look like. You leave with a written care plan and a firm rate. There's no obligation.

Yes. Pick any open time on Amalia's calendar, or call 540-522-1251 if you'd rather talk first.

We cover Brockton and more than 90 towns across the South Shore and southeastern Massachusetts. Check your town here, or call and ask.

Yes, and it's one of the most common ways families come to us. We can meet you at the hospital or at home, and discharge planners are welcome to call us directly.

That's the goal, and it's the biggest single factor in whether home care works. We assign a primary caregiver and keep them on your schedule. When they're away, you'll have a named backup rather than whoever happens to be free.

Every caregiver is background-checked before their first shift. They're our employees, not contractors, and the agency is insured and bonded.

Tell us and we'll change them. No fee, no explanation needed, no awkwardness.

We arrange cover, and where possible it will be someone you've already met. If we can't cover a shift, you'll hear from us before it starts — not after someone fails to arrive.

Yes. We tell you who your caregiver is and introduce them before their first visit. Nobody simply turns up at the door.

Please talk to us first. Our caregivers are recruited, screened, insured and supervised by us, and a private arrangement leaves your family without that cover. A placement fee applies under our terms — we'd much rather discuss it openly than have it become a problem.

We provide non-medical care. Caregivers can remind someone to take medication and hand them the container, but cannot administer medication, give injections, do wound care or manage catheters — that needs a licensed nurse. If you need that, we'll tell you and help you find it. We often work alongside visiting nurses.

Yes, in every service — appointments, errands, church, the hairdresser. Mileage applies when the caregiver uses their own car.

Yes. Dementia care uses caregivers trained specifically for it, and a small fixed team so your family member sees familiar faces. Read how we handle sundowning, wandering and refusal.

Overnight care means a caregiver who is awake the whole shift. Live-in means one caregiver sleeping in the home. If your family member is up several times a night, a sleeping caregiver isn't truly available, so we often recommend awake care. We'll tell you honestly which fits.

After each visit, the caregiver writes a short update, and we send it to whoever in the family asks to be on the list. If something concerns us, you get a phone call the same day.

This is one of the most common calls we get. It's rarely stubbornness — it's usually fear of losing independence. We start small: a ride, a shared lunch, company for an afternoon. Nobody arrives announcing they're here to take over. For most families, acceptance grows over a few weeks.

You'll receive written updates after visits, you can call Amalia directly, and we'll call you the same day if anything changes. Many of our families live far away — it's exactly the situation we're set up for.

We'll tell you. Owner Amalia has worked in nursing homes and hospice as well as home care, and has seen every stage. If your family member's safety needs move beyond what home care can hold, we'll have that conversation with you honestly rather than keep a case going because it suits us.

Completely. Almost every family feels it. Getting help isn't handing someone off — it's what lets them stay in their own home, and lets you be their daughter or son again instead of only their caregiver.

Yes. We never sell your information or share it with marketers. Information about health and care is treated as confidential and shared only as needed to provide care. Read our Notice of Privacy Practices.

Please don't. Regular email and text aren't secure. Call us instead, or ask us for a secure way to send them.