Most families don't call us asking for a lot. They call asking for a little. "Just a few hours, that's all I need." "An extra set of eyes and hands." We hear some version of that almost every day, and it is usually the right place to start.
In-home senior care means a trained caregiver comes to your loved one's home and helps with the parts of the day that have gotten harder. Bathing and dressing. A hot meal. A reminder to take medication. A ride to the doctor. Company in a house that has felt too quiet. You decide how much help and when, and you can change it as things change.
You don't have to start big
A lot of families wait for a crisis to call. We understand why, but it is rarely the easiest time to start. When you begin early with a few hours a week, your parent gets used to having someone around before they truly need full-time help. The ramp-up later is gentler on everyone.
Starting small has a money side too. If your loved one has a long-term care insurance policy, beginning with fewer hours can help you get through the policy's elimination period, the stretch you pay out of pocket before coverage kicks in, with less cost. More on coverage below.
What our caregivers do in the home
Every plan is built for the person, not a template. Care can include:
- Bathing, dressing, and grooming
- Meal planning and cooking
- Medication reminders
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Rides to appointments and errands
- Help getting around the house safely
- Specialized Alzheimer's and dementia care
- Simple company and conversation
Our caregivers are Certified Home Health Aides. New Jersey requires that certification, which is 72 hours of class time, and we add our own training on top of it, including the Alzheimer's Association-recognized Positive Pathways™ program for dementia care.
How care actually gets set up
When you call, you reach a real person, usually Kyra, our intake coordinator. She listens to what's going on and helps you figure out the right starting point at no cost. There is no obligation to use us.
If you move forward, our knowledgeable Director of Nursing, Carol Feliciano, BSN, RN, who lives right here in Moorestown and has more than 30 years of experience, leads an in-home assessment and writes the plan of care. Then you are matched with a caregiver and assigned a dedicated Client Care Coordinator, Charice Creecy, who goes by CC. Your Coordinator is your go-to person. If a caregiver can't make a shift, CC arranges a replacement. If something feels off, you call CC, not a general office line.
One honest note: the first week or two is a settling-in period. The caregiver is learning your parent's routines, and you are learning to lean on your Coordinator. Families who expect day one to be perfect can feel let down by small things. Families who expect a short adjustment are usually delighted by week three.
"Does Medicare cover this?"
This is the first question almost everyone asks, so here is the plain answer. Medicare does not pay for ongoing help at home with bathing, meals, and daily routines. It can cover skilled home health for a limited time after a hospital stay, and only a few visits a week, but not the day-to-day custodial care most families are looking for. You can read Medicare's own rules at medicare.gov. Our advice is simple: use your Medicare hours first. If you don't need us yet, even better.
Ways families pay for care
Most of our Moorestown clients are private pay, but real funding paths get missed, and we point them out before we ever talk about our hours. Veterans and surviving spouses often qualify for the VA's Aid and Attendance benefit, and we coordinate it with an attorney at no cost to you, across all four of our New Jersey offices. Families managing dementia may qualify for up to 72 hours a year of no-cost respite through Medicare's GUIDE program, which we provide as a partner through PocketRN, plus a $1,000 wellness grant from Alzheimer's New Jersey. If there is a long-term care policy, we file the paperwork and bill the insurer directly.
For the full picture, see our Paying for Care, Veterans Home Care, and long-term care insurance pages. We would rather help you find money that already exists than watch a family pay for something a benefit would cover.
Why families in Moorestown choose us
Comfort Keepers has cared for seniors since 1998, and our Cherry Hill office has served Camden and Burlington County families since 2007. We are locally owned by Jim Winn, a Comfort Keepers owner since 2013. When you call, you are talking to people who know Moorestown, who know the wait at Virtua Marlton, and who live in this community.
There is no long-term contract. Jim calls the agreement paperwork on purpose, because it isn't a big commitment. We ask for 24 to 48 hours' notice to cancel a single visit and 5 days to stop service entirely. Payment is auto-pay after care is delivered. We don't take anything up front.
If your parent ever needs more than daytime help, we also provide 24-hour home care in Moorestown, and you can see our full range of senior care in Moorestown on our area page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours of care do we have to start with?
As few as you want. Many Moorestown families start with a couple of hours a week and add time as needs grow. We won't push extra hours, because a senior gets discouraged when someone is in the house with little to do.
Will it be the same caregiver each time?
That is the goal. We work to keep the same caregiver, or the smallest group possible, so your parent sees familiar faces. We don't want a revolving door.
Does Medicare pay for in-home senior care?
Not for ongoing daily help. Medicare can cover skilled home health for a short time after a hospital stay, a few visits a week. It does not cover long-term help with bathing, meals, and routines. Use your Medicare hours first, then call us for what's left.
Is my parent a veteran? Should I mention it?
Yes, always tell us. Many veterans and surviving spouses qualify for VA Aid and Attendance and don't know it. We help coordinate it with a no-cost attorney.
How fast can care start?
It isn't like ordering a pizza off a shelf, but with our caregiver pool we can often start within a few days, sometimes faster for an urgent discharge. Most families have care in place within a week.
If your parent is starting to need a little help in Moorestown, the smart first step is a conversation, and that is exactly what we do. My staff and I have these talks all day long, and there is no obligation to use us. Call us at (856) 857-6120 and we'll talk through what your family actually needs. Comfort Keepers. Elevating the human spirit.
