Little Rock Senior AdvisorSee Medicare's record for each agency: Medicare records for all 9 home health agencies and 5 hospices in Little Rock.
What kinds of in-home care are there?
Non-medical home care (help with bathing, meals, housekeeping and companionship), Medicare home health (skilled nursing and therapy for homebound patients), and hospice at home.
Home health is ordered by a doctor and paid by Medicare when the rules are met; non-medical care is usually private pay or Medicaid waiver.
What does home care cost in Arkansas?
About $25 an hour at CareScout's 2025 Arkansas median for a non-medical caregiver, or $57,200 a year at 44 hours a week.
| Paid home care hours a week | Monthly cost at $25 an hour | Compared with the $4,562 assisted living median |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | $867 | cheaper |
| 16 | $1,733 | cheaper |
| 24 | $2,600 | cheaper |
| 32 | $3,467 | cheaper |
| 40 | $4,333 | cheaper |
| 44 | $4,767 | more expensive |
| 56 | $6,067 | more expensive |
| 84 | $9,100 | more expensive |
| 168 | $18,200 | more expensive |
Can Medicaid pay for help at home in Arkansas?
Yes, for people who qualify: ARChoices in Homecare and PACE serve people at nursing home level of care, and Independent Choices lets eligible people hire their own attendant.
How do we choose a home care agency?
Ask how caregivers are screened and supervised, whether they are employees or contractors, what happens when a caregiver calls in sick, and the minimum hours per visit.
Start with a few hours a week and adjust.
What is the difference between home care and home health?
Home care is non-medical help with daily activities, usually paid privately or through ARChoices; home health is skilled nursing and therapy ordered by a doctor and paid by Medicare for homebound patients.
Many families use both at once after a hospital stay.
What about adult day programs around Little Rock?
Adult day health care gives an older adult a supervised day with meals and activities while a caregiver works or rests; CareScout's 2025 Arkansas median is $19,760 a year, about $76 a day.
ARChoices can pay for adult day services for people who qualify.
When does home care stop making sense?
When the hours needed pass about 40 a week, when two people are needed for transfers, or when your parent is alone at night and unsafe.
At that point assisted living or a nursing home usually costs less and offers more supervision.
Side by side
| In-home care is | In-home care is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Place | Help where your parent lives | Round-the-clock by default |
| Payer | Private, Medicare home health or ARChoices | Always covered by Medicare |
Sources: Arkansas Office of Long Term Care assisted living rules, the Health Services Permit Agency's Bed Need Book, Arkansas DHS waiver and PACE fact sheets, CMS, CareScout and VA rate tables, each cited in the text. Our editorial standards explain how we check them.
