Private duty home care is non-medical, one-on-one help at home that you pay for privately, things like bathing, dressing, meals, medication reminders, and companionship. It is the kind of ongoing, non-skilled support Medicare does not cover, and it is the most common way Florida families get a parent the help they need without moving them anywhere.
If you have been told Medicare will not pay for someone to come help Mom with her morning routine, you have already run into the wall most families hit. That is exactly the gap private duty care fills. You hire a caregiver, you decide the hours, and care starts on your timeline instead of a doctor’s order. Below is a plain-spoken look at what private duty in-home care actually is, how it differs from Medicare-covered home health, what it costs here in Florida, and how to get it started.
What is private duty home care?
The phrase trips people up, so let us clear it up first. Private duty just means the care is paid for privately, out of pocket or through long-term care insurance, rather than billed to Medicare or a health plan. Private pay home care means the same thing. And because it is non-medical, a private duty caregiver does not give injections, change sterile dressings, or do anything that requires a nurse’s license.
What a private duty caregiver does do is the daily stuff that keeps someone safe and comfortable at home:
- Help with bathing, grooming, dressing, and getting to the bathroom
- Meal prep, light housekeeping, laundry, and a tidy kitchen
- Medication reminders (not administering, reminding)
- Mobility help, transfers, and fall-risk supervision
- Rides to the doctor, the pharmacy, church, or the grocery store
- Plain company. Conversation, a card game, a walk around the block
Most of this falls under what we call personal care services, and the lighter, social side of it is companionship care. Some families start with a couple of mornings a week and build from there. Others need round-the-clock coverage. Private duty bends to fit.
Private duty home care vs. Medicare home health
These two get mixed up constantly, and the mix-up costs families weeks of confusion. Here is the short version. Medicare home health is short-term, skilled, and doctor-ordered. Private duty home care is ongoing, non-medical, and family-directed. So does Medicare cover home health? Yes, the skilled kind, and as a Medicare-certified home health agency we provide that skilled nursing and therapy ourselves. What Medicare does not cover is the everyday non-skilled help, and that is where private duty comes in.
Medicare-covered home health
Skilled nursing or therapy after a hospital stay or surgery. A doctor has to order it, you must be considered homebound, and it ends when you recover. Think weeks, not years. It does not include daily help with bathing or meals on its own.
Private duty (private pay) home care
Non-medical, hands-on daily support for as long as it is needed. No doctor’s order, no homebound rule. You pick the hours and the focus. This is the help that keeps someone home for the long haul.
A lot of families end up using both, just not at the same time. A senior comes home from a hip replacement, Medicare home health sends a nurse and a physical therapist for a few weeks, and once that course wraps up the family brings in private duty care for the ongoing help with bathing, cooking, and getting around. The skilled care fixes the recovery. The private duty caregiver handles everyday life.
Here is the part that surprises people: you can get both from us. A Perfect Choice is a Medicare-certified home health agency, so when a doctor orders skilled nursing or therapy for an eligible homebound patient, we provide that skilled home health care directly, and Medicare can cover it. We also provide the private duty, private pay side. One team, both kinds of care, so families do not have to juggle two companies as needs shift.
If the lines between home health, home care, and hospice still feel blurry, we wrote a full breakdown in home health vs. home care vs. hospice that sorts out who does what.
What does private duty home care cost in Florida?
Private duty care in Florida is usually billed by the hour, and the rate moves with where you live, how many hours you book, and the level of help your loved one needs. Florida tends to run a little below the national average, which is one small mercy for families paying out of pocket here in the Southwest part of the state.
A few honest things worth knowing before you start pricing it out:
- Hours drive the bill more than the hourly rate. Four hours a day looks very different from twelve, and live-in or 24-hour care is its own conversation.
- Shorter visits sometimes carry a higher rate. Many agencies set a minimum shift length, so a one-hour pop-in is not usually how this works.
- A reputable agency rate includes a lot you do not see. Background checks, payroll taxes, insurance, supervision, and backup coverage when a caregiver is out sick. Hiring privately off a classified ad can look cheaper until one of those things goes wrong.
Want real numbers instead of ballpark guesses? Our guide to home care costs in Florida breaks down hourly ranges, minimums, and what drives the price, and our guide to paying for home care covers long-term care insurance, VA benefits, and the other ways families cover it.
Private pay is the most common starting point because it is the most flexible. There are no eligibility hoops to clear and no waitlist. You decide, and care begins. For some families it stays private pay the whole way. For others it is a bridge until a long-term care policy or veteran’s benefit kicks in.
Hiring through a private duty home care agency vs. on your own
You can find a private duty caregiver two ways: hire someone directly, or work with a licensed private duty home care agency. Both are legal in Florida. They are not the same amount of risk.
When you hire on your own, you become the employer. That means you are responsible for payroll taxes, workers’ comp, and the background check. If your caregiver gets sick, goes on vacation, or quits, you are the one scrambling for a replacement at 6 a.m. And if something goes wrong in the home, the liability lands on you.
A licensed agency carries that weight instead. We screen and background-check every caregiver, handle the taxes and insurance, supervise the care, and line up coverage when someone is out so the schedule does not collapse. We also aim for caregiver continuity, keeping the same familiar faces with your loved one as much as the schedule allows, because trust takes time to build and we know it matters.
For the record: A Perfect Choice Home Care has been Florida-licensed since 2021 (HHA #299994658, NR #30211834). We are a Medicare-certified home health agency serving six Southwest Florida counties, and we provide both sides of in-home support from one team: skilled home health care that a physician orders and Medicare can cover, plus the private duty, private pay care this page is about. You can read more about who we are on our about us page.
Who uses private duty in-home care?
Private duty in-home care is not one-size-fits-all, and the families we help do not look alike. A few of the situations we see most often:
- A parent who is mostly fine but slipping. Missing meals, forgetting pills, a little unsteady on their feet. A caregiver a few mornings a week catches the small things before they become big ones.
- Someone living with memory loss. Dementia care takes patience and routine, and our Alzheimer’s and dementia care is built around exactly that.
- An exhausted family caregiver. Adult children burn out fast. Respite care gives you a real break without leaving your parent alone.
- A veteran who served. Some private duty care can be funded through the VA. We cover the specifics in our veteran home care services.
- A loved one who needs constant coverage. When a few hours is not enough, 24-hour home care keeps someone safe overnight and around the clock.
We provide this care across Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, and Hillsborough counties, from Fort Myers and Cape Coral down to Naples and up through Lakewood Ranch. You can see the whole map on our service areas page.
How to start private duty care in Florida
Starting is simpler than most families expect, and there is no doctor’s order to wait on. Here is how it usually goes with us:
- 1. A real conversation. You call, we listen. What is going on, what your parent needs, what worries you at night.
- 2. A free in-home assessment. We come out, meet your loved one, look at the home, and build a care plan around the actual situation, not a template.
- 3. A caregiver match. We pair your loved one with a caregiver who fits their personality and needs, and we work to keep that match steady over time.
- 4. Care begins, and we adjust. Hours can go up or down as things change. The plan is yours, not ours.
Curious what the first visit actually feels like? We walk through it step by step in what to expect at your first home care visit. Knowing what is coming takes a lot of the nervousness out of it.
Private duty home care FAQ
What is the difference between private duty and home health care?
Private duty home care is non-medical, ongoing help with daily life, things like bathing, meals, and companionship, that you pay for privately. Home health care is short-term, skilled, doctor-ordered care such as nursing or physical therapy, usually after a hospital stay, and it is often covered by Medicare. Private duty needs no doctor’s order and continues for as long as it is needed.
Does Medicare pay for private duty home care?
No. Original Medicare does not cover private duty, non-medical home care like ongoing help with bathing, dressing, meals, or companionship. Medicare only pays for short-term skilled care after a qualifying event, and even then it is limited. That is why private duty care is paid for privately, through out-of-pocket funds, long-term care insurance, or in some cases VA benefits.
How much does private duty home care cost in Florida?
Private duty care in Florida is billed by the hour, and the total depends mostly on how many hours you book, where you live, and the level of care needed. Florida often runs a little below the national average. The hourly rate through a licensed agency includes background checks, taxes, insurance, supervision, and backup coverage. For current hourly ranges and what drives the price, see our guide to home care costs in Florida.
What does a private duty caregiver do?
A private duty caregiver provides non-medical help with everyday living: bathing, grooming, dressing, meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, mobility and transfer help, transportation to appointments, and companionship. They do not perform medical tasks like injections or wound care, which require a licensed nurse.
Is it better to hire a private duty caregiver directly or through an agency?
Hiring directly can look cheaper, but you become the employer, responsible for payroll taxes, workers’ comp, background checks, and finding a replacement if your caregiver is out. A licensed agency handles all of that, screens and supervises caregivers, carries insurance, and arranges backup coverage so the schedule holds together. For most families, the agency route is worth it for the reliability alone.
How do I get started with private duty home care?
Start with a phone call. There is no doctor’s order required. A Perfect Choice Home Care offers a free in-home assessment, builds a care plan around your loved one’s actual needs, matches them with a caregiver, and adjusts hours as things change. Call our Fort Myers office at (239) 400-4514 or our Lakewood Ranch office at (941) 799-7559, or reach us through our contact page.
Ready to talk about private duty care?
Tell us what is going on and we will help you figure out the right fit, no pressure and no obligation. Call our Fort Myers office at (239) 400-4514, our Lakewood Ranch office at (941) 799-7559, or reach out through our contact page and we will get right back to you.