What drives the difference between Companion, Personal, and Specialized Care rates?
Key facts
- Companion Care rate, SE MI
- $27–$32/hr (2026 agency)
- Personal Care rate, SE MI
- $29–$37/hr (2026 agency)
- Specialized Care rate, SE MI
- $35–$42/hr (2026 agency)
- Companion scope
- Non-hands-on: presence, meals, transportation, meds reminders
- Specialized scope
- Advanced dementia, Parkinson’s, stroke, Hoyer, two-person transfers
The three-band pricing structure is not arbitrary. It reflects real differences in caregiver training, physical demand, liability exposure, and hourly wage. Companion Care ($27–$32/hr at typical 2026 Southeast Michigan agency rates) covers what a good friend or neighbor could theoretically do — company, meals, light housekeeping, transportation, medication reminders. No hands-on physical care.
Personal Care ($29–$37/hr) adds hands-on ADL support: bathing, dressing, transfers off the bed and toilet, continence care, and eating assistance. That work carries injury risk for the caregiver, requires transfer training and body-mechanics competency, and pushes the agency\u2019s workers-compensation and liability premium up. Those cost lines flow into the higher band.
Specialized Care ($35–$42/hr) is Personal Care plus advanced training for specific conditions — moderate-to-advanced dementia behaviors, Parkinson\u2019s freezing episodes, post-stroke communication, Hoyer lifts, and two-person transfers. Caregivers in this band go through additional case-specific verification by a Registered Nurse before placement.
A single client can move between bands over time. Early home care often starts at Companion, steps up to Personal when ADL help becomes routine, and reaches Specialized when a dementia diagnosis progresses or a Hoyer transfer becomes daily. The care plan and rate get rewritten together — usually reassessed every 60–90 days.
For the full breakdown, see the cornerstone: Understanding Home Care Costs in Michigan.
Related questions
- Can we start at Companion and move up later?
- Yes. Most Southeast Michigan families do exactly that. The care plan and rate are rewritten together at each reassessment.
- Who decides the band?
- A care coordinator (often an RN or MHA-credentialed director) sets the band during the free assessment based on ADL needs, cognition, and transfer complexity.
- Does the band change if my caregiver takes on a new task?
- Yes — the rate follows the scope. If your Companion caregiver starts helping with bathing, the case moves to Personal Care.
Talk to a real person
We answer the phone live during business hours. Five minutes saves a lot of guessing.