- About 90% of older adults say they want to stay in their own home, and Medicare may cover more than many people realize.
- Hidden Medicare benefits and community programs can help with meals, transportation, fall prevention, in-home help, and more, for people who qualify.
- The hard part is knowing what exists, who qualifies, and how to apply — every program has its own paperwork.
- A Careway Advocate can help find benefits you may qualify for, help with the forms, and coordinate the help that makes staying home easier.
Careway Advocates are dedicated care navigators who help people find and apply for Medicare and community benefits they may qualify for. Advocacy is covered by Medicare for people who qualify.
10 benefits that can help you stay at home.
Get low-cost or free healthy meals and groceries delivered.
Many Medicare Advantage plans now include home-delivered meals after a hospital stay or for chronic conditions. Programs like Meals on Wheels, SNAP, and Senior Farmers Market vouchers fill the rest of the gap.
Lower your risk of falling with covered equipment and services.
Falls are a leading cause of injury for adults 65 and older (CDC). Medicare covers a fall-risk screening during the Annual Wellness Visit, and when medically necessary with a doctor's order, physical therapy and durable medical equipment like walkers and hospital beds. Original Medicare does not generally cover grab bars.
Find free and reliable transportation to the doctor, pharmacy, and grocery store.
Some Medicare Advantage plans and Medicaid cover non-emergency rides to medical appointments; Original Medicare generally does not. Local Area Agencies on Aging and county programs may offer rides for groceries and errands, often at low or no cost.
Save money on prescriptions and pharmacy costs.
The Inflation Reduction Act capped covered insulin at $35 a month for people with Medicare and caps yearly out-of-pocket costs for covered Part D drugs (the cap is adjusted each year). Extra Help can lower prescription costs to small copays for people with limited income who qualify, and many eligible people have not applied.
Find lower-cost help with cleaning, cooking, and laundry.
Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers and some Medicare Advantage plans cover in-home personal care — bathing help, laundry, light housekeeping, meal prep. These are state-specific, and the applications can be hard to complete without help.
Apply for financial support like Medicaid, SNAP, and LIHEAP.
Roughly 3 in 5 older adults eligible for SNAP are not enrolled. Many don't know they may qualify, or find the application hard. LIHEAP can help with heating and cooling bills. Medicare Savings Programs can pay the Part B premium for people who qualify.
Manage chronic pain with covered benefits like acupuncture.
Since 2020, Medicare has covered acupuncture for chronic low back pain: up to 12 visits in 90 days, with up to 8 more if you're improving (20 per year maximum), from a qualified provider. Physical therapy, behavioral health, and care management can also be covered when medically necessary, though many people don't know to ask.
Book doctor appointments and find covered specialists.
Finding a specialist who takes your plan, has openings, and is close enough to drive to is a job by itself. Many people put off care because the search is so hard.
Take advantage of covered benefits like a nutritionist or DPP.
Medicare covers Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) for diabetes and kidney disease with a doctor's referral. The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program is covered once per lifetime for people who meet its prediabetes criteria. Smoking-cessation counseling and the Annual Wellness Visit have no cost when the provider accepts assignment, and behavioral health visits are covered under Part B.
A dedicated Careway Advocate who can help with the other nine.
The first nine benefits all exist, but finding and applying for them takes time and know-how. A Careway Advocate can do that work with you. Advocacy is covered by Medicare for people who qualify, and your Advocate can help you pursue the benefits on this page you may be eligible for.
Why staying home matters.
About 90% of older adults say they want to age in their own home. The math is also on their side: aging at home with the right support is dramatically cheaper than the alternatives.
- Nursing home (private room)
- National median is about $9,700 per month (Genworth, 2023), over $116,000 a year. Medicare doesn't cover long-term stays. Most families pay out of pocket until Medicaid kicks in.
- Assisted living
- National median is about $5,350 per month — $64,000 a year. Medicare covers almost none of it; Medicare Advantage may cover specific in-home support services but not room and board.
- Aging at home with covered support
- With the right mix of Medicare, Medicaid, and community benefits, aging at home can cost far less than a facility. Many patients pay little to nothing out of pocket because Medigap or Medicaid covers their coinsurance.
Many people move to a facility without ever learning about the help that might have let them stay home. Your Advocate can help you find out what's available.
Medicare benefits many people miss.
These are real Medicare benefits that many people don't use because no one walks them through it.
Free or covered care
- Annual Wellness Visit — A no-cost yearly visit to build a personalized prevention plan. Different from a physical, and many seniors never schedule it.
- Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) — A year-long lifestyle program, covered once per lifetime for people who meet its prediabetes criteria.
- Medical Nutrition Therapy — Free one-on-one sessions with a registered dietitian for diabetes or kidney disease.
- Acupuncture for chronic low back pain — Up to 12 visits in 90 days, plus up to 8 more if you're improving (20 per year maximum); Part B coinsurance applies.
- Smoking cessation counseling — 8 covered visits per year.
- Behavioral health — Therapy and counseling are now covered the same way medical visits are.
- Care management — Monthly check-ins, coordination, and care planning for people living with ongoing health conditions.
In-home benefits
- Home health — Skilled nursing, therapy, and part-time aide services at home for people who are homebound, need skilled care, and have a doctor's certification. There's usually no cost for these services; medical equipment carries 20% coinsurance.
- Durable medical equipment (DME) — Walkers, canes, hospital beds, lifts, oxygen, commodes, glucose monitors. When medically necessary and ordered by a doctor, Part B covers 80% after the deductible through a Medicare-enrolled supplier; Medigap or Medicaid may cover the remaining 20%.
- Telehealth visits — Some visits can be covered by video, though Medicare's telehealth rules have changed several times; ask your provider what applies to you.
If you're on Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans must cover the services Original Medicare covers, and many add extra benefits such as home-delivered meals, transportation, over-the-counter allowances, or in-home support. Some of these are only for members with certain chronic conditions, and coverage varies widely by plan.
Community benefits beyond Medicare.
Medicare is only part of the picture. There's a parallel system of federal, state, and local programs designed specifically to help older adults stay home — and most never reach the people they're built for.
- SNAP (food assistance)
- Roughly 3 in 5 eligible older adults don't enroll. Benefits depend on income and household, and are paid on a card accepted at most grocery stores.
- LIHEAP (heating & cooling)
- Federal money distributed by states to cover utility bills, weatherization, and emergency repairs. You usually only have to apply once a year.
- Medicaid HCBS waivers
- State-by-state Medicaid programs that pay for in-home care so people don't have to enter nursing homes. Personal care, adult day services, respite for family caregivers, home modifications.
- Area Agencies on Aging (AAA)
- Over 600 local agencies that connect older adults to rides, meals, caregiver support, legal help, and benefits counseling. The federal Eldercare Locator points you to yours.
- Meals on Wheels
- Home-delivered meals, often free or sliding-scale, for homebound seniors. Most chapters also do daily safety checks at the door.
- PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly)
- For people 55 and older who need a nursing-home level of care and live in a PACE service area, PACE provides comprehensive medical and social services at home. It's paid for by Medicare and Medicaid for those enrolled in both; others may pay a monthly premium.
- VA Aid & Attendance
- For veterans (and surviving spouses) who need help with daily activities — an additional monthly pension benefit on top of basic VA pension.
- Property tax exemptions
- Most states offer senior or low-income property tax breaks. The dollars saved go directly to staying in your home longer.
Why these benefits get missed.
The benefits exist. The reason people don't get them isn't fraud or stinginess — it's that the system isn't built to find you. It's built to be applied to.
- Finding out what you may qualify for takes work. Doctors' visits are short, plans rarely volunteer it, and free help like 1-800-MEDICARE and your State Health Insurance Assistance Program works best when you know what to ask.
- Programs live in different agencies — Medicare, Medicaid, state, county, nonprofit — with different applications and rules.
- A single missing form can deny a benefit you qualify for. It's easy to miss the first time.
- Many families only start looking after a crisis, when choices feel rushed.
Your Careway Advocate's job is to help with the search, start to finish, and to help you file complete paperwork.
Frequently asked questions
For people who qualify, yes. Careway's advocacy is covered by Medicare as a Part B service, so the Part B deductible and 20% coinsurance may apply. Many patients pay little to nothing out of pocket because Medigap or Medicaid covers their coinsurance. We'll go over what you may owe before you start.
No. Careway works with both Original Medicare (with or without Medigap) and Medicare Advantage. Some extras, like plan-paid meal delivery and OTC allowances, are only offered by certain Medicare Advantage plans, while community programs like Meals on Wheels are open regardless of plan.
You don't need Medicaid to use most of what's in this article. If you might qualify, your Advocate can help you apply. Medicaid is required for HCBS waivers, and Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs have their own income limits; people with Medicaid qualify for Extra Help automatically.
Your Advocate can help you find an in-network primary care doctor near you and get a first visit scheduled. You don't need to have one in place before you start.
Yes. With your permission, your Advocate communicates with your family — sons, daughters, spouses — so everyone stays on the same page. That's especially useful when family lives in another state.
The eligibility check takes 2 minutes. If you qualify, the first visit is with a Careway physician, typically scheduled within about a week. Your doctor then confirms whether you're eligible to be matched with an Advocate.
Great — your Advocate works alongside whoever already supports you. The job isn't to replace what's working; it's to fill the gaps and find covered services you may not have known about.
The bottom line.
Many people who move to assisted living or a nursing home were never told about the help that might have let them stay home. Medicare, Medicaid, and community programs cover meals, transportation, fall prevention, in-home care, financial support, and more.
The hard part is finding the benefits and filing the paperwork. Let your Careway Advocate run it for you, and stay where you want to be.
- AARP. 2021 Home and Community Preferences Survey
- Genworth. Cost of Care Survey
- Medicare.gov. Home health services
- Medicare.gov. Yearly "Wellness" visits
- Medicare.gov. Acupuncture coverage
- USDA. SNAP — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Administration for Community Living. Eldercare Locator (Area Agencies on Aging)
- Medicaid.gov. Home and Community-Based Services