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9700 Patuxent Woods Drive, Suite 131
Columbia, MD 21046
Located at 9700 Patuxent Woods Drive, Suite 131 in Columbia, MD, Gentiva Certified Healthcare is an in-home care service provider offering in-home nursing and also personal home care. Since 1983, they have been providing care to clients in the Columbia ...
5069 Summer Day Ln
Columbia, MD 21044
Located in Columbia, MD at 5069 Summer Day Ln, Comfort Keepers is a home healthcare service provider that offers in-home medical services as well as personal care services. They can provide different medical services including colostomy care, speech therapy, blood ...
Situated just 25 miles northeast of Washington, D.C., within the Baltimore-Washington metro area, Columbia consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the United States. About 15% of the almost 100,000 residents of this master-planned, census-designated place are seniors aged 65 and older, and Columbia is known for its cultural diversity and vibrant downtown district.
Columbia's SeniorScore is 78, which matches the statewide average and is well above the national average of 72. The SeniorScore is based on over 100 factors that impact older adults, such as taxation rates and access to healthcare services. Of the four categories that make up the SeniorScore, Columbia received its highest score of 73 in the Health & Safety category. This score reflects the high number of Medicare-registered doctors in Columbia, as well as the abundance of home health care providers, pharmacies and fire stations.
There are plenty of recreational facilities in Columbia geared toward users of all ages, including Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods, a 51-acre arts-focused park that regularly hosts free concerts during the summertime. Golfers can hit the greens at Fairway Hills, a public course that offers discounted rates for seniors, while Toby's Dinner & Show is a favorite among locals and visitors alike.
This guide examines home care costs in Columbia, and how they compare to the cost of other senior care options. There's also a list of local resources seniors can access, such as home meal delivery services and low-cost transportation.
Genworth's 2020 Cost of Care Survey shows that the average monthly cost of home care in Columbia is $4,671. Home health care, which adds some limited medical care to the services offered through home care, costs slightly more at $4,957 per month. Statewide, average home care rates are $4,576 per month, while home health care runs around $4,767.
Within Maryland, monthly rates for home care range from $4,481 in California to $4,767 in Cumberland. These prices are based on 44 hours of care each week, so seniors who don't need this much support can expect to pay less than the average rates listed in the Genworth Survey.
The Cost of Home Care & Home Health Care per Month
Cost of Home Care | Cost of Home Health Care | |
Columbia | $4,671 | $4,957 |
Maryland | $4,576 | $4,767 |
The United States | $4,481 | $4,576 |
Hagerstown | $4,576 | $4,576 |
Cumberland | $4,767 | $4,767 |
California | $4,481 | $4,957 |
Salisbury | $4,528 | $4,576 |
Note: Data for Columbia was unavailable, so data for the nearest city, Baltimore, was used instead.
Seniors in Columbia have access to many programs and services that help older adults maintain their independence and safely age in place. Below, we've compiled a few of the most helpful resources:
Meals on Wheels provides low-cost, hot home-delivered meals to homebound seniors aged 60 and older throughout Howard County. Volunteer drivers and staff also perform wellness and safety checks on vulnerable elders and operate a phone pal and friendly volunteer companion program for isolated seniors. The agency supplies clients with shelf-stable meal kits for use during weather emergencies, and it works in partnership with the SPCA to deliver free pet food for seniors with companion animals.
Contact Information
Seniors who are interested in receiving home-delivered meals or free pet food or signing up for the phone pal and companion program can call (410) 558-0827.
Columbia seniors who are unable to use the regular, fixed-route bus service due to disability can apply to RTA Mobility. This ADA-compliant, shared ride transportation service provides seniors with curb-to-curb rides throughout Howard County, Anne Arundel County and the City of Laurel. RTA Mobility vehicles can accommodate most types of mobility devices, including walkers, power wheelchairs and medical scooters.
Contact Information
To apply to use the ADA paratransit services offered by RTA, call 800-270-9553 and select option #3, then option #6.
The Loan Closet of Howard County is a program that offers loans of durable medical equipment to Howard County residents. Through the program, seniors can borrow gently-used manual wheelchairs, walkers, canes, ramps, toilet and bathing aids and therapy aids. There's no cost to borrow equipment, and no time limits on most loans. Residents can also donate unneeded mobility and assistive devices to the Loan Closet.
Contact Information
For more information on borrowing or donating durable medical equipment, call the Loan Closet at (410) 313-0363.
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