Home health aid costs more in Iowa than rest of U.S.

Seniors hoping to stay in their homes with assistance will find higher costs in Iowa, compared to costs nationwide.

An exception to that is in

Cedar Rapids, according to a new report by Genworth Financial, which released its annual Cost of Care Survey on Thursday.

The survey showed the median annual rate for home care costs in Iowa is $46,858 statewide, about 8 percent greater than the median annual rate of $43,472 nationally.

Those costs are calculated using home health aid services' annual rates, based on 44 hours per week multiplied by 52 weeks.

Nationally, that figure is

$19 per hour, compared to $20 hourly in Iowa.

The Des Moines area came in higher, at $23 per hour, while Cedar Rapids was below the national rate at $18 per hour.

Those figures are important, as more seniors choose to stay in their homes.

According to a Genworth survey conducted earlier this year, when asked to identify the setting most preferred to

receive long term care, 78 percent chose the home; 18 percent chose assisted living and only

2 percent selected a nursing home.

Elizabeth Reichers, director of the Linn County Aging and Disability Resource Center and Linn County Home Health Program, agreed that most seniors prefer to stay in their homes.

Those agencies, along with The Heritage Agency on Aging, help seniors make those decisions in Linn, Benton, Cedar, Jones, Johnson, Iowa and Washington counties.

Reichers noted that some programs base charges on income.

For example, a homemaker aide service is available on a sliding fee and Iowa's waiver program can help low-income seniors stay in their homes,

she said.

The Genworth survey noted that overall, the cost of in-home care has risen at a rate far below that of care provided in a nursing home or assisted living facility over the past five years.

Statewide, costs for home health aide services rose 3 percent over the past five years, compared to 2 percent nationally.

For assisted living, costs across the United States rose

7 percent a year over the past five years, compared to 9 percent in Iowa.

Statewide, the median annual assisted living charge is $38,049, compared to $38,220 nationwide; $44,370 in Cedar Rapids and $42,870 in Des Moines.