Home Care vs Nursing Home Care in Austin: Why Home Health Is Often the Better Choice

When a close friend of mine, Kris, recently began searching for care options for her grandmother who lived a few hours away, she was quickly overwhelmed. Should she move her grandmother into an assisted living facility? Would a nursing home provide better safety with higher levels of care?

Her grandmother was determined to stay in her home, but it was no longer safe for her to do so. Kris couldn’t reasonably move her family hours away; they had school and great careers to consider. She dove deep into research and phone calls to discover the best option for her grandmother.

Comparing Long-Term Care Options

There’s a range of care types—from adult day care and personal care to skilled nursing and comprehensive healthcare services—but each comes with its costs and considerations. As she sifted through brochures and began making calls, she realized that every option had trade-offs for her senior loved one, making this a difficult decision.

Still, she couldn’t ignore the emotional toll of uprooting her grandmother from her home. Eventually, she found Leora Home Health and asked me—knowing I work in the field—to take a deeper look with her.

Facility-Based Care: A Costly, Often Impersonal Option

In Austin, the cost of assisted living facilities typically ranges between $4,500 to $6,000 per month. Skilled nursing homes tend to run even higher, with average monthly costs between  $6,000 to $7,500. Seldom do these fees include medical services such as medication management, toileting assistance, or individualized attention, which can significantly raise the total cost.

Care Levels in Facilities:

• Assisted Living: 
  • Meals
  • Medication reminders
  • Light housekeeping
  • Minimal supervision
  • Medical services often completed by outside medical professionals
  • On-site nursing is limited
    • Often no overnight nurse
    • Nurse may even only be on-call rather than in the facility
    • Staffing ratios can be concerning
      • One Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) for every 40-60 residents
      • One staff member for every 15-20 residents during the day and less at night
      • These ratios can vary depending on the facility, time of day, and level of care required
    • CDC National Study of Long-Term Care Providers (2019): Found that only 20% of assisted living communities had an RN on staff, and the average licensed nurse hours per resident per day was 0.37 hours (≈22 minutes) while care including RNs, LVNs, and aides was 2.64 hours (≈2 hours and 38 minutes).
• Nursing Homes: 
  • Higher level of medical oversight 
    • 24/7 Skilled Nursing Care
    • Assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
    • Medical services: administration of medications, wound care, and chronic disease management
  • Residents often share rooms
  • Facilities are required to provide a minimum of 3.48 hours per resident per day (HPRD) of nursing care
    • 0.55 HPRD (about 33 minutes per day) of care from an RN
    • 2.45 HPRD (about 2 hours and 27 minutes per day) of care from an aide
    • 0.48 HPRD can be from any direct care nursing staff 
    • However, these hours are spread thin. Seniors may interact with rotating staff members, limiting the consistency of care, and have minimal one-on-one interaction. Furthermore, Texas overturned these minimum standards and the change will take place in 2029

Common Complications in Facility Care:

• Hospital-acquired infections are three times more common in long-term care facilities than in home care settings.
• Pressure ulcers affect up to 28% of residents, according to the Center for Disease Control.
• According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 23.5% of nursing home patients are readmitted to hospitals within 30 days.
• Approximately 36% of residents suffer from combinations of depression, anxiety and pain once admitted to nursing homes.
• 81% of surveyed nursing home staff reported witnessing elder abuse. 

The Case for In-Home Care in Austin, Texas: Leora Home Health

When Kris and I reviewed her grandmother’s needs, it became clear that individualized in-home care would offer both safety and comfort. That’s when she decided to go with Leora Home Health.

Leora Home Health provides high-quality, compassionate care that matches—and often exceeds—what seniors receive in facilities. Our home care services are flexible, cost-effective, and focused on each loved one's unique needs.

Here’s what families in Central Texas can expect:

High quality care designed to provide all the necessary support your loved one needs to complete their normal daily activities with the benefits of keeping them in their own home, and keeping them on the schedule they prefer

Personal Assistance Services (PAS)

• Cost: $25–$30/hr → $4,000–$4,800/month (based on 40 hrs/week)
• Services: Light housekeeping, companionship, ADL support, meal preparation, mobility assistance
• Supervision: RN wellness checks every 90 days

Home Health Aide (HHA)

• Cost: $30–$35/hr → $4,800–$5,600/month (based on 40 hrs/week)
• Services: PAS services plus vital sign monitoring, intake/output tracking, RN-delegated care
• Supervision: RN check-ins every 2 weeks

Skilled Nursing

• Costs: LVN: $90/hour - RN: $120/hour
• Services: Wound care, medication administration, complex condition management, assessments, family caregiver education, general medical care, in-home IV administration, TPN, tube feedings, trach care, and other care services
• Supervision: Direct medical care with RN oversight

What Makes Leora Different?

• One on One Attention: Continuously individualized care during every visit without the distraction of other clients.
• Continuity of Care: Consistent caregiver assignments to build a trusting relationship
• Medical and Non-Medical Support: Care for all senior needs from companionship to comprehensive medical care.
• Lower Infection Risk: Home settings greatly reduce exposure to contagious illnesses such as COVID and Influenza.
• Tailored Education: In-home teaching for clients and family caregivers on medications,  chronic conditions, and safety—especially valuable for new diagnoses.
• Advanced Care Options: For medically complex clients, we offer IV infusions, Gastrostomy Tube feeds, TPN, wound VACs, and RN assessments right in the home.

The Emotional and Psychological Benefits of Home

Many seniors experience emotional strain, confusion, and even depression when relocated to assisted living or nursing homes. Remaining in familiar surroundings helps seniors live independently with better mental and physical outcomes.

Kris came to the realization that home health care through a trusted provider often provides better value, and more compassionate one on one care. When Kris realized that her grandmother could receive excellent individualized care in the comfort of her own home without the emotional toll of uprooting her life or the complications associated with long-term care facilities, she decided to go with Leora Home Health. 

Kris’s grandmother, once anxious about being moved, began thriving with consistent, respectful care in her own home. She reconnected with old hobbies and found a renewed sense of independence and security.

Making an Informed Decision About Your Options

Making an informed decision about senior care means weighing your loved one’s health, independence, financial resources, and personal preferences. Home care costs can be competitive with facilities and offers: 

• Personalized, flexible scheduling
• Higher caregiver-to-client rations
• Empowered independence in daily living

Whether your senior loved one needs simple companionship or intensive medical care, in-home care can deliver the necessary support with dignity.

Leora’s Commitment to Quality and Reliability

Contingency Planning: At Leora, reliability is a top priority. We request 24-hour notice for any missed shifts to arrange seamless backup care. Coverage is triaged based on medical urgency, and if all else fails, Leora’s owners are known to grab a badge and step in themselves!

Caregiver Matching: We take personality and preference into account. Clients typically have the same caregiver for every visit, with backup available when needed. 

Communication with Families: We work with families to establish the right cadence of updates—text, calls, or secure portal—always respecting HIPAA requirements.

Compliance and Safety: All staff undergo thorough background checks, registry screenings, and annual training. Nurses maintain continuing education credits per Texas HCSSA rules. Leora Home Health also meets or exceeds all requirements by the Texas Health and Human Services department.

Screening for Elderly Abuse: Leora caregivers receive thorough annual training on recognizing and reporting suspected elder abuse. In addition, each employee is thoroughly vetted prior to hire and on a routine basis. Leora Home Health takes reports of suspected elderly abuse very seriously. We understand how vulnerable the elderly and disabled populations are and strive to protect them in any way we can.

The Bottom Line

When comparing home care vs nursing home cost in Austin, home care frequently comes out ahead in value, quality care, and comfort. For families navigating long term care options, in-home care through Leora offers a compassionate, medically robust, and flexible path forward.

At Leora Home Health, we provide dignified, professional, and personalized care that keeps your loved one safe, independent, and connected to what matters most: Home. 

Schedule a FREE Consultation:

📞 Call us today at 512-222-8103 to schedule a no-obligation consultation to explore how Leora Home Health can support your loved one with compassionate, in-home care.