Understanding your options
Why families choose private-duty care.
“Private duty” sounds like jargon, but the idea is simple: care that answers to you, not to an insurance company's rules. Here's what that means — and how it differs from Medicare and from the big agencies.
What “private duty” actually means
Private-duty care is home care that you arrange and direct, paid privately or through long-term care insurance. Because it isn't dictated by Medicare's rules, it isn't limited to a few doctor-ordered visits a week — you decide how much care, what kind, and for how long. The caregiver works on your family's schedule and your loved one's preferences, not a payer's checklist.
Private duty vs. Medicare home health
These get confused constantly. Medicare covers home health: short-term, skilled, doctor-ordered care after a qualifying event like a hospital stay — a nurse or therapist for a limited number of visits, aimed at a specific recovery goal. It ends when that goal is met. It does not cover ongoing help with bathing, dressing, meals, or companionship.
Private duty covers exactly what Medicare won't: the day-in, day-out help that lets someone keep living at home. For most families, the two aren't a choice between — they're different tools for different moments.
The short version. Medicare home health is short-term, skilled, and rule-bound. Private duty is ongoing, flexible, and directed by you. Best Care provides private duty. To pay for it, see long-term care insurance →
Why a nurse-owned registry is different
Best Care is a nursing registry — we refer, screen, and oversee independent caregivers and match them to your family — and it's owned by a registered nurse, Jacque, who personally manages every new client. That's a real departure from the large agencies, where you're assigned a rotating coordinator and whoever is on the schedule.
- You talk to an owner, not a call center. The person responsible for your care is the one who answers the phone.
- Clinical judgment at the top. An RN owner can tell an aide-level need from a skilled one — and catch a problem early.
- Caregivers matched, not assigned. Fit matters, and our compatible-caregiver guarantee means you're never stuck.
- 46 years, same family. Not a franchise. Owned and run since 1980 by the family whose name is on the door.
Still deciding what kind of care you need?
That's the right time to call. Our RN owner will help you sort out Medicare, private duty, and insurance — and what each would mean for your family.
Call or Text (888) 203-2529You talk to Jacque, our RN owner — not a call center.