Home care · Somerset County, ME
Home care in Somerset County
Somerset County is home to about 51,000 people, 11,300 of them 65 or older, spread across a county that is 84.9% rural. Distance is the quiet problem here: the adult child two towns over, the appointment an hour each way, the caregiver who has to drive it.
Below is what we'd tell a friend in Somerset County: what care costs here, who provides it, what the facility alternative actually looks like, and which programs pay.
Somerset County, in numbers
Full Maine guide →Residents 65+
11,250
22.2% of the county.
Live with a disability
19.2%
About 9,624 people — the population most likely to need help at home.
Median household income
$55,093
20 hrs/week of care would run about 85% of it.
Certified agencies
8
Medicare-certified home health agencies serving local ZIPs; 8 rated, averaging 3.6★.
Sources: CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 (ACS 2018–2022), County Health Rankings 2024, and CMS Care Compare provider files.
What home care costs in Somerset County
Maine's going rate for agency home care is around $45/hr. Twenty hours a week — four hours a day, five days a week, the most common schedule families start with — comes to roughly $3,900 a month, or $46,800 a year.
Median household income in Somerset County is $55,093, so that schedule would consume about 85% of a typical household's entire income. This is the number that sends most families looking for help paying, and it is why the programs below matter more than any brochure.
28.7% of people in Somerset County live below 150% of the federal poverty line — a share high enough that a real portion of local families will qualify for Maine's Medicaid programs rather than pay privately. If money is the obstacle, start with eligibility, not with rates.
Who provides care in Somerset County
8 Medicare-certified home health agencies serve ZIP codes in Somerset County. 8 of them carry a CMS quality star rating, averaging 3.6 out of 5. 5 report offering home health aide services.
Unusually for the industry, 63% of the agencies here are non-profit — often hospital- or county-affiliated. They tend to be steadier on staffing and slower to answer.
One distinction worth getting straight before you call anyone: those are Medicare-certified home health agencies — skilled, doctor-ordered, intermittent care, usually a nurse or therapist visiting for a few weeks after a hospital stay. That is not the same as the hourly, non-medical help most families are actually looking for: bathing, dressing, meals, driving, company. Medicare pays for the first. It does not pay for the second.
The alternative, locally
Somerset County has 4 certified nursing homes holding 202 certified beds, averaging 2.8 out of 5 on CMS's overall rating. About 178 people live in them on an average day.
The Maine programs that pay for care at home
- Elderly & Adults with Disabilities Waiver (Section 19)
- Consumer Directed Attendant Services
Maine runs 2 Medicaid pathways that pay for care at home instead of a nursing home. Each has its own income, asset, and care-need rules, and approval takes weeks to months — so the application is worth starting before the need becomes urgent.
How each Maine program works →Caregiver training in ME
180 hrs
Minimum for certified aides — above the 75-hour federal floor. Agencies are licensed by the ME DHHS.
Choosing an agency in Somerset County
- Ask for the license. Maine licenses home care agencies through the ME DHHS. A legitimate agency shows its license without hesitating. One that changes the subject has told you something.
- Ask what the rate covers. Around $45/hr is typical in Maine. A real agency's rate covers a trained, background-checked, insured caregiver plus supervision and backup staffing when your regular person is sick. A rate well under the local range usually means one of those is missing.
- Start the clock early. Somerset County is served by 8 certified agencies, so the honest answer to "when can you start?" is often two to three weeks. If you're planning around a discharge date, call before the discharge, not after.
- Ask about Medicaid now, not later. If money is going to be the constraint, ask about Elderly & Adults with Disabilities Waiver at the first call. Approval takes weeks to months, and private pay is what bridges the gap — so the sooner the application starts, the smaller that bridge is.
Want to talk it through?
We provide care in the Milwaukee, WI area — but we’re glad to help any family think through the options in Somerset County.
Somerset County home care questions, answered
How much does home care cost in Somerset County, ME?
Agency home care in Maine runs around $45/hr for private pay. At 20 hours a week that is about $3,900 a month. For context, median household income in Somerset County is $55,093. Rates move with the level of care and the schedule — short daily visits cost more per hour than long shifts.
Does Medicare pay for home care in Somerset County?
Medicare pays for skilled home health — a nurse or therapist, doctor-ordered, for a limited stretch, usually after a hospital stay. 8 Medicare-certified agencies serve Somerset County. Medicare does not pay for the hourly, non-medical help most families want — bathing, dressing, meals, driving, company. For that, the money comes from private pay, long-term care insurance, VA benefits, or Maine Medicaid.
Does Medicaid pay for home care in Somerset County?
Yes — for people who qualify. Maine runs Medicaid programs that pay for care at home instead of a nursing home: Elderly & Adults with Disabilities Waiver (Section 19), Consumer Directed Attendant Services. Income, asset, and care-need rules apply, and approval usually takes weeks to months, so apply before you need it. With 28.7% of Somerset County below 150% of the poverty line, a meaningful share of local families do qualify.
How are caregivers trained and vetted in Maine?
Certified home health aides in Maine complete at least 180 hours of training — above the 75-hour federal minimum. The state licenses home care agencies through the ME DHHS, so ask to see an agency's license before you hire.
Is home care better than a nursing home in Somerset County?
It depends on the level of care needed, not on which one sounds nicer. Somerset County's 4 certified facilities average 2.8 out of 5 stars on CMS ratings, against a Maine average of 3.09. Round-the-clock skilled nursing is something a facility does that home care cannot. But for help with bathing, meals, medication reminders, and company, care at home usually costs less and keeps someone in their own bed — and most people, asked plainly, say that is what they want.
Does Juniper at Home provide caregivers in Somerset County?
Not directly — our own caregivers serve the Milwaukee area of Wisconsin. This page is a free guide for Somerset County families: what care really costs here, who provides it, and which programs can help pay.
Bordering counties in Maine