Home care · Eddy County, ND
Home care in Eddy County
Eddy County is the seventh-oldest county in North Dakota: 27.7% of the 2,300 people who live here are 65 or older, about 649 residents. That shapes everything about care here — the demand for it, the wait for it, and how far families drive to find it.
Below is what we'd tell a friend in Eddy County: what care costs here, who provides it, what the facility alternative actually looks like, and which programs pay.
Eddy County, in numbers
Full North Dakota guide →Residents 65+
649
27.7% of the county — the seventh-highest share of North Dakota's 53 counties.
Live with a disability
20%
About 452 people — the population most likely to need help at home.
Median household income
$58,848
20 hrs/week of care would run about 60% of it.
Certified agencies
3
Medicare-certified home health agencies serving local ZIPs; 3 rated, averaging 3.8★.
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 Eddy County
North Dakota's going rate for agency home care is around $34/hr. Twenty hours a week — four hours a day, five days a week, the most common schedule families start with — comes to roughly $2,900 a month, or $35,400 a year.
Median household income in Eddy County is $58,848, so that schedule would consume about 60% 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.
29.6% of people in Eddy County live below 150% of the federal poverty line — a share high enough that a real portion of local families will qualify for North Dakota's Medicaid programs rather than pay privately. If money is the obstacle, start with eligibility, not with rates.
Who provides care in Eddy County
3 Medicare-certified home health agencies serve ZIP codes in Eddy County. 3 of them carry a CMS quality star rating, averaging 3.8 out of 5. 3 report offering home health aide services.
That is above the North Dakota average of 3.19 — the agencies working here rate better than the state's typical. Worth knowing, because it means the local floor is higher than average, not that any single agency is a safe bet.
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
Eddy County has 1 certified nursing home holding 51 certified beds, averaging 3 out of 5 on CMS's overall rating. About 47 people live in them on an average day.
The North Dakota programs that pay for care at home
- HCBS Waiver
- Medicaid State Plan Personal Care
North Dakota 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 North Dakota program works →Caregiver training in ND
75 hrs
Minimum for certified aides (the federal minimum). ND does not license non-medical agencies, so vet carefully.
Choosing an agency in Eddy County
- Vet twice as hard. North Dakota does not license non-medical home care agencies, which means anyone can hang a shingle. Ask who runs background checks, whether caregivers are W-2 employees or contractors, whether the agency carries liability and workers' comp, and who supervises the caregiver you'd get.
- Ask what the rate covers. Around $34/hr is typical in North Dakota. 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. Eddy County is served by 3 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 HCBS 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 Eddy County.
Eddy County home care questions, answered
How much does home care cost in Eddy County, ND?
Agency home care in North Dakota runs around $34/hr for private pay. At 20 hours a week that is about $2,900 a month. For context, median household income in Eddy County is $58,848. 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 Eddy County?
Medicare pays for skilled home health — a nurse or therapist, doctor-ordered, for a limited stretch, usually after a hospital stay. 3 Medicare-certified agencies serve Eddy 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 North Dakota Medicaid.
Does Medicaid pay for home care in Eddy County?
Yes — for people who qualify. North Dakota runs Medicaid programs that pay for care at home instead of a nursing home: HCBS Waiver, Medicaid State Plan Personal Care. Income, asset, and care-need rules apply, and approval usually takes weeks to months, so apply before you need it. With 29.6% of Eddy County below 150% of the poverty line, a meaningful share of local families do qualify.
How are caregivers trained and vetted in North Dakota?
Certified home health aides in North Dakota complete at least 75 hours of training, the federal minimum. North Dakota does not license non-medical home care agencies, so the vetting falls to you: ask about background checks, insurance and bonding, and who supervises the caregivers.
Is home care better than a nursing home in Eddy County?
It depends on the level of care needed, not on which one sounds nicer. Eddy County's 1 certified facility averages 3 out of 5 stars on CMS ratings, against a North Dakota average of 3.2. 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 Eddy County?
Not directly — our own caregivers serve the Milwaukee area of Wisconsin. This page is a free guide for Eddy County families: what care really costs here, who provides it, and which programs can help pay.
Bordering counties in North Dakota