What does a private caregiver actually do? Companion care vs. personal care explained

A private caregiver helps an older adult live safely at home with the everyday things that have become hard: getting washed and dressed, eating well, getting around the house, getting to appointments, and not being alone all day. The work falls into two levels. Companion care is company, supervision and help around the house. Personal care adds hands-on help with the body. Neither is nursing. Houston families who call a service such as StacieJ Cares Private Caregivers usually need a mix of both, and knowing the difference keeps expectations, schedules and costs clear.

Companion care: what is included

Companion care is for someone who can mostly manage their own body but should not be alone all day, or who needs help keeping the household running. A companion caregiver typically:

• Provides conversation, company and activities: cards, walks, music, photo albums, a favorite show.
• Plans and cooks meals, and notices whether your parent is eating and drinking enough.
• Does light housekeeping connected to your parent: dishes, their laundry, changing their bed, tidying.
• Runs errands: groceries, pharmacy pickups, dry cleaning.
• Drives or accompanies your parent to doctor visits, church, the barber or a friend's house.
• Gives medication reminders at the right times.
• Keeps an eye out: new confusion, falls, a fridge full of spoiled food, unopened mail.

For many families the "keeping an eye out" part is the most valuable. A caregiver who sees your parent three times a week often notices changes before anyone else.

Personal care: the hands-on level

Personal care is for someone who needs physical help with the activities of daily living. On top of everything companion care includes, a personal caregiver helps with:

• Bathing and showering, including safe transfers in and out of the tub or shower.
• Dressing and grooming: clothes, shaving, hair and nail care, oral care.
• Toileting and continence care: help to the bathroom, changing briefs, keeping skin clean and dry.
• Mobility: walking with a walker, moving from bed to chair, repositioning to prevent pressure.
• Eating: cutting food, encouraging fluids, or helping someone eat.

Personal care takes skill and patience. The best caregivers explain each step, protect privacy, and let your parent do as much as they safely can, which preserves strength and dignity.

What a non-medical caregiver cannot do

This is where families most often get surprised. Non-medical caregivers do not provide skilled nursing. That usually means no:

• Injections, including insulin shots (unless your situation is specifically set up and allowed under the rules that apply).
• IV lines, feeding tubes, catheter insertion, or wound care beyond basic first aid.
• Setting up or changing medication doses, or deciding what to take.
• Diagnosing, or making medical decisions.

Those tasks belong to licensed nurses, usually through a home health agency on a doctor's order. A good private caregiver works alongside that team: they notice changes, write them down, and tell the family. If a caregiver offers to take on medical tasks they are not qualified for, treat it as a red flag, not a bonus.

In Texas, home care agencies operate as Home and Community Support Services Agencies (HCSSAs) overseen by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and the services HCSSAs provide include personal assistance services, the non-medical help with daily living described above.

Specialized non-medical care

Some situations need the same tasks done with extra training and structure:

• Dementia and Alzheimer's care: redirection, routine, wandering prevention and calm personal care. See our Houston dementia care guide.
• Overnight and 24-hour care: someone awake or nearby at night for bathroom trips, wandering or falls. See 24-hour and overnight care.
• Respite care: a caregiver who steps in so the family caregiver can rest, work or travel. See respite care in Houston.
• Post-hospital support: help with daily living while someone recovers, alongside any home health nurse or therapist.

How to tell which level your parent needs

Walk through a normal day and answer honestly:

1. Can your parent bathe and dress alone, safely, every day?
2. Can they get to the toilet in time, day and night?
3. Can they stand up from a chair and walk without help?
4. Are they eating real meals and drinking enough?
5. Are medications being taken correctly?
6. Are they safe alone: no wandering, no stove left on, no falls?
7. Is the family caregiver sleeping and coping?

If the answers to 1 to 3 are yes but the rest are shaky, companion care is often the place to start. If any of 1 to 3 is no, you are looking at personal care. If nights are the problem, you need overnight coverage. Needs usually grow over time, so pick a provider who can move with you from a few hours a week to longer shifts.

A sample week, two ways

Two examples show how the levels play out. They are illustrations, not quotes.

Companion care, three mornings a week. Monday the caregiver arrives at 9, makes breakfast, gives the morning medication reminder, and drives your mother to the grocery store. Wednesday is a doctor visit: the caregiver takes notes and texts you the summary. Friday is laundry, a walk around the block, lunch, and a call to her sister. Between visits, family checks in by phone.

Personal care, five days a week plus two nights. Each weekday the caregiver helps your father out of bed, to the bathroom and into the shower with a shower chair, then dresses him, makes breakfast and helps him walk with his walker. Afternoons include a rest, fluids, and help to the toilet on a schedule. Two nights a week an overnight caregiver covers bathroom trips so the family can sleep.

What to put in a written care plan

• Daily schedule: wake-up, meals, medications (reminders only), rest, bedtime.
• Personal care needs and preferences: shower or bath, which days, how your parent likes it done.
• Diet and fluids, allergies, and foods to avoid.
• Mobility aids and fall risks.
• Emergency contacts, doctors, pharmacy, and what to do in an emergency.
• Tasks that are off-limits.
• How the caregiver reports to the family after each shift.

What it costs, in brief

Medicare does not pay for custodial care when it is the only care needed, or for 24-hour-a-day care at home or homemaker services unrelated to a care plan, so most families pay privately. As a national reference, the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey puts the median rate for non-medical caregiver services at $35 an hour. Personal care, nights and short shifts can change the rate, so ask for a written quote for your actual schedule. Our Houston cost guide explains the math.

Where StacieJ Cares fits

StacieJ Cares Private Caregivers is a non-medical home care service based at 11221 Richmond Ave. #C108 in west Houston, led by owner La'stacia Brown. Its website says she has more than 20 years of medical experience and that its trained CNA and caregiver staff help with bathing, dressing, bathroom needs, hair and nail care, light housekeeping, groceries, medications and errands. Its services cover both levels described here, companion care and personal care, plus overnight, 24-hour and live-in care, respite, dementia support, meal preparation, medication reminders and transportation. It serves Houston, River Oaks, Memorial, Katy, Sugar Land, The Woodlands and Pearland.

When you call, describe a typical day and ask which tasks the caregiver will do, which they will not, and what the rate and minimum shift are. Ask for the care plan and terms in writing.

Not sure whether your parent needs companion care or personal care? Call StacieJ Cares at (832) 248-9136 or email staci@stacijcares.com and talk it through.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between companion care and personal care?

Companion care covers company, conversation, supervision, meals, light housekeeping, errands and rides. Personal care adds hands-on help with the body: bathing, dressing, toileting, grooming, and help getting in and out of bed or a chair.

Can a private caregiver give medications?

A non-medical caregiver can typically remind someone to take medication that is already organized, such as from a pill organizer. Giving injections, managing IVs, or making medical decisions is skilled care that belongs to licensed nurses or a home health agency.

Does a caregiver clean the whole house?

Usually light housekeeping tied to the person: dishes, the person's laundry, tidying their bedroom and bathroom, taking out trash. Deep cleaning or caring for the whole household is usually outside the job unless agreed in writing.

Will Medicare pay for a companion or personal caregiver?

Medicare does not pay for custodial care, meaning help with daily living like bathing and dressing, when that is the only care needed. It also does not pay for 24-hour-a-day care at home, or for homemaker services such as shopping and cleaning that are unrelated to a care plan.

What does StacieJ Cares provide?

StacieJ Cares lists companion care, personal care, overnight and 24-hour care, live-in care, respite, dementia support, meal preparation, medication reminders and transportation across the Houston area. It is non-medical home care.

Sources and further reading

• Medicare: Home health services (what is not covered)
• Texas HHS: Home and Community Support Services Agencies (HCSSA)
• Alzheimer's Association: Stages and behaviors
• CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025

StacieJ Cares Private Caregivers is a paid Business Spotlight client of The Company Chronicle. This guide was written by our editorial team from public sources. Rates, availability and services are set by the provider; confirm them directly before care begins. Nothing here is medical, legal or tax advice.