MetLife: Adult Day Services Rates Rose by 4.5%

In its 2011 Market Survey of Long-Term Care Costs, MetLife reports that the national average rate for adult day services program increased from $67 per day in 2010 and $70 per day in 2011, a change of 4.5%. 

The average hourly rates for home health aides ($21) and homemakers ($19) were unchanged from 2010, according to the survey.

How Rates Vary 

Care costs vary widely around the nation, according to the Metlife data, which was collected from 1,644 home care agencies and 1,341 adult day services programs. 

The average statewide rates for home health aides range from $17 an hour in West Virginia to $26 an hour in Connecticut. Average hourly rates for homemakers range from $16 in Alabama to $24 in Minnesota. Most Home health agencies surveyed by Metlife have an hourly service rate and 81% require a minimum number of hours per day. 

This minimum ranges from 30 minutes to 8 hours, with an average minimum of 3 hours. A third (32%) of agencies has a live-in rate that averages $258 for a home health aide and $255 for a homemaker/companion. 

More than three-quarters of adult day services centers are open 5 days a week, while 13% are open 7 days per week. Seven-in-10 adult day centers provide transportation services to and from the center and half (53%) of those centers charge a fee for transportation.