People search “home health aide Las Vegas” when what they actually need is a caregiver — and vice versa. The two roles sound similar, and even healthcare professionals sometimes use the terms loosely. But they’re different jobs, with different training, different scopes of practice, different costs, and very different rules about who pays. Getting the distinction right can save your family thousands of dollars and weeks of frustration.
The short version
- A caregiver provides non-medical help with the activities of daily living — bathing, dressing, meals, housekeeping, companionship. No clinical tasks.
- A home health aide (HHA) does everything a caregiver does, plus certain clinical tasks under the direction of a nurse or doctor — taking vital signs, assisting with wound care, helping with medical equipment, reporting changes in condition back to a clinical supervisor.
- Who pays is the biggest practical difference. Caregivers are paid privately, through long-term care insurance, or through Medicaid waiver programs. Home health aides delivering skilled care are typically paid by Medicare or private health insurance for a limited time after a hospital stay.
Family Personal Care provides non-medical caregivers only.
If your loved one needs skilled medical home health (physical therapy, wound care, IV management, skilled nursing), we’ll refer you to a trusted local home health agency. If they need everyday help at home — bathing, meals, companionship, supervision — that’s exactly what we do.
What a caregiver actually does
A caregiver — also called a personal care attendant (PCA), home care aide (HCA), or simply an in-home caregiver — handles the day-to-day tasks that get harder as people age or live with chronic conditions:
- Bathing, showering, toileting, and incontinence care.
- Dressing, grooming, and oral hygiene.
- Safe transfers (bed to chair, chair to walker).
- Meal planning and preparation.
- Light housekeeping and laundry.
- Verbal medication reminders.
- Companionship and supervision.
- Errands for the client — grocery and pharmacy runs done on the client’s behalf.
Caregivers do not administer medications, take vital signs as a clinical task, do wound care, change catheters, or perform any tasks that require a clinical license. They are trained in safety, dementia-friendly communication, infection control, and fall prevention.
What a home health aide does
A home health aide covers all the same activities of daily living as a caregiver, plus a short list of clinical tasks that they’re certified to perform under the direction of a licensed nurse. These typically include:
- Measuring and recording vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, temperature).
- Assisting with prescribed exercises from a physical therapist.
- Helping with simple wound dressings under nursing direction.
- Checking the skin for pressure sores or signs of infection.
- Reporting changes in the patient’s condition to the supervising nurse.
A home health aide visit is almost always part of a doctor-ordered plan of care from a Medicare-certified home health agency, and visits are usually short (under an hour) and time-limited (a few weeks after discharge from the hospital or a skilled nursing stay).
Side-by-side comparison
| Caregiver (non-medical) | Home Health Aide (medical) | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical setting | Client’s home, any length of shift | Client’s home, short visits |
| Who orders the care | The family (private pay or waiver) | A physician via a home health plan of care |
| Typical funding | Private pay, LTC insurance, Medicaid waiver | Medicare, Medicaid, private health insurance |
| Duration of services | Months or years, as needed | Usually 2–8 weeks after a hospital stay |
| Clinical tasks allowed | No — reminders only | Yes, under nursing supervision |
| Best fit for | Daily life support, companionship, respite | Skilled recovery after discharge |
Which one do I actually need?
Start with the kind of help that’s missing. If the gap is help with bathing, meals, housekeeping, companionship, or supervision — someone in the home for a meaningful stretch of time each day — that’s a caregiver. If there’s a specific clinical need (wound care, rehab after a hip replacement, a ventilator at home), that’s home health, usually paid by Medicare for a limited window.
Many families need both. A Medicare-funded home health aide might visit three times a week for a month after a hospital discharge to help with recovery, while a non-medical caregiver is in the home every day for the longer-term support the family actually needs. The two work side by side — they’re not competitors.
Why the confusion matters
The stakes of confusing the two are real. Families who call a Medicare-certified home health agency expecting daily long-term help are often surprised when visits stop after a few weeks — that’s by design, because Medicare’s home health benefit is recovery-focused. Families who call a non-medical agency expecting clinical tasks may be disappointed too, because non-medical caregivers cannot legally do them.
If you’re not sure what kind of help you need, a good rule of thumb: describe the day out loud. “She can’t shower safely anymore, and I worry about her eating.” That’s a caregiver. “Her surgeon wants a nurse and physical therapist visiting at home twice a week for a month.” That’s home health.
What Family Personal Care offers
We’re a non-medical in-home caregiver agency in Las Vegas. Our caregivers — background-checked, W-2 employees, supervised by a local care coordinator — handle personal care, companion care, homemaker help, and the everyday tasks of in-home support.
When family caregivers need a real break, we also provide hourly and overnight respite coverage so you can step away knowing your loved one is in good hands.
If you need a home health aide or a visiting nurse, we’re happy to point you to a trusted local partner.
Curious what a caregiver actually costs in Las Vegas? See our 2026 cost guide for current rates and what shapes the bill.
Get help choosing
Still not sure which one fits your situation? Call Family Personal Care at (702) 906-1999 and we’ll talk through what’s happening in the home — no pressure. If a caregiver is the right answer, we can usually start within a week. If you need home health instead, we’ll tell you and refer you directly.