You call
At any hour. Tell us what is happening at home and we will tell you honestly whether this is the right kind of help.
Non-medical home care
Companion care in Sacramento
Isolation moves quietly, and the health research does not treat it as a soft problem. Companion care is the least clinical thing we do and often the thing families notice first, because someone starts eating properly again and answering the phone.
Talk it through first
A person answers at any hour, and the first visit to the house costs nothing.
Call (916) 229-8120- Free in-home assessment
- A person answers, 24 hours a day
- Sacramento, Placer, Yolo and El Dorado counties
Why families call about companion care
The referral that surprises families most is the one where nothing is physically wrong. Someone is eating at odd hours, has stopped driving, has not left the house in over a week, and has begun to sound flat on the phone. Isolation is associated with real health risks, and it moves quietly enough that the family notices the weight loss before they notice the cause.
Who companion care is for
- A parent living alone who has stopped going out since a spouse died
- Someone who no longer drives and has quietly shrunk their week
- A person who is safe at home but has nobody to talk to
- Families out of state who want eyes on the house twice a week
What a caregiver does
What companion care looks like day to day
- Conversation, cards, walks and whatever the person actually enjoys
- Grocery shopping, errands and picking up prescriptions
- Getting out to church, the barber, a friend's house or a coffee
- Light meal preparation and eating together, which matters more than it sounds
- Reminders for appointments and a call to the family if something seems off
Where this stops
A companion is company, a driver, a second pair of hands, and a person who will tell you when something looks different. They do not provide personal care unless it is written into the plan, and they never provide clinical care of any kind.
How it starts
Starting companion care with Guiding Souls
We visit the house
Free, and no obligation. We look at the routine and the layout, then put a plan and a clear cost in writing before anything begins.
You meet your caregiver
Matched on skills and on temperament, and introduced before care starts. A second familiar face is kept ready for vacation and sick days.
What changes the cost of companion care
Companion care is where a small number of hours goes furthest, which is why it is often where a family starts. It is also the easiest kind of care for a reluctant parent to accept, and if more help is needed later it is the same caregiver, already in the house and already known. What changes the cost is how many hours a week you want covered, and whether any of them fall at a weekend.
Our guide to what home care costs in Sacramento walks through hourly, live-in and around the clock pricing, and how families pay for home care in California covers long-term care insurance, IHSS and VA benefits.
Questions families ask
Companion care questions, answered
If yours is not here, ask it on the phone: (916) 229-8120. Or read our guide to companionship and isolation in older adults.
How do you match a companion?
On temperament first. Shared background, shared language and shared humor decide whether someone looks forward to the visit or tolerates it.
What is the smallest amount of care you take on?
Families often start at two or three hours a week, then build up as it proves useful. Call Guiding Souls Home Care at (916) 229-8120 and we will tell you what that looks like at your address in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo or El Dorado counties.
Can the caregiver drive my mother to appointments?
Yes. See transportation, which we usually fold into a companion visit.
Related care
Care that often goes with this
Transportation
Rides to appointments and errands, door to door.
Read moreMeal preparation
Home-cooked meals your loved one will actually eat.
Read morePersonal care
Bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and medication reminders.
Read moreLive-in care
One caregiver in the home, with a scheduled rest period.
Read moreTell us what is happening at home
One call, at any hour, and a free visit before anything is decided. No contract, and a caregiver only once the match is right.
Looking for caregiving work?
We hire for character and train the rest through our Training Academy. Tell us about yourself.
See open roles