Knoxville Senior AdvisorWhat kinds of in-home care are available in Knoxville?
Two kinds: private-duty home care, where a caregiver helps with bathing, meals, housekeeping and companionship by the hour, and home health, where a licensed agency sends nurses and therapists for skilled visits under a physician's plan.
The state's facility listings show 58 licensed home health agencies and 15 licensed hospices with offices in Knox, Blount, Anderson, Loudon, Sevier, Roane and Union counties. Tennessee licenses home health and hospice agencies, but companion-only or homemaker-only agencies do not appear as a separate category in the HFC facility listings, so check those agencies' training, insurance and background-check practices directly.
How much does in-home care cost around Knoxville?
Tennessee's 2025 median for non-medical home care is about $31 an hour; Medicare home health has no copay for eligible homebound patients.
At about 40 hours a week, home care at the median roughly equals an assisted living apartment at the median.
What public programs help pay for care at home in East Tennessee?
TennCare CHOICES Groups 2 and 3 fund personal care visits, adult day and respite for eligible members; OPTIONS for Community Living funds homemaker, personal care and meals with a sliding fee; and the CAC Office on Aging delivers meals to homebound Knox County residents.
ETHRA's AAAD (1-866-836-6678) screens for CHOICES and OPTIONS across all seven counties.
How do we choose a home care agency?
Ask about background checks, whether caregivers are employees, training, minimum shift length, how missed shifts are covered and how a supervisor checks in; for home health, confirm an active HFC license.
Meet the caregiver before the first shift and agree on a written care plan.
When does in-home care stop being enough?
When help is needed through the night, when falls continue despite home changes, when the caregiver schedule keeps breaking down, or when the hours needed push past about 40 a week, families usually start comparing assisted living.
Tour a few communities before that point so the decision is not made in a hospital hallway.
Where are licensed in-home care providers around Knoxville?
The state's records show 58 licensed in-home care providers across the seven counties, 22 in Knox County, 4 in Blount County, 20 in Anderson County, 4 in Loudon County, 2 in Sevier County, 6 in Roane County.
| County | Licensed providers | Licensed beds |
|---|---|---|
| Knox County | 22 | 0 |
| Blount County | 4 | 0 |
| Anderson County | 20 | 0 |
| Loudon County | 4 | 0 |
| Sevier County | 2 | 0 |
| Roane County | 6 | 0 |
| Union County | 0 | 0 |
Home health and hospice agencies have no bed count; the figure shown is zero for them.
Side by side
| In-home care can | In-home care cannot | |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule | Fit visits or shifts to your needs | Replace round-the-clock staffing cheaply |
| Medical | Bring skilled visits through home health | Provide hospital-level care |
| Payment | Use CHOICES, OPTIONS, VA or private funds | Be paid by Medicare by the hour |
Sources: Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. chapters 0720-26, 0720-21 and 0720-18; Health Facilities Commission, TennCare and Department of Disability and Aging pages; CareScout and VA rate tables, as cited above. See our editorial standards.
