24-hour, overnight & live-in care
24-hour and live-in home care
Westmark offers three ways to cover the whole day and night at home: awake overnight care at $38 an hour, around-the-clock shifts with an awake caregiver at all times, and live-in care at $816 a day. Which one fits depends on whether your loved one needs help during the night. We'll tell you honestly at the free in-home assessment.
Compare the three options
| Option | Best when | Price | About a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awake overnight | Days are covered by family, but nights are unsafe or exhausting | $38/hour | 10 hrs a night: $11,552 |
| Live-in | Help is needed all day, but the person mostly sleeps through the night | $816/day | $24,806 |
| 24-hour shifts | Someone must be awake and helping at any hour | Hourly rate × 24 | At $38: $27,725 |
Monthly figures use 30.4 days, before weekend and holiday rates (+$3/hour). See the full rate card.
How to choose
The deciding question is the night. If your loved one wakes several times to use the bathroom, wanders, or needs turning or reassurance, a live-in caregiver who must sleep cannot safely cover that, and shifts with an awake caregiver are the right choice.
If nights are quiet and the need is a steady presence through the day, live-in care costs less and gives one familiar caregiver. Many families start with awake overnight care alone and add daytime hours later.
Live-in vs. 24-hour care, explained · When overnight care makes sense
Questions families ask
How much does 24-hour home care cost in Massachusetts?
At Westmark, live-in care is $816 a day, about $24,806 a month. Around-the-clock hourly care with awake caregivers in shifts is billed at the hourly rate for the care level; at the $38 personal care rate that is $912 a day, about $27,725 a month. If only nights are the problem, awake overnight care is $38 an hour.
What is the difference between live-in care and 24-hour care?
With live-in care, one caregiver stays in the home and must get a proper sleep break overnight, so it suits someone who sleeps through most nights. With 24-hour care, caregivers work shifts and someone is awake at all times, which suits someone who needs help during the night.
Do we need a spare room for live-in care?
Yes. A live-in caregiver needs a private place to sleep and somewhere to keep their things. If there is no spare room, around-the-clock shifts are usually the better option.
Is 24-hour home care cheaper than a nursing home?
Usually not on price alone once care is truly around the clock. Home care costs less up to roughly 88 hours a week. Families choose 24-hour care at home for familiarity, one-to-one attention and keeping a couple together. A nursing home also provides skilled nursing, which Westmark, as a non-medical agency, does not. Compare the two.