Help your kūpuna age safely and comfortably at home in Hilo, Puna, and the Hāmākua Coast with compassionate local support. Compare verified Hawaiʻi Island hourly home care costs ($41/hr state median), understand Hawaii Department of Health (`HRS § 321-14.8`) licensing standards, and check availability with state-licensed Home Care Agencies serving Hilo, Waiākea, Kaūmana, Keaʻau, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Pāhoa, Volcano, and Honokaʻa.
-HCA or HHA- licenses under HRS § 321-14.8 with TB-cleared, background-checked caregivers.-HCA agencies provide the official care documentation required by Long-Term Care Insurance and VA Aid & Attendance.-HCA) under HRS § 321-14.8 / HAR Title 11, Chapter 700 and Home Health Agencies (HHA-).
Complete this non-medical form to get matched with a Hawaii DOH-licensed home care agency serving Hilo, Keaʻau, Pāhoa, or the Hāmākua Coast.
Tell us your East Hawaiʻi neighborhood or ZIP code (Hilo, Keaʻau, Pāhoa, Volcano, or Honokaʻa), preferred schedule, and daily tasks needed.
Get matched with vetted Hawaii DOH state-licensed Home Care Agencies (`-HCA`) headquartered right in Hilo and Puna.
Review transparent hourly rates ($37–$41/hr Hawaii median), verify LTC insurance or VA benefits, and begin care on your schedule.
Hilo and East Hawaiʻi are home to the highest concentration of Hawaii DOH OHCA state-licensed Home Care Agencies on the Big Island (with more than a dozen licensed offices along Kinoʻole Street, Kīlauea Avenue, Waiānuenue Avenue, and in Keaʻau) serving Hawaiʻi County’s 54,600+ seniors.
Dignified assistance with bathing, showering, dressing, grooming, restroom routines, safe bed-to-chair transfers, and nutritious island meal preparation.
Warm local conversation, covered lanai walks, Hilo grocery errands, accompanied rides to Waiānuenue Avenue clinics, and dependable relief for working family caregivers.
Calm, familiar routines in your loved one’s own home, wandering prevention, sundowning reassurance, and overnight or 24-hour multi-shift care.
Under Hawaii Administrative Rules HAR Title 11, Chapter 700, licensed Home Care Agencies provide hands-on assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): bathing, personal hygiene, dressing, feeding, ambulation, and fall-prevention mobility support.
Ideal for kūpuna living in Hilo, Keaʻau, or Pāhoa whose adult children work full-time or commute. Includes local island meal preparation, light housekeeping, laundry, linen changes, Hilo Benioff Medical Center / clinic appointment transportation, and pharmacy pickups.
Multi-generational caregiving is a cherished Hawaiʻi Island tradition, but family caregivers need time to work, rest, and care for keiki. Flexible respite shifts (from 12 hours/week to weekend or mainland-travel coverage) prevent caregiver burnout.
Moving a senior with Alzheimer’s or memory loss out of their longtime Hilo & East Hawaiʻi home can increase confusion. In-home memory support keeps surroundings familiar while providing structured redirection, safety monitoring, and daily engagement.
Transitioning home to Hilo, Kaūmana, Keaʻau, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Pāhoa, or Honokaʻa after a stay at Hilo Benioff Medical Center (1190 Waianuenue Ave) or Hale Hoʻola Hāmākua requires reliable household setup, fall prevention, and meal/hydration reminders.
For seniors who wake frequently at night, are at high risk of falls getting to the bathroom, or have adult children living on Oʻahu or the mainland, licensed Hilo & East Hawaiʻi agencies coordinate awake overnight shifts or 24/7 rotating caregiver teams.
Verified benchmarks from the CareScout / Genworth Cost of Care Survey and Hawaiʻi County agency data show why keeping kūpuna at home in Hilo & East Hawaiʻi is far more cost-effective than facility care.
| Hilo & East Hawaiʻi Care Option & Weekly Schedule | Verified Hourly / Monthly Median | Annualized Cost | When Hilo & East Hawaiʻi Families Choose This Option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part-Time Companion / Respite Care (16 hrs/week) | $37–$41/hr • ~$2,840/mo | ~$34,080/yr | 4-hour shifts, 4 days/week for meal prep, bathing help, light housekeeping, grocery errands, and relief for working ʻohana. Saves ~$9,250/mo vs. Hawaii assisted living. |
| Half-Time Daily Personal Care (20 hrs/week) | $37–$41/hr • ~$3,550/mo | ~$42,600/yr | Weekday morning or afternoon routines (bathing, dressing, meals, mobility) while family members are working. |
| Standard Weekday Care (30 hrs/week) | $37–$41/hr • ~$5,330/mo | ~$63,960/yr | 6 hours/day, 5 days/week for kūpuna needing consistent daily ADL assistance, fall supervision, and clinic transportation. |
| Full-Time In-Home Care (44 hrs/week Benchmark) | $41/hr median • $7,817/mo | $93,804/yr | CareScout Hawaii full-time benchmark (Homemaker $7,627/mo; Home Health Aide $8,103/mo). Saves $4,279/mo ($51,348/yr) vs. Hawaii assisted living. |
| Hawaii Assisted Living Facility (1-Bedroom Median) | $12,096/mo (#1 Highest in U.S.) | $145,152/yr | Residential facility room & board in Hawaii (95% above the $6,200 U.S. national median), with limited bed availability on Hawaiʻi Island. |
| Hawaii Nursing Home (Semi-Private / Private Room) | $15,473 – $16,395/mo | $185,676 – $196,740/yr | Institutional 24-hour skilled nursing facility care for complex clinical needs that cannot be managed at home. |
In Hawaii, operating a Home Care Agency without a state license is unlawful under HRS § 321-14.8 and HAR Title 11, Chapter 700. Before hiring anyone to care for an aging parent in Hilo & East Hawaiʻi, understand the difference between state-licensed agencies and unlicensed registries.
The Hawaii Department of Health — Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA) inspects and licenses Home Care Agencies across East Hawaiʻi (including over a dozen licensed agency offices in Hilo on Kinoʻole St, Kīlauea Ave, Manono St, Kamehameha Ave, and Waiānuenue Ave, plus Keaʻau). State-licensed agencies (carrying a license number ending in -HCA) must maintain:
Hawaii law distinguishes between two types of in-home licenses overseen by OHCA:
-HCA under HRS § 321-14.8 & HAR Chapter 11-700): Provide non-medical personal care (bathing, dressing, hygiene, mobility, continence), homemaker services (meal prep, housekeeping, shopping), companionship, and family respite care. Paid primarily via private pay, Long-Term Care Insurance, VA Aid & Attendance, or Hawaii County Kupuna Care.HHA- under HAR Chapter 11-97.1): Provide doctor-ordered intermittent clinical care such as skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and wound care after a stay at Hilo Benioff Medical Center and Hale Hoʻola Hāmākua.When a partner agency contacts you after submitting our form, ask for their Hawaii DOH OHCA License Number (for example, ###-HCA or HHA-##). East Hawaiʻi has the strongest hub of state-licensed Home Care Agencies on the island—headquartered right in Hilo (96720) and Keaʻau (96749)—ensuring fast local caregiver dispatch and full eligibility for Long-Term Care Insurance and VA Aid & Attendance benefits.
Whether your loved one lives five minutes from Hilo Benioff Medical Center or down Highway 130 in Puna or Highway 19 along the Hāmākua Coast, we connect you with licensed East Hawaiʻi agencies that dispatch caregivers from your community.
View complete Hilo & East Hawaiʻi district & ZIP code coverage guide →
According to the CareScout / Genworth Cost of Care Survey and Hawaiʻi County agency data, non-medical in-home care in Hawaii averages $37 to $41+ per hour ($41/hr state median). Part-time companion or personal care (16–20 hours/week) typically costs $2,840 to $3,550 per month, while full-time 44-hour/week care averages $7,817 per month—saving Hilo and Puna families $4,200 to $8,500+ per month compared to assisted living ($12,096/mo median) or nursing homes ($15,473–$16,395/mo).
Yes. More than a dozen Hawaii DOH OHCA state-licensed Home Care Agencies (-HCA) are headquartered directly in Hilo (96720) and Keaʻau (96749), dispatching caregivers living in Waiākea, Kaūmana, Orchidland, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Pāhoa, Mountain View, Papaikou, and Honokaʻa.
Yes. Most private Long-Term Care (LTC) insurance policies and the VA Aid & Attendance pension benefit (supported locally near the Hilo VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic) reimburse for non-medical personal care when delivered by a Hawaii DOH state-licensed Home Care Agency (-HCA).
No. HiloHomeCare.com is a free, independent consumer information and referral service in Hawaiʻi County, HI. We do not employ caregivers or provide medical or personal care services directly. We connect East Hawaiʻi families exclusively with Hawaii Department of Health OHCA state-licensed Home Care Agencies (-HCA) and Home Health Agencies (HHA-).