HAR Title 11, Chapter 700 Scope • ADL & IADL Support Aloha & Dignity — Compassionate Daily Support in Your Loved One’s Home

Personal Care Services & Companion Care in Hilo, Puna & East Hawaiʻi

Whether an aging parent in Hilo, Waiākea, Kaūmana, Keaʻau, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Pāhoa, or Honokaʻa needs respectful help with morning bathing and dressing, safe transfers on raised plantation-style homes with front steps, or a friendly companion for local meal preparation and clinic visits, connect with a Hawaii DOH OHCA state-licensed Home Care Agency (`-HCA`).

Caregiver helping a smiling senior man prepare a healthy fresh meal in a sunny Hilo & East Hawaiʻi Hawaii home kitchen — **Dignified Daily Assistance:** Personal Hygiene, Mobility & Nutrition Provided by Hawaii DOH `-HCA` Licensed Partner Agencies

Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Assistance: Hands-on support with shower safety, sponge baths, oral hygiene, dressing, grooming, restroom use, and incontinence care.
Mobility & Fall-Risk Reduction: Stand-by assistance on stairs and lanais, bed-to-wheelchair transfers, walker supervision, and range-of-motion exercises.
Homemaker & Nutritious Meal Prep: Preparing familiar local dishes and low-sodium or diabetic-friendly meals, grocery shopping at KTA Super Stores (Puainako & Downtown Hilo), Sack N Save, Foodland, Cost-U-Less, or Hilo Farmers Market, and light housekeeping.
Qualifies for LTC Insurance & VA Reimbursement: Hands-on ADL assistance from a state-licensed -HCA agency triggers benefit eligibility under most Long-Term Care Insurance policies.

Hawaii DOH Compliance & Referral Disclosure: HiloHomeCare.com is an independent consumer information and referral service in Hawaiʻi County, HI—not a licensed Home Care Agency—and connects families exclusively with Hawaii Department of Health Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA) state-licensed Home Care Agencies (-HCA) and Home Health Agencies (HHA-) under HRS § 321-14.8 and HAR Title 11, Chapter 700.

Request Hilo & East Hawaiʻi Personal or Companion Care Quotes

Get matched with a state-licensed Hilo & East Hawaiʻi Home Care Agency (`-HCA`) for personal care or homemaker support.

Non-Medical / Non-PHI Notice: HiloHomeCare.com is a free referral service, not a healthcare provider. Please do not submit confidential medical diagnoses or Social Security numbers.

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Comparing Companion / Homemaker Care vs. Hands-On Personal Care in Hilo & East Hawaiʻi

Under HAR Title 11, Chapter 700, Hawaii DOH-licensed Home Care Agencies offer two primary tiers of non-medical support in the home.

Care Category	Included Daily Tasks	Typical Hilo & East Hawaiʻi Hourly Rate	Best Fit For Kūpuna Who...
Homemaker & Companion Care (IADLs)	Meal preparation, grocery shopping, light housekeeping, laundry, linen changes, medication reminders, social companionship, and escorted transportation to Hilo Benioff Medical Center and Hale Hoʻola Hāmākua and local clinics.	$37 – $40/hr (~$7,627/mo at 44 hrs/wk CareScout benchmark)	Are still independent with bathroom routines and walking, but no longer drive or need help keeping up with cooking, errands, and household safety.
Personal Care / Home Care Aide (ADLs)	Everything in Homemaker Care plus hands-on help with bathing/showering, dressing, grooming, toileting, incontinence care, feeding assistance, and bed/chair transfers.	$39 – $43/hr ($41/hr Hawaii median; ~$8,103/mo at 44 hrs/wk)	Experience balance issues, arthritis, post-hospital recovery, frailty, or require hands-on physical assistance with 2+ Activities of Daily Living (qualifying for LTC insurance).

Detailed Activities of Daily Living (ADL) & IADL Checklist

When a state-licensed Hilo & East Hawaiʻi Home Care Agency performs an initial in-home assessment, their care coordinator builds a customized written Service Plan around these core areas:

Personal Care (ADLs — Physical Assistance)

Bathing & Shower Safety: Stepping into tub/shower stalls, using shower chairs and grab bars safely, drying off, and skin care.
Dressing & Grooming: Selecting comfortable island attire, buttoning/zipping, putting on footwear or compression stockings, hair care, shaving, and oral care.
Mobility & Transfers: Safe stand-pivot transfers from bed to wheelchair or recliner, walker stability indoors and on the lanai, and fall prevention.
Toileting & Continence Support: Escorting to the bathroom day or night, commode assistance, and discreet incontinence product changes.
Eating & Hydration: Cutting food, cueing regular water/fluid intake, and monitoring daily nutrition.

Homemaker & Companionship (IADLs — Household Support)

Kitchen & Local Meal Prep: Cooking warm breakfasts, soups, rice, fresh fish, and local produce; labeling leftovers; washing dishes and sanitizing counters.
Light Housekeeping & Laundry: Vacuuming/sweeping living areas, wiping bathroom surfaces, changing bed sheets, washing/folding clothes, and taking out trash.
Errands & Medical Escort: Accompanied rides to Hilo Benioff Medical Center (1190 Waianuenue Ave), Hilo Medical Group / Hawaii Island Family Health Center, Kaiser Permanente Hilo Clinic, Bay Clinic / Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi, and Longs Drugs pharmacy pickups.
Non-Clinical Medication Reminders: Opening pill organizers at scheduled times and reminding the client to take prescribed medications per family instructions.
Meaningful Social Engagement: Talking story, tending lanai plants and gardens, puzzles, and keeping local or mainland family members updated after every shift.