Elaine Care
In-home care, when you need it
Feel confident about the care at home, whether it is for you or for someone you love. Elaine connects you with trusted caregivers who fit your schedule, your preferences and your needs — for a single visit, every morning, or the day the help you counted on does not arrive. Personalized care, just a tap away.
Overview
Elaine at a glance
Every fact about Elaine in one place.
- Service
- Home healthcare: personal care, companionship, homemaking
- Visit types
- On-demand or scheduled
- Area served
- Ohio, in 33 service areas · find yours
- How it works
- Families request a visit in the Elaine Care app; an available, verified caregiver accepts it
- Typical local cost
- Personal care $24 to $32 per hour statewide, companionship $19 to $27, homemaking $22 to $30; your local band is narrower. Pricing
- Payment
- Apple Pay, Google Pay, Credit/Debit Card
- Vetting
- Every caregiver on Elaine is identity-verified and background-checked before they can accept a visit
Appointment types
Care on your schedule, or on short notice
Two ways to get help. You choose when.
As soon as possible
On-demand
For the day something falls through and you need someone now. Elaine notifies the best available caregivers near you, and the first to accept is on their way.
Planned ahead
Scheduled
A date and time you choose, once or every week. Skip or cancel any single visit.
Use Elaine for all of your care, or only for the gaps. Both work.
What it costs
What does home care cost?
Across Ohio, personal care generally runs about $24 to $32 per hour, companionship $19 to $27 and homemaking $22 to $30, depending on the area. Your local band is narrower than the statewide range, and each area page publishes its own rate. Elaine prices each visit before you confirm it; the visit is charged when you book, and the payment is held until you and the caregiver both confirm it was completed. Full detail is on the pricing page.
What moves the price
- Type of care: personal care costs more than companionship or homemaking
- Time of day: evenings, overnights and weekends cost more than weekday daytime
- Lead time: visits requested a couple of days ahead cost less than same-day
- Where you are: rates vary by area across Ohio
- Visit length: you choose it, and longer visits cost less per hour. A minimum charge applies per appointment
Paying for care
Can several family members share the cost of care?
Yes. Every Elaine account has a Care Wallet, and the wallet pays for visits. After enrolling, you claim a user tag, a short handle like a username. Anyone with the Elaine Care app can send money to that tag, so a sibling in Columbus, a daughter in Texas and a neighbor down the street can each contribute to the same wallet without sharing a card or settling up later.
- One wallet pays for the visits; any number of people can fund it
- Contributors send money to a user tag, not to a bank account or card
- Money in a wallet can be shared to another person's wallet for the purpose of care
- Every contribution and every visit charge is itemized in the app
Your caregiver
Who are the caregivers on Elaine?
A growing bench of independent, certified caregivers across Ohio — experienced, vetted, and in this work by choice. Request a visit and Elaine finds the right one for it.
Safety and vetting
What does the background check cover?
Before a caregiver can accept a visit on Elaine, they pass a background check that covers the following.
- Social Security number trace to confirm identity and address history
- National criminal database search
- County criminal records search, seven years, in every county of residence
- National sex offender registry
- OIG and GSA healthcare exclusion lists
- Government-issued photo ID matched to a live selfie
- STNA or CNA certification verified against the state registry
A caregiver who fails any part of the check cannot see or accept visits.
Where we serve
Where is Elaine available?
Elaine currently serves Ohio in 33 service areas, and opens new markets regularly. Choose your area for the towns covered and the local cost of care.
Akron · Ashtabula · Athens · Canton · Chillicothe · Cincinnati · Cleveland · Columbus · Dayton · Defiance · Findlay · Fremont · Lancaster · Lima · Lorain · Mansfield · Marietta · Marion · Marysville · Medina · Mount Vernon · New Philadelphia · Newark · Portsmouth · Sandusky · Sidney · Springfield · Steubenville · Toledo · Wilmington · Wooster · Youngstown · Zanesville · and surrounding towns.
Counties and full detail for every area are on the areas served page.
How it works
How do I arrange a visit?
Download the app and describe the care
Who they are, where they live, and the kind of help they need. About five minutes.
Request a visit
Pick a date and time, or ask for someone as soon as possible. The app shows one total before you confirm.
See who is coming
You are notified when the caregiver clocks in and out, and their visit note arrives when the visit ends.
Your questions answered
Common questions about home care
Is Elaine an agency?
No. Elaine is an app. Caregivers on Elaine are independent, background-checked professionals who accept the visits you request. Elaine verifies them, handles scheduling and payment, and shows you who is coming before they arrive.
How quickly can a caregiver come?
Request an on-demand visit and Elaine notifies the best available verified caregivers near you. Visits scheduled two or more days ahead are the most likely to be filled by a caregiver you have had before.
What kinds of visits can I request?
Two. On-demand, when the help you arranged falls through and you need a caregiver as soon as possible. Scheduled, at a date and time you choose, once or repeating on the days you pick.
Can I use Elaine alongside the care I already have?
Yes. Many families keep their agency, private caregiver or a family member for regular care and use Elaine to fill the gaps: a call-off, a no-show, a weekend, or a week nobody can cover. There is no contract, so you only use it when you need it.
Can I arrange care for a parent from out of state?
Yes. You set up the account, request visits and pay from wherever you live. Your parent does not need a smartphone. You see the caregiver's name and photo, visit start and end times, and the caregiver's visit note.
Is there a minimum visit length?
No. You choose the length of the visit. Each appointment does carry a minimum charge, and the app shows the total before you confirm.
Can I request the same caregiver again?
Yes. After a visit you can mark a caregiver as preferred. Your future requests are offered to preferred caregivers first.
Learn more
Read more
Arrange care
The Elaine Care app is free on iOS and Android. Set up takes about five minutes.
