Finding an aide to help an older person stay at home safely takes work. Here’s a guide.

Most older Americans want to live at home as long as they can, but finding and affording the help they need often isn’t easy. There are severe shortages of home health aides in many parts of the country. Hiring them is costly. And most middle-class people will have to pay for home care themselves if they will need it for the long haul. Here’s a guide to locating home care for an older person.

What kind of home care do you need?

After a fall or surgery, some older people will need short-term care at home from a nurse or therapist to help them recover. Medicare, the federal insurance program for those 65 and over, typically pays for this kind of home health care. A nurse can make sure a wound is healing properly, for example,

Keep reading this article on The New York Times Business.