Why These Three Get Confused
In a phone book — or an online search — Visiting Angels, Amedisys, and Agape Care all look like "home care." They all send someone to your house. They all help a sick or aging family member. But they operate under entirely different licenses, are paid for by different sources, require different eligibility criteria, and serve people at completely different stages of life. Using the wrong one isn't just inefficient — it can mean paying out of pocket for services that should be free, or delaying a dying parent's comfort care because the family didn't know what to ask for.
The confusion is understandable. The industry uses terms like "home care," "home health," "in-home care," and "home health aide" interchangeably in marketing — even though they represent legally and functionally distinct service categories.
The One-Sentence Version
In-Home Care
A trained aide helps your parent with daily life — bathing, cooking, companionship.
Home Health
A nurse, physical therapist, or occupational therapist visits to treat a specific medical condition after illness or surgery.
Hospice
An interdisciplinary team provides comfort — not cure — when a terminal illness has a prognosis of six months or less.
In-Home Care (Non-Medical)
What It Is
In-home care — also called personal care, private-duty care, or companion care — is non-medical assistance that helps someone continue living at home independently when they're struggling with the tasks of daily life. Critically, it does not require a doctor's order, a medical diagnosis, or any skilled clinical need. It fills the gap between "everything is fine" and "we need skilled nursing."
Grand Strand Comfort Care, one of the area's locally based agencies, puts it plainly on their website: "Home care is different from home health care. Home health care refers to medical supervision provided by licensed professionals... Home care [is] support services offered outside the traditional healthcare setting such as light housekeeping, companion care, and meal preparation."
Local Providers
| Provider | Address | Coverage Area | Operates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visiting Angels Myrtle Beach | 2105-D Cromley Cir., MB 29577 | Horry & Georgetown Counties | 24/7 on-call |
| Grand Strand Comfort Care | 2411 N Oak St., Suite 104, MB 29577 | Horry, Georgetown, Florence, Marion | Mon–Fri 8–4:30 |
| Comfort Keepers Myrtle Beach | 1004 29th Ave N, Suite E, MB 29577 | Horry County | Varies |
Visiting Angels Myrtle Beach serves the full Grand Strand corridor — Myrtle Beach, Conway, Little River, Murrells Inlet, and Longs — and is locally owned by Josh Briggs. Grand Strand Comfort Care operates across four counties and accepts Medicaid waiver programs in addition to private pay.
What They Do
- Personal hygiene assistance — bathing, dressing, grooming, oral care
- Mobility assistance and transfers — helping someone move safely around their home
- Meal preparation and diet monitoring
- Light housekeeping — laundry, dishes, tidying
- Medication reminders (not administration — that's a clinical function)
- Companionship and socialization — conversation, games, outings
- Errands and grocery shopping
- Respite care — temporary relief for family caregivers
- Specialized memory/Alzheimer's care — trained aides using dementia-specific techniques
- Live-in care — caregiver remains in the home around the clock
What They Do NOT Do
In-home care agencies like Visiting Angels and Grand Strand Comfort Care cannot administer medications, perform wound care, draw blood, manage IV lines, or provide any clinical treatment. The moment care requires a licensed nurse or therapist, it crosses into home health — a different service category entirely.
Who Pays
This is the most important thing families don't realize upfront: Medicare does not cover non-medical in-home care. Payment typically comes from:
- Private pay / out-of-pocket — the most common source; rates run approximately $25–$30/hour in the Myrtle Beach market
- Long-term care insurance — if the family member purchased a policy, this is exactly what it's designed for
- South Carolina Medicaid waiver programs (e.g., Community Choices Waiver) — for low-income seniors who qualify
- VA benefits — for eligible veterans through the Aid & Attendance benefit
The national average for home care is approximately $4,481/month, though local Myrtle Beach rates vary significantly based on hours needed and level of care.
Home Health Care (Medical)
What It Is
Home health care is skilled medical care delivered in the home, prescribed by a physician after a specific clinical event — typically a hospitalization, surgery, injury, or deteriorating chronic condition. The goal is recovery and rehabilitation: helping the patient get better, regain function, and reduce the risk of readmission to the hospital.
The key legal requirement under Medicare: the patient must be "homebound" — meaning leaving home requires considerable effort — and must have a documented skilled need that a licensed professional (nurse, PT, OT, or speech therapist) must address.
Local Provider: Amedisys Home Health — Myrtle Beach
Amedisys is one of the largest home health providers in the country and operates a dedicated Myrtle Beach location at 10607 Hwy 707 (Socastee area) and a second office at 1309 Professional Drive, Suite 100, serving all of Horry County.
Amedisys's home health team includes:
- Registered Nurses (RNs) — wound care, medication management, disease monitoring, post-surgical care
- Physical Therapists (PTs) — strength, balance, and mobility restoration after surgery, fall, or stroke
- Occupational Therapists (OTs) — relearning daily living skills (cooking, dressing, bathing) after injury or neurological event
- Speech-Language Pathologists — swallowing disorders, communication therapy post-stroke
- Home Health Aides — personal care assistance provided as part of a Medicare-certified clinical care plan
- Medical Social Workers — care coordination, community resource connections, counseling
An actual Amedisys patient review from a Myrtle Beach staircase fall illustrates the model clearly: "The physical therapy assistant got me back on my feet, climbing steps again... The occupational therapist taught me how to get along while I was disabled... My doctor contacted a home health care provider to help me through recovery and keep me home from the hospital."
What Triggers Home Health
A physician referral to Amedisys or a comparable agency is typical after:
- Joint replacement surgery (hip, knee)
- Stroke or cardiac event
- COPD or CHF exacerbation and hospital discharge
- Diabetic wound requiring skilled nursing
- New complex medication regimen requiring RN oversight
- Post-fracture rehabilitation
Who Pays
This is where home health dramatically differs from in-home care: Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance usually cover it in full for eligible patients. The conditions: the patient must be Medicare Part A/B enrolled, homebound, and under physician-certified care plan. There is no co-pay for Medicare-covered home health services under Original Medicare.
What Home Health Does NOT Do
Home health care is episodic and time-limited. Once the clinical need is resolved and the patient regains function, Medicare coverage ends. It is not a long-term care solution, and it does not include companionship, housekeeping, or ongoing personal care beyond what is directly tied to the skilled care plan.
Hospice Care (End-of-Life Comfort)
What It Is
Hospice is not a place — it's a philosophy of care. It's a Medicare benefit that provides comprehensive comfort-focused support for people with a terminal illness and a physician-certified prognosis of six months or less to live. The defining commitment: the patient and family accept that the goal is quality of life and comfort, not cure. In exchange, Medicare covers almost all costs associated with the terminal diagnosis — medications, equipment, nursing visits, social work, chaplaincy, and bereavement counseling for the family.
Hospice care is most often delivered wherever the patient already lives — their private home, an assisted living community, or a nursing home. Room and board costs in a facility are not covered by Medicare hospice, but all clinical services are.
Local Hospice Providers (Grand Strand)
Grand Strand Medical Center's Plus Care Network formally refers families to four hospice agencies serving the Myrtle Beach area:
| Provider | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Agape Care (Myrtle Beach) | 3009-B Church St., MB 29580 | Also offers palliative care, pediatric care, grief support; 2025 Top Workplace for Healthcare |
| Angelic Health (Myrtle Beach) | 923 Medical Cir., MB 29572 | ACHC-accredited; offers palliative, transitional, memory care, telehealth |
| Heartland Hospice (Myrtle Beach) | 2050 Corporate Centre Dr., MB 29577 | National provider with local Myrtle Beach operations |
| Edisto Home Care and Hospice | Orangeburg | Serves broader SC market; Listed in Grand Strand referral network |
Angelic Health describes the scope: "Angelic Health provides comprehensive Palliative, Transitional, Hospice, Memory Care, and TeleHealth services to patients, and professional support to their families. Patients can receive services wherever they call home — private residence, nursing facility, assisted living, or other facility."
What the Hospice Team Provides
- Hospice nurse visits — pain and symptom management, wound care, medication oversight
- Hospice aides — personal care (bathing, grooming, transfers)
- Medical social worker — family counseling, advance care planning, resource navigation
- Chaplain or spiritual counselor — non-denominational spiritual support for patient and family
- Attending physician oversight — medical direction of the comfort care plan
- All medications related to the terminal diagnosis — covered at no cost to the patient
- Medical equipment and supplies — hospital bed, wheelchair, oxygen, wound care supplies delivered to the home
- Inpatient hospice care — if symptoms cannot be managed at home, short-term inpatient stabilization is arranged
- Respite care — up to five consecutive days of inpatient care to give the family caregiver a break
- Bereavement counseling — for surviving family members for up to 13 months after the patient's death
Who Pays
Hospice is covered almost entirely by Medicare Part A — with no deductible, no co-pay for most services, and only a nominal co-pay (5% or $5, whichever is less) for outpatient drugs. Medicaid and most private insurance cover hospice with similarly minimal cost-sharing. Families should ask about the hospice agency's approach to securing equipment and medications quickly — a good agency handles all of this logistics directly, with no family coordination required.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | In-Home Care | Home Health | Hospice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Support daily independence | Recover from illness/surgery | Comfort and dignity at end of life |
| Staff | Non-medical aides, companions | RNs, PTs, OTs, speech therapists | Nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains |
| Doctor's Order Required? | No | Yes | Yes (2-physician cert) |
| Homebound Required? | No | Yes | No |
| Prognosis Required? | No | No | Yes (≤ 6 months) |
| Duration | Ongoing, as long as needed | Short-term, episode-based | Unlimited while terminally ill |
| Medicare Covers It? | Generally No | Yes, if eligible | Yes, almost entirely (Part A) |
| Meds & Equipment Included? | No / No | No / No | Yes (for terminal diagnosis) |
| Local Example | Visiting Angels, GS Comfort Care | Amedisys Home Health | Agape Care, Angelic Health |
What About Palliative Care?
Palliative care occupies the space between home health and hospice and is frequently misunderstood. Unlike hospice, palliative care can be provided alongside curative treatment — a cancer patient in chemotherapy can receive palliative care at the same time. It focuses on symptom relief, pain management, and quality of life at any stage of illness — not just the final months.
Grand Strand Comfort Care offers palliative home care services locally, and both Agape Care and Angelic Health provide palliative care as a standalone offering — allowing patients to transition from palliative to hospice when the time comes without changing providers. Medicare covers palliative care when it's medically necessary, though cost-sharing (deductibles, coinsurance) can apply if the patient is still pursuing curative treatment.
How to Choose: A Decision Tree for Grand Strand Families
Start here — what is the primary goal of care?
"My parent is mostly okay but needs help at home with daily tasks"
Call Visiting Angels (843-970-2888) or Grand Strand Comfort Care (843-626-2613) for a free assessment. No doctor required.
"My parent just left the hospital/rehab and needs clinical follow-up at home"
Ask the hospital discharge planner to refer to Amedisys (843-916-0931) or another Medicare-certified agency. Your parent's physician can also write a referral directly.
"My parent has a serious illness with worsening symptoms and we want comfort, not more treatment"
Contact Agape Care or Grand Strand Comfort Care to discuss a palliative plan while curative options are still on the table.
"My parent has been told they have six months or less to live and we want to focus on comfort"
Contact Agape Care (800-932-2738) or Angelic Health (Myrtle Beach, 923 Medical Cir.) to begin the enrollment process. Two physicians must certify the terminal diagnosis, but enrollment can begin within days.
Common Mistakes Grand Strand Families Make
- Assuming Medicare covers in-home care. It doesn't — unless care is tied to a clinical, physician-ordered skilled need. Families who exhaust savings paying out-of-pocket for private aides should immediately ask their doctor whether a home health benefit applies.
- Waiting too long to call hospice. The median length of hospice enrollment nationally is just 17 days — most families enroll far later than they should. Agape Care and Angelic Health both note that "patients receive the best results the earlier comfort care starts." Hospice does not hasten death; studies consistently show it often extends life by reducing medical trauma.
- Confusing "home health aide" with "home health." A home health aide working under a Medicare-certified home health plan (like Amedisys) is a clinical team member. A home care aide working for Visiting Angels is a companion and personal care worker. The title sounds similar; the function is entirely different.
- Not asking about Medicaid waiver eligibility. Low-income Horry County seniors who cannot afford private-pay home care should contact the Horry County Council on Aging (HCCOA) at the Grand Strand Senior Center. HCCOA administers state-funded in-home assistance programs that connect eligible seniors with personal care services at reduced or no cost.
Sources
Amedisys Home Health Myrtle Beach (locations.amedisys.com, 2026); Visiting Angels Myrtle Beach (visitingangels.com/myrtlebeach, 2026); Grand Strand Comfort Care (gscomfortcare.com, 2026); Agape Care Group Myrtle Beach (agapecaregroup.com, 2026); Angelic Health – Myrtle Beach (angelichospice.net / angelic.health, 2026); Heartland Hospice Myrtle Beach via Grand Strand Medical Center Plus Care Network (mygrandstrandhealth.com, 2024); Medicare.gov Hospice Coverage Guide; VITAS Healthcare — Home Health vs. Hospice Comparison; GetCareSC.com provider registry; Medicare Hospice Benefits (CMS Publication 02154); LightWays Medicare and Insurance Coverage for Hospice; HCCOA Grand Strand Senior Center.