Preview: Rehab & Nursing Home Caregivers

Nassau · Suffolk · Manhattan · Brooklyn · Queens

Private Sitters & Companions in Rehab Centers and Nursing Homes

Someone dedicated to your loved one, every shift. When a parent is in short-term rehab or living in a nursing home, facility staff care for many residents at once. 7 Day Home Care provides private, one-on-one companions who keep them company, help them get what they need, encourage them through recovery, and keep your family informed, across Long Island and New York City.

Call (516) 408-0034 Request a free consultation
Caregiver helping a smiling elderly man with his walker in his room
24–48 hrs often start time
Rates
From $33 per hour
Shifts
Daytime, evening, overnight & 24-hour
Service area
Nassau, Suffolk, Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens
Settings
Short-term rehab, nursing homes & hospital-based rehab units
To start
(516) 408-0034 · often within 24–48 hours

The quick answer

What is a private sitter in a rehab center or nursing home?

A private sitter is a caregiver your family hires to stay one-on-one with a loved one in a rehab center or nursing home. The sitter provides companionship, helps them ask staff for what they need, encourages them through therapy, and keeps family updated. The facility's nurses and therapists remain responsible for all medical care.

Families also call this a private companion , private-duty aide in a nursing home , or a rehab sitter. The goal is the same: your loved one isn't waiting alone for help, and you know how they're really doing.

Before you call: facility rules

Most rehab centers and nursing homes in our area welcome privately hired companions, but each facility sets its own requirements. Many ask for agency paperwork such as proof of insurance and caregiver screening, a short orientation, and sign-in at the front desk. Some limit hours on certain units.

Here's how we handle it: we contact the facility's administrator, director of nursing or social work office, provide the paperwork they request, and confirm the schedule with you once everything is in place.

What the service includes

How a private companion helps in rehab and long-term care

One-on-one companionship

Conversation, reassurance and a familiar face, especially for residents who feel lonely, anxious or homesick.

Recovery encouragement

Motivation to get up, go to therapy and keep practicing what the therapists taught, within the facility's care plan.

Getting help faster

Using the call bell, describing discomfort clearly, and asking the nurse or aide when something seems wrong.

Mealtime support

Setting up trays, encouraging eating and drinking within diet orders, and telling staff when intake is poor.

Evenings & overnight

A calm presence when staffing is thinner and confusion or restlessness is often worse, so family can rest.

Updates for family

Regular, factual updates by text or call to the people your loved one has authorized.

Personal comfort

Keeping glasses, hearing aids, phone and personal items within reach, and the room comfortable and familiar.

Dementia support

Redirection, reassurance and a consistent routine for residents with memory loss, alongside the facility's safety plan.

Discharge-day help

Helping your loved one get ready to leave, collecting written instructions, and continuing care at home with personal care or overnight care.

What our companions don't do: give medications, perform therapy or wound care, make medical decisions, or replace the facility's nurses and aides. If a resident shows sudden confusion, chest pain, trouble breathing, a fall or new weakness, the companion alerts facility staff immediately.

Advocacy

Helping your loved one be heard

Advocacy, for our companions, means making sure your loved one's needs and concerns reach the right person at the facility. It doesn't mean giving medical or legal advice, or directing their care.

  • Noticing and reporting: changes in appetite, sleep, mood, pain, skin or mobility, passed to the unit nurse and to family.
  • Following up: making sure call-bell requests, missing items or meal problems get resolved, and telling you when they don't.
  • Preparing for care plan meetings: sharing day-to-day observations with your family so you can bring specific questions to the care team.
  • Knowing who to ask: pointing families to the unit manager, social worker or administrator, and to New York's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program for unresolved concerns.

Pricing

How much does a private companion in a nursing home cost?

7 Day Home Care's private companions in rehab centers and nursing homes start at $33 per hour. Your rate depends on shift length, time of day and how much notice we have. We give you the rate and total cost in writing before care begins.

$33/hr starting rate for facility companion care

What affects the rate:

  • Overnight versus daytime hours
  • Shift length and how many days or weeks of coverage you need
  • Weekends, holidays and short-notice requests
  • Specific caregiver requests, such as a language preference

Private companionship is usually paid privately. Some long-term care insurance policies may help; see the FAQs below.

Know the difference

Facility staff vs. a private companion

Families often ask why they'd need a private companion when the nursing home already has aides. Facility staff provide the care your loved one needs, but each aide looks after several residents at once. A private companion is there only for your loved one.

Facility nurses, aides & therapists Private companion from 7 Day Home Care
Focus Many residents per shift One person, the whole shift
Role Medical care, medications, therapy, hands-on care Companionship, encouragement, communication and family updates
Who arranges it The facility You and your loved one
Who they report to The facility's nursing team Your family (within your loved one's wishes), and they alert facility staff to concerns

Our caregivers

Screened, trained and ready for facility requirements

Nursing homes and rehab centers usually ask outside caregivers for proof of screening. Our caregivers are employees of 7 Day Home Care, not independent contractors, and come with:

  • Criminal background checks as required for New York home care aides
  • Health screening, including TB testing
  • New York State–approved aide training(home health aide or personal care aide)
  • Photo identification and agency contact information for facility staff
  • RN supervision from our clinical team

If a facility requests additional documentation, such as vaccination records or our certificate of insurance, we provide it. Tell us your loved one's preferred language and we'll try to match a caregiver who speaks it.

When families call

When a private companion helps most

  • Short-term rehab after surgery or illness, such as a hip or knee replacement, stroke, fall or cardiac event, when encouragement makes the difference between going to therapy and skipping it.
  • The first weeks after admission, when everything is unfamiliar and your loved one is most anxious.
  • Long-term residents who are lonely, withdrawn or rarely get visitors.
  • Residents with dementia who are calmer with a consistent, familiar person, especially in the late afternoon and evening.
  • Families who live far away or can't visit as often as they'd like, and need reliable, local updates.
Caregiver supporting an elderly woman walking with a walker

Getting started

How to arrange a private companion

  1. Call us

    Tell us the facility, unit or room, and the days and hours you want covered.

  2. Facility paperwork

    We contact the facility and provide the documentation it asks for.

  3. Match a caregiver

    We select a caregiver for your schedule and your loved one's needs, and confirm your rate in writing.

  4. Stay in touch

    We agree on who receives updates, how often, and when the caregiver should alert staff.

Helpful to have ready when you call

  • Facility name, unit and room number
  • Whether the stay is short-term rehab or long-term care, and the expected discharge date if known
  • The hours and days you'd like covered
  • Whether your loved one (or their legal representative) agrees to a companion
  • Preferred language and what kind of support would help most
  • Who should receive updates

Please don't send diagnoses or medical records through a website form. We'll discuss anything sensitive by phone.

After discharge

Going home after rehab

The weeks after discharge are when falls and readmissions are most likely. Because we also provide care at home, the same team can plan the move home and, often, keep the same caregiver. Our discharge guides cover what to expect after specific facilities:

See also our hospital bedside caregiver services, companion care, Alzheimer's and dementia care and assisted living care.

About 7 Day Home Care

A licensed New York home care agency

7 Day Home Care is a New York State–licensed home care services agency (LHCSA). You can look up licensed agencies in the New York State Department of Health's home care directory. We employ home health aides and personal care aides, and our care is supervised by registered nurses.

We serve families in Nassau County, Suffolk County, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, with offices in Lake Success and Manhattan.

Facility directory

Rehab centers and nursing homes in our service area

All 188 licensed nursing homes in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk, including short-term rehab centers and hospital-based rehab units, based on the New York State Department of Health directory. Each name links to the facility's own website or its Medicare Care Compare profile, where you can review star ratings, staffing and inspection results.

We are independent of these facilities. A listing doesn't mean a facility has endorsed or pre-approved our caregivers.

Nassau County 36 facilities
Suffolk County 42 facilities
Queens 54 facilities
Brooklyn 40 facilities
Manhattan 16 facilities

Source: NYS Department of Health nursing home directory, checked November 2026. Facility names and ownership change; call us if you don't see your loved one's facility.

Safety and privacy

Medical boundaries and resident privacy

  • Food and fluids: caregivers follow the facility's diet orders, swallowing precautions and fluid limits, and never bring in food or drink that hasn't been approved.
  • Moving the resident: caregivers don't transfer, reposition or help with devices unless the facility permits it.
  • Therapy: caregivers encourage practice but don't perform physical, occupational or speech therapy.
  • Privacy: updates go only to people your loved one has authorized or as the law permits. Medical questions go to the facility's clinicians.

Learn more about Medicare coverage for skilled nursing facility care and the HHS guide to sharing health information with family and friends.

Common questions

Rehab and nursing home companion FAQs

Can I hire a private caregiver for my parent in a nursing home or rehab center?

Yes. Most nursing homes and rehab centers in New York allow privately hired companions, though each sets its own rules for paperwork, hours and sign-in. We contact the facility and handle those steps before care starts.

How much does a private sitter in a nursing home cost?

Our private companions in rehab centers and nursing homes start at $33 per hour. The final rate depends on shift length, overnight or weekend hours, and how quickly you need coverage. We confirm the rate in writing before the first shift.

Why hire a companion if the nursing home already has aides?

Facility aides care for several residents at once and focus on hands-on care. A private companion stays with your loved one the whole shift, providing company, encouragement and quicker communication with staff. The two work side by side.

Will a companion help with physical therapy?

Companions encourage your loved one to attend therapy and practice what therapists recommend, and can walk with them to the therapy gym when the facility allows. They don't perform therapy themselves.

Can a companion stay overnight in a nursing home?

Yes, we offer overnight shifts. Most facilities allow overnight companions, but some set limits by unit, so we confirm overnight access with the facility before scheduling.

Can a private companion advocate for my loved one?

Yes, in the sense of helping them be heard. Companions report concerns to the unit nurse, follow up on unmet requests and keep your family informed. They don't make medical or legal decisions. For unresolved issues, families can contact the facility administrator or New York's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program.

Does Medicare pay for a private companion in a nursing home?

No. Original Medicare can cover a limited skilled nursing facility stay after a qualifying hospital admission, but it doesn't pay for a privately hired companion. Some long-term care insurance policies may help, depending on the policy. We can help you check your coverage.

Can a companion help a resident with dementia?

Yes. A calm, consistent person often helps residents with dementia feel more secure, especially in the late afternoon and evening. Sudden new confusion can signal a medical problem, so the companion reports it to facility staff right away.

Can the same caregiver continue at home after discharge?

Often, yes. Because we also provide home care, we can plan the move home with you and, when schedules allow, keep the same caregiver so your loved one has a familiar face from day one.

How fast can you start?

Often within 24 to 48 hours, depending on the facility's paperwork, the hours you need and caregiver availability. Call (516) 408-0034 and we'll give you a realistic start time.

Do you serve the Bronx or Staten Island?

Not currently. We serve Nassau County, Suffolk County, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

We're here to help

One-on-one attention, even when you can't be there.

Tell us which facility your loved one is in and when you'd like someone with them. We'll take care of the facility paperwork and caregiver match.

Call (516) 408-0034 Request a free consultation
Call (516) 408-0034