Companion Care in East Lyme, CT
Non-medical companionship, conversation, and daily activity support for seniors living at home.
No sales pressure. We'll tell you straight if we're not a fit.
You’ve been calling every day around lunch, partly to check in and partly because you know your dad spends most of the morning alone at the house off Flanders Road, watching the same news loop he watched yesterday. He’s physically okay, mostly. But the quiet is getting to him, and it’s getting to you too. That worry is real, and it doesn’t go away on its own.
Companion care is how families in East Lyme solve exactly that problem. A caregiver comes in, keeps your parent company, helps with light tasks around the house, and makes sure someone who actually cares is present during those long hours between your visits. It’s not a nurse, it’s not a housekeeper. It’s a person.
We’re Private Duty Aides, a nurse-founded home care agency serving families across New London County. If your parent is ready for some company and a little help, we’re ready to talk.
Companion care covers the in-between space that Medicare doesn’t address and that families can’t always fill themselves. A caregiver comes to your parent’s home, spends time with them, has real conversations, and helps with things like preparing a light meal, keeping up with laundry, or getting out for a short walk. The goal is to make the day feel less empty and more connected.
Day to day, that might look like morning coffee and conversation before you leave for work, a ride to a pharmacy in Niantic, help organizing a week’s worth of mail, or just someone sitting with your parent while they watch their programs. For families across East Lyme, from the shoreline neighborhoods near Crescent Beach to the quieter inland streets, these small moments add up to a real difference in how a parent feels and how a family holds together.
When a parent comes home after a stay at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, the first few days are often the hardest. They’re tired, they’re out of routine, and the house feels unfamiliar. A companion caregiver can bridge that gap, offering presence and light assistance while the family figures out next steps, without the cost or complexity of skilled nursing.
Because we were founded by a working nurse, we understand where companion care fits in the larger picture of someone’s health. Our caregivers are briefed on what to watch for and when to flag something, so the line between companionship and wellbeing doesn’t get blurry.
How it works
Tell us what’s going on. No intake forms, no sales process. We listen to your situation, ask a few questions, and help you figure out whether companion care is the right fit. Most families have answers within one conversation.
For companion care, personality matters more than almost anything else. We match based on your parent’s interests, temperament, and daily rhythm, not just who’s available on a given shift.
Often same day or next day for East Lyme families with an urgent need, including those coming home from Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and not quite ready to be alone. We don’t make you wait a week to feel better about your parent’s situation.
We stay in contact after care starts. If something changes, if the schedule needs to shift, or if you have a concern about how things are going, you call us and we respond. You’re never left wondering what’s happening in your parent’s home.
Why families choose us
Every aide is trained and supervised through an RN’s lens — not just placed and forgotten.
Personality fit matters more than skill on paper. We match for temperament, pace, and patience.
No franchise rotation. You work with the people who run this agency — direct, accessible, accountable.
Most families are matched with a caregiver within 24 to 48 hours. When something shifts at home, we move quickly.
We build a daily structure around your parent’s rhythm — meals, walks, evenings — and protect it.
You hear from us, not just the aide. Updates on appetite, sleep, mood, mobility — the things that matter.
Every caregiver clears a multi-step screening — background check, reference checks, and an in-person interview with our RN founder — before they're ever placed in a home.
Why families trust us
Private Duty Aides is nurse-founded. Every caregiver clears a multi-step screening — a background check, reference checks, and an in-person interview with our RN founder — before they are ever placed in a home. You get the same consistent caregiver, matched by a nurse, not whoever happens to be available.
Common questions
A typical day with a companion caregiver looks different for everyone, and that's intentional. It might include morning conversation over coffee, help with a light breakfast, a walk outside if your parent is up for it, and an afternoon spent on a hobby or watching a favorite show together. Companion caregivers also help with light housekeeping, errands, and reminders around the day. The point is presence and engagement, not a checklist.
In most cases, we can have a companion caregiver in your parent's East Lyme home within 24 to 48 hours of your call, and sometimes same day when the situation is urgent. If you know a discharge is coming, call us before it happens so we can have someone ready to go. The first days home after a hospital stay are when your parent is most likely to feel disoriented and alone, and we'd rather not let that window sit empty.
Medicare does not cover companion care. It's considered a non-medical, custodial service, and Medicare's home care benefit only applies to skilled nursing or therapy services ordered by a physician. Some long-term care insurance policies do cover companion care, so it's worth checking your parent's policy carefully. We're a private-pay agency, which means families pay out of pocket, and we're upfront about rates from the very first conversation.
A home health aide typically provides personal care, meaning hands-on help with bathing, dressing, toileting, and similar tasks, and is often working under a medical care plan. A companion caregiver focuses on social engagement, light household help, and keeping your parent safe and connected during the day. Many families need both at different times, or start with companion care and move into personal care as needs grow. We can help you figure out which one fits right now.
Yes, and for companion care, this is probably the most important thing we do. We ask questions about your parent before we ever suggest a caregiver. What do they like to talk about? Are they introverted or do they want someone who keeps conversation going? Do they prefer a quieter presence or someone more lively? We take those answers seriously because a poor personality match turns companion care into an awkward obligation for everyone, and that helps no one.
We contact you directly and let you know what's happening before the shift, not after. We maintain a network of caregivers so we can offer a substitute, and we try to find someone who has already been briefed on your parent's situation rather than sending a stranger in cold. If you're not comfortable with a substitute on a given day, we work with you on alternatives. You shouldn't have to scramble on your own because of a scheduling problem on our end.
Learn more about this service
All home care services in East Lyme
No sales pressure. We'll tell you straight if we're not a fit.
Private Duty Aides — East Lyme, CT
Book a 15-min call