Hospice Support Care in Westport, CT
Non-medical hospice support — homemaker-companion services that complement hospice nursing during a parent's final months at home.
No sales pressure. We'll tell you straight if we're not a fit.
You got the call at 2 a.m., pulled on whatever was nearby, and drove down the Merritt to get here. The hospice nurse had already been and gone, the paperwork was on the kitchen table in Greens Farms, and you were standing in your parent’s bedroom not knowing what to do next. That’s the moment most families describe when they call us. The medical team has a plan, but there are still so many hours in the day, and you can’t fill them all yourself.
We’re a nurse-founded home care agency serving Westport and all of Fairfield County, and we do one thing: send the right person into your home to sit with your family through this. Not to replace the hospice nurses. To be there when they’re not.
Hospice support care is non-medical home care that works alongside a hospice team, not in place of it. Our aides sit with your family member, keep them comfortable, help with light grooming, light meals when appropriate, and simply stay present so your parent isn’t alone when you have to step away. That presence matters more than most people expect.
On a day-to-day basis, that might look like a caregiver arriving in Coleytown or Saugatuck in the early morning so you can go home and sleep. It might mean being there for the in-between hours on a Tuesday when the hospice nurse has already visited and won’t be back until Thursday. Families often tell us they didn’t realize how much they needed someone to just hold the space, to be calm, to talk to their parent and keep them from feeling alone between medical visits.
Westport families returning home after a stay at Norwalk Hospital often need this kind of support right away, sometimes within a day of discharge. The hospice plan is set, but the reality of being home is different than anyone imagines. We help bridge that gap. Because our agency was founded by a working nurse, we understand the rhythms of a hospice plan, what the clinical team is watching for, and how our aides can support that without getting in the way of it.
Nurse-founded, and it shows
Our agency was started by a working nurse who saw firsthand what families navigating end-of-life care at home actually needed. Not just warm bodies. People who understand the clinical picture, know how to work alongside hospice nurses, and know when to be quiet and when to speak up.
Matched for this specific situation
We don’t treat hospice support care like any other home care shift. Before your caregiver walks through the door, we brief them on your family’s situation, your parent’s preferences, and what the hospice team is managing. The matching process reflects what this kind of care actually requires.
We stay reachable
Things change quickly at end of life. If something shifts overnight, if you need to adjust hours, if you just need to talk to someone who knows your situation, you can reach us. We don’t disappear after placement.
We know Westport and Fairfield County
We understand the discharge process at Norwalk Hospital, the geography of Westport’s neighborhoods, and the way families here operate. That local knowledge means we can move quickly and put the right people in place without a learning curve.
How it works
You tell us what’s happening. No forms, no intake portal, no pressure. We listen, ask a few questions, and get a real picture of what your family needs right now.
We don’t assign based on who’s available. For hospice support care especially, we think about temperament, experience with end-of-life situations, and how this person will fit with your family’s pace and personality.
Often same day for Westport families in urgent situations. We know this isn’t something you can plan weeks out. We build our process around that reality.
You hear from us regularly. If something shifts, if the care needs to change, if you have a question at 9 p.m., you call us. We answer, or we call back fast. You’re never left wondering what happens next.
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 depends on where your family member is in their illness, but our aides are there to provide presence, light physical comfort, help with personal hygiene when needed, and quiet company. They can sit, read aloud, hold a hand, or simply be in the room so your parent isn't alone. They're not performing medical tasks, but they work in sync with whatever the hospice nurse has put in place, and they keep you informed about how things seem to be going.
We can typically have someone in place within 48 hours of your first call, and often the same day if your family's situation is urgent. Norwalk Hospital discharges can move quickly, and we're set up to respond at that pace. The sooner you call us, even before the discharge date is confirmed, the smoother the transition home tends to be.
We're a private-pay agency, so our services aren't billed to Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance. Some long-term care insurance policies do reimburse for non-medical home care, so it's worth checking your policy. We're upfront about our rates from the first conversation, and we'll give you a clear picture of costs before anything is arranged.
A home health aide typically works under a clinical care plan and performs specific skilled or semi-skilled tasks ordered by a physician. Our hospice support caregivers are non-medical, meaning they focus on comfort, presence, personal care assistance, and emotional support rather than clinical tasks. The hospice medical team handles the clinical work. We fill the hours in between, which is often where families feel the most stretched.
Yes, and for hospice support care especially, that matching process matters a great deal. We ask about your parent's temperament, what kind of presence feels comforting to them, any cultural or personal preferences, and what the rest of your family needs from a caregiver too. We're not matching based on schedule alone. If a pairing doesn't feel right, we adjust it.
We maintain backup coverage so your family isn't left without support if something comes up. We'll always contact you in advance when a schedule change is needed, and we work to send someone your family already knows when possible. You won't be scrambling on your own to find coverage. That's our responsibility, not yours.
All home care services in Westport
No sales pressure. We'll tell you straight if we're not a fit.
Private Duty Aides — Westport, CT
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