Home Care in Nova Scotia (2027): How to Get It, What It Costs, and When to Go Private
Home care in Nova Scotia, explained: how to call Continuing Care yourself, what nursing and home support cost under the October 2026 fee table, the Caregiver Benefit and direct funding, and when private home care makes sense.
By Jonathan Kennedy · Last reviewed November 2026
On this page (7 sections)
In Nova Scotia, you start publicly funded home care by calling Continuing Care at 1-800-225-7225 yourself, no doctor's referral needed. Nursing is free, and home support (personal care, light housekeeping, meals) costs nothing for lower-income households and $12.45 an hour for everyone else, capped each month, under the fee table in effect from October 1, 2026.
Most families make that call the week something changes. Mum is coming home from the QEII after a fall, or Dad has stopped cooking and you're four hours away in Toronto. The public program is a solid base, but in many areas there's a wait for home support, so families often add private hours on top.
Do this next:
- Call Continuing Care at 1-800-225-7225 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., seven days a week) and ask for an assessment, even if you plan to pay privately too.
- Compare private home care near your parent in Halifax, ranked by Confidence Score, so you have a plan for the hours public care won't cover.
- Check the money that sits beside home care, such as the $750 Seniors Care Grant, in our Nova Scotia seniors benefits guide.
Who runs home care in Nova Scotia?
Nova Scotia Health delivers it and the Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care pays for it. Nova Scotia Health says the department "funds home and community care services," and that a member of its Care Coordination team will help arrange care when you call 1-800-225-7225. You'll still see older pages under the Department of Health and Wellness name; it's the same program, called Continuing Care.
How do you get home care in Nova Scotia?
Call. You, or anyone your parent gives permission to, can phone Continuing Care directly: "You do not need a referral from a health care provider like your doctor," as the Nova Scotia Health home care guide puts it.
- A referral assistant takes the first call and notes what's happening.
- A care coordinator visits your parent, assesses their needs and writes a care plan.
- The assessment also sets what fees, if any, your parent pays.
- The coordinator reassesses as needs change, so call back when things get harder.
If your parent is in hospital, the care team can make the referral before discharge, with your parent's consent.
Our take: call before you need it. Getting assessed and onto the list costs nothing, and in areas with a home support wait list, the date your parent became eligible is part of how they're prioritized.
What does publicly funded home care cover?
Two kinds of help, as Nova Scotia's home care agencies directory (October 2026) describes them:
- Home support: dressing, bathing, toileting, help with eating, light housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation, and in-home respite for the family caregiver.
- Nursing: IV therapy, wound dressings, catheter care and help managing medications.
Home care adds to the help your parent already has. It doesn't replace family, and it isn't round-the-clock care. There's no wait list for nursing, but there are wait lists for home support in some areas; palliative clients get high priority.
What does home care cost in Nova Scotia?
Nursing is free. Home support is based on your parent's net income and household size, under the Home Care Income Table in effect from October 1, 2026:
| Category | Who (one-person household) | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| A | Net income up to $32,726 | No fee |
| B to F | Higher incomes, in steps | $12.45 an hour, capped each month |
| Monthly cap | From $124.50 (category B) up to $622.50 (category F) |
Two-person households have their own income bands in the same table. Cancel a visit with less than 24 to 48 hours' notice and there may be a cancellation fee.
What programs help pay for care at home?
- Caregiver Benefit: $400 a month to the family caregiver, when the person cared for has income in category A and needs 20 or more hours of help a week (Caregiver Benefit).
- Home Support Direct Funding: instead of agency visits, your parent can get funding to buy home support (personal care, respite, meal preparation and light housekeeping) and choose who provides it (fact sheet).
- Self-Managed Care: for adults 19 and older with a physical disability and stable health, who hire and manage their own care providers; family members can't be hired (fact sheet).
- Seniors Care Grant: $750 a household for seniors with net household income of $45,100 or less, toward costs like snow removal and heating; apply by December 1, 2026. Details in our Nova Scotia benefits guide.
When does private home care make sense?
When public hours don't stretch far enough, when your parent is on a home support wait list, or when you want overnight, live-in or companionship care that the public program doesn't provide. Private agency care runs roughly $28 to $40 an hour across Canada in 2026 (our estimate), and you pay the full cost.
Know what you're buying. Nova Scotia doesn't license private home care. Nova Scotia Health describes private agencies as "unregulated" and "not funded, monitored or audited" by the province, and suggests checking for police and vulnerable sector checks, insurance and a trial period. Caregivers Nova Scotia (1-877-488-7390) can help you think it through.
Our take: use public care as the base and private care for the gaps. Ask any private agency for its hourly rate, visit minimum, how it screens caregivers, and who comes if your parent's regular caregiver is sick, and get the answers in writing.
How do you manage home care from a distance?
Ask your parent to name you as a contact with Continuing Care, so you can call about the care plan. Keep one shared calendar of visits, and ask the agency to message you when a caregiver is late or a visit is missed. If you're out of province, a weekly call with the care coordinator or the agency's supervisor is worth more than any app.
Frequently asked questions
Is home care free in Nova Scotia?
Nursing is free. Home support is free for lower-income households (category A, up to $32,726 net income for one person) and $12.45 an hour for others, with a monthly cap from $124.50 to $622.50, under the table in effect from October 1, 2026.
How do I apply for home care in Nova Scotia?
Call Continuing Care at 1-800-225-7225, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., seven days a week. You don't need a doctor's referral; you or anyone your parent gives permission to can call.
Can family be paid to provide care in Nova Scotia?
Not under Self-Managed Care, which doesn't allow hiring family members. But the Caregiver Benefit pays an unpaid family caregiver $400 a month when the person they care for qualifies on income and needs 20 or more hours of help a week.
Are private home care agencies regulated in Nova Scotia?
No. Agencies that hold contracts with the Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care must meet its standards, but private agencies outside the public system aren't funded, monitored or audited by the province. Check screening, insurance and references yourself.
Is there a wait for home care in Nova Scotia?
There's no wait list for nursing. Some areas have wait lists for home support, prioritized by need and the date your parent became eligible, with palliative clients given high priority.
Last reviewed November 2026. We keep our guides current as costs, programs, and options change.
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