September 21, 2026

A Plus Personal Home Care: Helping Families Navigate Home Care in Baltimore and the DC Metro Area

Finding the right home care provider is about much more than finding someone who can come into the home and help with daily tasks. Families also need to understand how care can be paid for, who will be entering their loved one's home, whether caregivers can meet specific cultural or language needs, and who they can turn to when the healthcare and benefits systems become difficult to navigate.

On a recent episode of Care Across America, Valerie VanBooven RN BSN spoke with Chris Morris of A Plus Personal Home Care about how his team helps families throughout the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas.

With offices in Gaithersburg, Maryland, serving the greater Washington, D.C. area, and Pikesville, Maryland, near Baltimore, A Plus Personal Home Care works with individuals and families who need support remaining safe and comfortable at home.

Helping People Continue Living at Home

Most A Plus Personal Home Care clients receive either personal care or companion care in their homes.

Depending on the individual's needs and care plan, caregivers may assist with everyday activities such as:

Bathing and personal hygiene
Dressing
Toileting
Meal preparation
Light housekeeping
Laundry
Walking and mobility assistance
Assistance for individuals using walkers, canes, or wheelchairs
Medication reminders
Companionship and support with everyday routines

For someone who has always been independent, these seemingly simple activities can become increasingly difficult.

Having another person there to provide support can make the difference between struggling alone and being able to continue living safely at home.

And because some clients receive care for many hours each day, finding the right caregiver matters.

More Than a Caregiver, a Partner in Care

When A Plus Personal Home Care hires caregivers, Chris says experience is important, but so is the caregiver's attitude toward the person receiving care.

The goal is not simply to send someone into a home to complete a checklist.

A great caregiver develops a relationship with the individual and becomes a partner in their care.

That becomes especially important when a caregiver may be spending eight, twelve, or even sixteen hours a day with a client.

Caregivers need to understand the person's routines, preferences, personality and needs. Families want someone who treats their loved one with the same patience, dignity and concern they would want for a member of their own family.

A Plus Personal Home Care can also work to match clients with caregivers according to preferences and circumstances, including considerations such as caregiver experience and gender preference.

Can a Family Member Be Paid to Provide Care?

For some Maryland residents, a family member may be eligible to participate in providing care for a loved one through qualifying programs.

A Plus Personal Home Care can help families understand how that process works.

Being a family member does not eliminate the professional requirements associated with providing care.

Chris explained that participating family caregivers still go through the appropriate screening and onboarding process, which can include background checks, drug screening and other requirements necessary to comply with state regulations and the agency's own standards.

And families are not required to provide their own caregiver.

If a client does not have a relative available or willing to provide care, A Plus Personal Home Care maintains caregiving staff and can work to identify someone appropriate for that individual.

Find a Home Care Provider Near You

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How Can Families Pay for Home Care?

One of the first questions families frequently have is:

How are we going to pay for this?

There isn't one answer.

Chris explained that A Plus Personal Home Care works with clients using several different sources of payment, which may include:

Maryland Medical Assistance for individuals who qualify
Private-pay funds
Certain veterans' benefits and programs
Long-term care insurance

For families who have a long-term care insurance policy tucked away in a file cabinet, that policy may be worth investigating.

But having insurance and actually accessing the benefits are two different things.

Policies can involve eligibility requirements, documentation, invoices and ongoing communication with large insurance companies.

A Plus Personal Home Care helps clients work through that process and can communicate with long-term care insurance carriers and submit appropriate invoices directly.

That administrative help can remove a significant burden from a family already trying to coordinate care.

If you are working through the same question for your own family, our guide to how to pay for home care walks through the options state by state.

Helping Veterans Navigate Available Resources

Veterans and their families may also have access to programs that can help support care at home.

Chris understands firsthand how complicated navigating veterans' systems can sometimes feel because he is a veteran himself.

Finding the right office, understanding eligibility requirements and reaching the correct person can be challenging for families who have never been through the process.

A Plus Personal Home Care can help individuals make the appropriate connections and better understand where to begin.

For a family dealing with a health change or an increasing need for assistance at home, simply having someone who knows which direction to point them can be invaluable.

Home Care That Reflects the Community

Another important part of A Plus Personal Home Care's approach is its ability to serve a culturally diverse community.

The Baltimore-Washington region is home to families from around the world, and communication can have an enormous impact on the home care experience.

A Plus Personal Home Care works with clients from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including people who speak:

Korean
Chinese languages
Russian
Ukrainian
Uzbek
Other Eastern European languages

Language is about more than translating words.

Being able to communicate comfortably with a caregiver can help an older adult explain what they need, participate in their care and develop a stronger relationship with the person spending time in their home.

Cultural familiarity can also make the experience feel more personal and comfortable for the entire family.

Home Care Is a Partnership

One theme came through clearly during Chris's conversation with Valerie: providing home care is not something A Plus Personal Home Care views simply as a transaction.

It is a partnership.

It is a partnership with clients.

It is a partnership with families.

And it is a partnership with the other community-based organizations and professionals involved in helping people remain safe at home.

As Chris explained, this is work his team is passionate about.

For families in the Baltimore, Gaithersburg, Washington, D.C. and surrounding Maryland communities, knowing where to begin can often be the hardest part.

A Plus Personal Home Care encourages families to reach out, ask questions and learn what options may be available before a situation becomes overwhelming.

Because sometimes the most important first step in finding care is simply having someone knowledgeable answer the phone and help you understand what comes next.

Care Across America shares the stories of home care professionals and organizations serving families throughout the United States. Through conversations with agency owners and leaders, we help families get to know the people behind the care, their experience, their services and, most importantly, why they do what they do.

This Care Across America conversation featured Chris Morris of A Plus Personal Home Care, interviewed by Valerie VanBooven, RN, BSN.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does A Plus Personal Home Care provide services?

A Plus Personal Home Care has offices in Gaithersburg, Maryland, serving the greater Washington, D.C. area, and in Pikesville, Maryland, near Baltimore.

What kind of help do caregivers provide at home?

Most clients receive personal care or companion care. Depending on the care plan, that can include bathing and personal hygiene, dressing, toileting, meal preparation, light housekeeping, laundry, walking and mobility assistance, support for people using a walker, cane or wheelchair, medication reminders, and companionship through everyday routines.

Can a family member be paid to provide the care?

For some Maryland residents, a relative may be eligible to take part in providing care through qualifying programs, and A Plus Personal Home Care can help families understand how that works. Being related does not remove the professional requirements. A participating family caregiver still goes through screening and onboarding, which can include background checks and drug screening. Families who do not have a relative available are not expected to supply one; the agency has its own caregiving staff.

How do families pay for home care?

A Plus Personal Home Care works with several sources of payment, including Maryland Medical Assistance for those who qualify, private pay, certain veterans' benefits and programs, and long-term care insurance. For long-term care policies the agency can communicate with the carrier and submit invoices directly.

What languages do caregivers speak?

The agency works with clients from a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including people who speak Korean, Chinese languages, Russian, Ukrainian, Uzbek and other Eastern European languages.

Written By

Valerie VanBooven RN BSN

Valerie VanBooven RN BSN is a registered nurse, wife, mom, and published author of several books on long-term care and elder care. She is the Founder and Co-Owner of Approved Senior Network® and the founder of Care Across America®.