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The differences between companions and live in caregivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a live in caregiver has an average salary of $36,855, which is higher than the $29,246 average annual salary of a companion.
The top three skills for a companion include companionship, patients and home health. The most important skills for a live in caregiver are companionship, home health, and CPR.
| Companion | Live In Caregiver | |
| Yearly salary | $29,246 | $36,855 |
| Hourly rate | $14.06 | $17.72 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 75,753 | 71,484 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 28% | High School Diploma, 31% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A companion is responsible for assisting sick and recovered patients, as well as the elderly. Companions perform housekeeping duties, ensuring that a facility is well-maintained and safe for the use of the patients. They also monitor the patients' medication, prepare their meals based on a medical professional's prescription, support them on their daily activities, respond to the patients' needs and special requests as allowed, and report any developments to their family or guardians. A companion must be compassionate enough to extend physical and emotional support, depending on the client's condition.
A live-in caregiver assists with dressing, exercise, bathing, grooming, and toileting services. These professionals offer essential food preparation services such as laundry, light housekeeping, meal preparation, shopping, and more. They offer general health care services such as administering medicine, appointment reminders, overseeing medication usage, and overseeing prescriptions usage. Moreover, they offer personal supervision services, whereby they provide general supervision and constant companionship. Also, they orient or ground individuals with dementia and Alzheimer's disease and relay the doctor's information to the family members.
Companions and live in caregivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Companion | Live In Caregiver | |
| Average salary | $29,246 | $36,855 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $38,000 | Between $22,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Burlington, VT |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Merck | Yale New Haven Health |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a companion and a live in caregiver in terms of educational background:
| Companion | Live In Caregiver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 28% | High School Diploma, 31% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between companions' and live in caregivers' demographics:
| Companion | Live In Caregiver | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.1% Female, 87.9% | Male, 19.2% Female, 80.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 7.9% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |