A common misconception that many people have is that Medicare will pay for all home care services. The truth is that Medicare pays for less than half of all home care services that are delivered within the United States. Medicare has very strict guidelines about who can receive home care services. The most significant of these is that individuals receiving the care have a need for skilled services, such as those provided by a nurse or a therapist. The services are also intermittent, and are not delivered over any length of time. For people who need ongoing assistance with non-skilled care such as bathing, meal preparation help as a result of simple aging, or chronic conditions, Medicare is usually not the answer.