concernedfam, first thing, are both your parents willing to have a caregiver come into their home? I thought my parents would be happy with someone helping them, but it turned out my Mom didn't want strangers in the house. No, never, nada. Oops, we have a problem in the room.
The Agency I had called was on a list of caregiving agencies that the hospital had given me just before my Mom was released from the hospital after having a bad fall. My Dad would pay the Agency, they in turn would pay the caregivers, doing the payroll. The Agency was licensed, bonded, and insured. Plus they had workman's comp in case one of their caregivers got hurt on the job. If a caregiver couldn't make her shift, a substitute was found quickly. We had used Home Instead.
Later down the road, when my Mom had to live in a nursing home, my Dad asked me to call that Agency back. He had around the clock care [3 shifts] but it did take a large bite out of their savings, around $20,000 per month.
Eventually Dad decided it was time to sell the house and move into senior living. He was thrilled at his lovely 2 bedroom apartment which would cost him $5k a month, which came with a lot of perks. He even brought alone his favorite caregiver [morning shift] which was great, as that gave Dad a routine, seeing her smiling face each morning when she got Dad up for the morning.
I’ve hired 3 aides to help me. $18.00 an hour. Son’s an accountant so he takes care of paperwork. We couldn’t afford it full time just using aides for a month or so.
On this forum, homecare is hit and miss. Some people have gotten great aides, others not so much. An agency would be the easier choice but also the more expensive. They would handle the taxes and Social Security deductions. Aides are human though. They get sick, their kids get sick or there is an emergency. With an agency a replacement should be sent. If you hire privately, you have no backup. Plus privately, you are the employer and expected to make payroll deductions and send to the appropriate agencies.
You need to look at the cost. An aide should be paid at least $15 an hour. 8 hrs x 15 = $120 a day, $600 a week $2400 a month. More if with an agency. More if your parents need longer hours. Maybe they would do better in an AL. That would be 24/7 care. No worry's if an aide will show up on time or at all.
The Agency I had called was on a list of caregiving agencies that the hospital had given me just before my Mom was released from the hospital after having a bad fall. My Dad would pay the Agency, they in turn would pay the caregivers, doing the payroll. The Agency was licensed, bonded, and insured. Plus they had workman's comp in case one of their caregivers got hurt on the job. If a caregiver couldn't make her shift, a substitute was found quickly. We had used Home Instead.
Later down the road, when my Mom had to live in a nursing home, my Dad asked me to call that Agency back. He had around the clock care [3 shifts] but it did take a large bite out of their savings, around $20,000 per month.
Eventually Dad decided it was time to sell the house and move into senior living. He was thrilled at his lovely 2 bedroom apartment which would cost him $5k a month, which came with a lot of perks. He even brought alone his favorite caregiver [morning shift] which was great, as that gave Dad a routine, seeing her smiling face each morning when she got Dad up for the morning.
You need to look at the cost. An aide should be paid at least $15 an hour. 8 hrs x 15 = $120 a day, $600 a week $2400 a month. More if with an agency. More if your parents need longer hours. Maybe they would do better in an AL. That would be 24/7 care. No worry's if an aide will show up on time or at all.