I pay $30, per hour through an agency. I insisted on having the same caregiver every day. That was a challenge but after a couple of weeks and my threatening to terminate the deal; they came through. I am in So. Ca. The hours are 3 days 6 hrs per day.
We’re in SoCal, one agency $32/$34 per hour on weekends and the new one I just got $30/hr any day of the week with a 3 hour minimum. I tried private thru Carelinx job board but over half did not answer and others didn’t seem to have initiative. There’s all kinds of people to look thru and if you are with AARP, they cut their commission down 4%. It was only $4 an hour more to get the new agency, so I did.
In SoCal we need workman’s comp and consider caregivers employees so need to pay employment taxes and report them. Some caregivers requested more per hour than what it would cost me to get an agency. Also what I read is true, one caregiver had total drama in her life and became a bit too complacent after several months, and a bit too familiar with my mom. Get cameras, too!
Staff caregivers, facility or agency, make about 20 percent over minimum wage. If like most you are going under the table, starting with that figure for indies is a realistic starting point.
We pay $20 an hour here in New Jersey. Private...no agency. It's better to go private because you have consistency. That's always better for the person being cared for. The agencies are a complete racket as they give very little to the aide. This is why they go through them like water.
If it is for a Veteran or Veteran's spouse, check for VA benefits. I get 16 hours a week provided to help with my husband. I use to get respite grants from our local Council on Aging.
Was paying $27 / hour with an agency for a bunch of people who had a lot of personal problems.
Now paying $18 / hour with a small agency where they all know each other and are pretty good, and usually connected to each other (sister, cousin, etc.)
These are for non-nursing / medical related folks. I probably would not go with a direct hire / private care because you end up responsible for taxes, workers comp, etc.
Keep looking. You can probably find a small organization that has a group of responsible people who are willing to be paid less because the company they work for isn't taking a huge cut.
Here in Connecticut, we pay $30.50/hr ($31.50 on weekends) to an agency for a personal care attendant (PCA), with a 2-hr minimum. The caregivers don't even see half of that. Unfortunately we've had a couple negative experiences with private pay caregivers so we're sticking with the agency route for now.
I currently have a caregiver from an agency come 20 hours a week. The cost is $27 an hour. If you find someone not associated with an agency, the cost is probably less.
Oh I feel for everyone these days. Long ago I started taking care of a friends parents and it evolved into me being a live-in manager, 24/7 care, and including myself we were a staff of six. We topped out at paying $15 an hour. We eventually paid overtime for some of the major holidays during the year. That was so that I could get a break. Yes, these caregivers have us by the balls. They do change their schedules, not show up, do a half ass job, and you’re stuck doing it when you had other plans. I loved these people but I’ll be honest it’s the hardest job I ever had. And when you need a break you need a break! ❤️ I know that was not helpful really I’m just being supportive! What are we going to do when we need this kind of help? I shudder.
Where I live, home care from agency, was $45/ hour. My husband is now in assisted living paying $6800/ month for 24/7 care. ( only 10 residents and a private room)
It depends on the level expertise you want and what you want them to do. Fortunately Medicare/Medicaid is paying for a nurse to check her and another to give her a bath. Hospice has also been discussed that will be covered. Early on when I was looking for someone it was expensive. From about $20 for a house cleaner to 80 for a nurse. Obviously it depends on what you want them to do and how long you want them there
I didn't find any hourly employees through agencies, occasionally saw one on social media. Finding excellently referenced agencies, I paid 200 for a wonderful lady for four hours. Her agency provided benefits, vacation time, etc. and got good people. Another agency, I spoke to them, but ended up moving to AL, did not provide hired caretakers. They vetted them, replaced them up to two times if you didn't like them or...They took a match of the first month's income, as I recall. Nothing after that, they only used licensed, researched CNAs. Most of these individuals wanted full time jobs, some would work for only twenty hours. 35 dollars an hour several years ago. I have privately hired individuals in the past. Had wonderful luck with the first one, no serious problems or particular delight in the others. I think I was lucky, frankly. I did only hire people who were known to someone whose judgment and integrity I trusted. One was a cashier at my favorite grocery, she send a wonder from her church, new in the country. Still friendly with the caretaker 20 years later.
I have three private sitters. Two of them are PT Assistants that I pay $20/hour. The other one I pay $17/hour. Those hourly wages are what they requested.
So for 20 hours a week, the monthly cost is $1800.00.
I've interviewed other potential sitters who want upwards of $25/hour.
Agencies in my area charge anywhere from $22/hour to $35/hour depending on the time of day - they also have a 5 hour minimum.
WOW!!! There ought to be a law. My sister told me that about a gentleman she was caring for and I simply did not believe her. But I guess it's so. He was wealthy and perhaps it's the same for you.
Oh, my goodness, the costs for care are prohibitive at around $25 to $35 hourly for private service in the Bay Area! Unless one is worth around $3 million to $5 million, the assets will quickly run out. I am nearly 67 and live independently in CA. I plan to stay in my own lovely place as long as possible, perhaps until around age 80 because my parents had longevity into their 90's. I think my out-of -state family will move me then since no local natural family exists where I live. I do have some health conditions but watching very carefully with diet, exercise and fun!
You can go higher than 80, dependent on your health. My partner at 83 and I at 80 are doing fine still with second story living in our place, doing garden, walking, shopping, cleaning and doing it all. Can't say of course how long that will last, and both of us are aware of that, but how long you can go is entirely dependent on how long the body and mind can do it. My parents lived independently until Dad's death at 94, and then my Mom lived in studio until her own death at 96 7 years later. So it depends for certain how long you can do it, and some need help already in 60s. I never know how the money can last in that case, even with millions.
There is a huge demand for home health aides regardless of private pay or covered by Medicaid. Sadly, most of these folks are not high skilled and certainly they are not RNs. Of course many home health aides are dedicated and loving, but it can be a crap shoot of who you get and do they stick around, cancel all the time, or quit w/no back up. In theory an aide from an agency is better, in that the agency has vetted them AND in theory the agency can provide back up due to a cancellation.
Aides can help with things such as dressing, bathing, providing company, helping provide meals and most only come for a few hours only a few times per week. If 24/7 around the clock is needed (the loved one cannot toilet on their own, cannot cook or feed themselves adequately, cannot mananage their own medications, they are NOT safe to be alone at all, on and on) then high level assistive living (private pay at about $15-18K a month, no Medicaid coverage for this) or nursing home placement (about $12-$15K a month, may be private pay at first and Medicaid may take over after a spend down -- PS Medicare pays for neither).
Private nursing (an RN) if actual medical care is needed, IVs, wound care, or other "more medical services" runs about $150.00 an hour, that's over $1K a day and JUST for an 8 hour shift. Obviously unless someone has many, many millions, full time 24/7 private nursing is not realistic. A friend was able to find a top qualify private aid (not an RN) who agreed to take $1K a day cash (I know, not really legit but) to be there 24/7 for the few remaining weeks of her other half's life. So there are ways -- w/lots of $ -- to work out expensive short term arrangements if there is a crisis or end of life situation.
And sorry, forget Medicaid-covered home health aides. Even if one has spent down and qualifies for Medicaid; there are huge waiting times (wait list) for Medicaid-paid home health aides. Where we live our elder care lawyer advised the wait time is 5 YEARS!.....
With the Baby Boom generation aging, this is going to be worse and worse. Start planing for yourself now even before you have worked out what to do with mom or dad!
In our area of California, hourly rates through agencies for caregivers are about $28-33/hour with a minimum of 4 hours/day. There is no discount for 24 hour care, it is just multiplied. Though you could hire a person privately and pay them a salary, but you'd function as an employer and be responsible for their social security taxes, state and federal taxes, other deductions and in our state, their health insurance plus you'd be liable for any potential injury they might suffer while caring for your loved one. Due to all that, in my opinion it is better to go through an agency that covers all that. So to make the math easier if you use the round number of $30/hour for 24 hours a day, that's $720/day x 30 days equals $21,600/month. That's two and a half to three times as much as the best board and care homes I've seen lately with 24 hour awake care. I've visited very nice ones that range from $6,000 - 9,000/mo which is less than private care, and less than memory care units. Care levels run from assisted living to dementia care and hospice.
I did this exact same math calculation when trying to come up with ways for my 97 year old mother to be able to stay in her own home. I had reached my limits in providing her care. The hourly people who came in often didn't show, cancelled or wanted to change their schedule. I was really surprised at how many people asked why I didn't just hire "a nurse or someone" to go into the home to care for her full time. I also did not feel comfortable becoming an employer and finding the right person for her care (and you'd have to have more than one), The $4,600 a month for her assisted living facility seems expensive until you compare it to the $20,000/month for hourly caregivers. The facility is FAR from perfect but the best solution I could find. It is private pay of course.
It depends on where you live, if you hire privately or through an agency. It will depend on what type of caregiver you need. Are there medications that need to be given? Can the person take the meds or do they have to be given? Are there wounds that need to be dressed? There are a lot of factors that go into what kind of caregiver and that will effect cost.
It costs what the market will bear. Some care might be available through Medicaid if the person qualifies. Contact your local area agency on aging to see what services might be available.
In SoCal we need workman’s comp and consider caregivers employees so need to pay employment taxes and report them. Some caregivers requested more per hour than what it would cost me to get an agency. Also what I read is true, one caregiver had total drama in her life and became a bit too complacent after several months, and a bit too familiar with my mom. Get cameras, too!
Now paying $18 / hour with a small agency where they all know each other and are pretty good, and usually connected to each other (sister, cousin, etc.)
These are for non-nursing / medical related folks.
I probably would not go with a direct hire / private care because you end up responsible for taxes, workers comp, etc.
Keep looking. You can probably find a small organization that has a group of responsible people who are willing to be paid less because the company they work for isn't taking a huge cut.
So for 20 hours a week, the monthly cost is $1800.00.
I've interviewed other potential sitters who want upwards of $25/hour.
Agencies in my area charge anywhere from $22/hour to $35/hour depending on the time of day - they also have a 5 hour minimum.
There ought to be a law! Seriously.
Aides can help with things such as dressing, bathing, providing company, helping provide meals and most only come for a few hours only a few times per week. If 24/7 around the clock is needed (the loved one cannot toilet on their own, cannot cook or feed themselves adequately, cannot mananage their own medications, they are NOT safe to be alone at all, on and on) then high level assistive living (private pay at about $15-18K a month, no Medicaid coverage for this) or nursing home placement (about $12-$15K a month, may be private pay at first and Medicaid may take over after a spend down -- PS Medicare pays for neither).
Private nursing (an RN) if actual medical care is needed, IVs, wound care, or other "more medical services" runs about $150.00 an hour, that's over $1K a day and JUST for an 8 hour shift. Obviously unless someone has many, many millions, full time 24/7 private nursing is not realistic. A friend was able to find a top qualify private aid (not an RN) who agreed to take $1K a day cash (I know, not really legit but) to be there 24/7 for the few remaining weeks of her other half's life. So there are ways -- w/lots of $ -- to work out expensive short term arrangements if there is a crisis or end of life situation.
And sorry, forget Medicaid-covered home health aides. Even if one has spent down and qualifies for Medicaid; there are huge waiting times (wait list) for Medicaid-paid home health aides. Where we live our elder care lawyer advised the wait time is 5 YEARS!.....
With the Baby Boom generation aging, this is going to be worse and worse. Start planing for yourself now even before you have worked out what to do with mom or dad!
wont Medicaid pay a family member or friend to care for a senior?