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I wish I could just do a few hours a week at a reasonable price when I needed a break.

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Some agencies will do less hours but charge more per hour for fewer hours which seems fair. One I talked to was $18 per hour for four hours or more but $30 for one hour. They asked for a four hour notice for a cancellation. I thought that was extremely generous. Call around, keep a notebook for comparison. Put the word out at nearby churches etc. In my DH aunts community the private caregivers network. Once you connect with them, they work to find a fit.
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We have a neighbor who is in her 60's who worked as an aid in a facility but is now retired and just does pick-up care gigs. We pay her to come once a week to give my aunt with dementia a shower. She recently agreed to also come in 1 other afternoon to provide care coverage (4 hrs). My point being you may want to look for retired people. Many don't want to work a lot of hours (or can't because they don't want to endanger their benefits) and often do have experience. Maybe look on Nextdoor.com?
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In most cases an agency will do hours when you need them BUT you may not always get the same caregiver or one with the same level of knowledge.
You could make it easier and schedule a weekly time for example every Wednesday from 9 to 4. That way you can schedule around that and actually make plans to have a lunch with a friend, make a doctor appointment, go shopping, get your hair done.
This will also get you used to getting out and allowing someone to do what needs to be done as the caregiving gets to be more involved. the time may come when you need someone 3, 5 days a week for longer periods of time.
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If you go through an agency there is generally not a weekly minimum. Some agencies strongly encourage or require 4-hour shifts. I also think you need to have a set schedule and not just on an as-needed or on-call basis. The agency we use formerly allowed 2 and 3 hour shifts, though at a higher price per hour than 4-hour shifts. Now, unless you're grandfathered in with a 3-hour shift the minimum is 4--but there's no weekly minimum.
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