bmf224, my own Dad had around the clock caregivers at his home, 3 shifts per day. It cost him $20k per month. The caregivers were through an agency that was licensed, bonded, insured, and had workman's comp for their caregivers.
If you hire a person who is not part of an agency, your Dad would need to purchase "workman comp" insurance in case the caregiver got hurt on the job.
Dad found out that by home selling his house and moving to senior facility, the cost was much less then having caregivers at home.
Yep--about $25 an hour, per hour. Many agencies have a 4 hour minimum for their employees. The employees gets about $10 of that. Bear that in mind--these people (I was one for years) work their tails off for basically minimum wage.
If you go private--you need to have them bonded and sometimes extra insurance. Different rules in different states.
Most my clients did wind up in NH's after a while, financially, it was a better "fit". Also, they of course, deteriorated to the point that keeping them home with 24/7 care was prohibitively costly.
This is a timely question. I am going thru the process of hiring a replacement for one caregiver that recently quit for a better paying gig. And the rates I have been quoted are between 24-25/hr, with a 4 hr minimum requirement. What i have the most trouble with is finding someone to do a split shift. My husband goes to a senior center while I am at work. I do not want to pay someone during the hours he is at the center. I have tried to private-pay a friend but been told that I’d pay her benefits too. So, always go through an agency. Easier to fire if you are unhappy.
You can hire through care.com and they have a process to pay your caregiver. This is much cheaper than an agency, but you have to find the help. I do private pay and it runs $5,300 a month. Watch out for agencies-they will run up the bill by putting employees on overtime which costs YOU more money. They will also tell you that you have to hire 2 people, when that is not legally required, not in this state anyways. Just be careful, once you receive a bill from an agency, you are stuck with it. Had one employee who worked a crazy amount of overtime for around 4 months before the agency caught on. Feel sorry for the family coz the agency didn't rotate people and keep the costs down. Be careful, read any agreements thoroughly.
Ask your local service organizations like Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis if they have resources. Is your father a veteran? Check out Meals on Wheels. Also check and see if you have a geriatric nurse practitioner or a visiting nurse service in your area who can hook you up with resources.
It was financially unwise to keep my parents at home. I found them a wonderful place for a 1/3 of the cost of what it would be with home care. Perhaps this is something to consider? Unless of course, he has plenty of money. All the best to your dad!
I checked in this for my MIL in 2015. She lived in Texas. The cost of full-time home care was 173,500 per year. Due to the cost and dialysis, She went into a NH. It was very sad
Is there a reason why your 93-year-old dad lives alone and still preparing his own meals? See if he qualifies for meals on wheels... Then have doctor sign necessary documents to obtain a bedside comode and an extended shower chair. Check out your local medical supply company as to the requirements. I simply bought my mother's off of Craigslist. The extended shower chair has 2 legs OUTSIDE the tub and you sit then slide across. Less fall risk. I then got a 6-foot shower head hose attachment so mom can sit and shower with a little bucket next to her with her essentials, back brush, shampoo etc. Best of Luck
Agencies are expensive and, truth be told, I was not thrilled the few times I used one. My mother did not need round the clock care but I needed help bathing her or, on occasion, someone to stay with her if we were gone. I found one excellent caregiver through a neighbor who has a Special needs daughter. I also used Care.com. Caregivers advertise, set their own fees, and you can interview them yourselves. Again, I hired a woman through them and chrcked references. She was excellent also and less then an agency.
I work for a home care agency - let me explain a little about the charges. First - most caregivers, like most of us all, would prefer to go one place at 8 AM and work in that same place until 6 PM (or later!). As an agency, we will do whatever we can to get our best, longest-term employees into a situation like that because that's what they want. Less-experienced, or less-good caregivers get the less desirable shifts. If you want only a few hours of care, you're going to get stuck with the less-experienced caregivers - unless you're willing to pay a few dollars more per hour to give an incentive to the really good caregivers to take the shorter-hours cases. Does that make sense?
Regarding agency overhead: yes, it is cheaper per hour to hire privately. But, as many have pointed out, now you are legally liable for taxes for the person you hire. If you don't care about this, then just don't tell me about it. If you work through an agency, we deal with insurance, taxes, training, etc. If the caregiver gets ill, or her car breaks down, we'll get a replacement there (a big, reputable agency will often staff an "extra" caregiver to cover unforeseen emergencies). Also, in times of stress people can sometimes behave badly, yelling at the caregiver or worse (my M-I-L with dementia one time actually physically struck her caregiver who was trying to prevent her from driving away). Our staffing managers will coach caregivers on how to deal with situations like this, and our client care managers will work with the client and his or her family to resolve conflict.
Remember - caregivers (and agency owners) are people. Some are excellent, others not so much. Shop around carefully to make sure you are working with the best, whether you hire privately or not.
And yes, as several have pointed out, a facility can be less expensive than round-the-clock care at home. That's a trade-off you need to consider.
It will depend on several factors: (1) Region where you live in the country (in Northern CA-Marin Cty, hourly for ind contractors is around $25-30) (2) Pay independent care provider (who pays their own taxes) (3) Above, as an employee status - you pay taxes (4) Agency-some have more than a 4-hour minimum.
I'm an ind contractor and pay my own taxes. I could not get 'bonding insurance' myself for myself. As I offer assessments and care management, I charge according to services I provide: coordinating medical needs, research, writing, advocacy, for example.
* IMPORTANT: Get references, require a print out of police/criminal record; clearance (I had to get fingerprinted through the local police dept) and get a copy of car insurance.
I am an independent contract. I pay my own taxes. Each client is different and I negotiate my cost. Light care at $15/hour. 24 hour care (if I can sleep at least 6 hours) and client mild to moderate dementia a or fall risk I charge $240 per 24 hours. Each independent care giver negotiates their fee. I specialize in meal prep (nutritionist), I am a personal trainer, specializing in senior exercise programs, rehab exercise, etc. I research specific medical conditions of a client and monitor meds for side effects and bad interactions.
LeeMac I'm a private caregiver also for long time... The current Client has Alz and COPD , I'm with her almost 6 years... and have two other caregivers, I do 3 days (72 hours) Others (60 hrs and 36 hrs ), Our Client Has Long Term Care Ins... and she get $240 a day from Ins, Co. Of Course rate are It's negotiable and my rate are about 20 % higher than $240 , so I don't know other caregivers charges, but we are so much experienced and a lot of teamwork and her family are very supportive, Yes we do so many things for our client till I couldn't do it anymore,,,, It is so difficult to keep good caregiver for sure at private home.
bmf224: My mother used a LPN for a 12-hour night shift. Her bargain rate was $12/hr in 2013. So using the bargain rate of $12/hr for a 24-hour shift, you would owe $14,976/yr. BUT I STRESS THAT IS A BARGAIN RATE.
bmf224: My mother used a LPN for a 12-hour night shift. Her bargain rate was $12/hr in 2013. So using the bargain rate of $12/hr for a 24-hour shift, you would owe $14,976/yr. BUT I STRESS THAT IS A BARGAIN RATE. Plus you will need to take into account inflation, i.e. it's 5 years later.
Agencies in SF/Marin (Northern CA) charge upwards of $37/hour or more. If you know a CNA or people working through an agency, you can always ask if they have 'friends' you could hire directly.
What is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)? | NursingAssistantGuides ... https://
While some here say private care requires you/client to pay taxes, this is not true for independent contractors who pay their own taxes (as I do). I did not even know a client could pay for my worker's comp - which would be a great ins benefit to have. Although, if I required that, most in this area would not hire me-they'd fine someone else.
One has to consider all factors - the cost - the benefits of an elder staying in their own home - if 24/7 on call med staff is available in a facility. Depending on what kind of work is needed, some young people are excellent and reliable. It is a matter of finding a good fit and you screening thoroughly. I would always get references - and from the client's family, 'too' - not just the client/past history.
If you hire a person who is not part of an agency, your Dad would need to purchase "workman comp" insurance in case the caregiver got hurt on the job.
Dad found out that by home selling his house and moving to senior facility, the cost was much less then having caregivers at home.
If you go private--you need to have them bonded and sometimes extra insurance. Different rules in different states.
Most my clients did wind up in NH's after a while, financially, it was a better "fit". Also, they of course, deteriorated to the point that keeping them home with 24/7 care was prohibitively costly.
I found them a wonderful place for a 1/3 of the cost of what it would be with home care.
Perhaps this is something to consider? Unless of course, he has plenty of money.
All the best to your dad!
Regarding agency overhead: yes, it is cheaper per hour to hire privately. But, as many have pointed out, now you are legally liable for taxes for the person you hire. If you don't care about this, then just don't tell me about it. If you work through an agency, we deal with insurance, taxes, training, etc. If the caregiver gets ill, or her car breaks down, we'll get a replacement there (a big, reputable agency will often staff an "extra" caregiver to cover unforeseen emergencies). Also, in times of stress people can sometimes behave badly, yelling at the caregiver or worse (my M-I-L with dementia one time actually physically struck her caregiver who was trying to prevent her from driving away). Our staffing managers will coach caregivers on how to deal with situations like this, and our client care managers will work with the client and his or her family to resolve conflict.
Remember - caregivers (and agency owners) are people. Some are excellent, others not so much. Shop around carefully to make sure you are working with the best, whether you hire privately or not.
And yes, as several have pointed out, a facility can be less expensive than round-the-clock care at home. That's a trade-off you need to consider.
(1) Region where you live in the country (in Northern CA-Marin Cty, hourly for ind contractors is around $25-30)
(2) Pay independent care provider (who pays their own taxes)
(3) Above, as an employee status - you pay taxes
(4) Agency-some have more than a 4-hour minimum.
I'm an ind contractor and pay my own taxes. I could not get 'bonding insurance' myself for myself. As I offer assessments and care management, I charge according to services I provide: coordinating medical needs, research, writing, advocacy, for example.
* IMPORTANT: Get references, require a print out of police/criminal record; clearance (I had to get fingerprinted through the local police dept) and get a copy of car insurance.
If you know a CNA or people working through an agency, you can always ask if they have 'friends' you could hire directly.
What is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)? | NursingAssistantGuides ...
https://
While some here say private care requires you/client to pay taxes, this is not true for independent contractors who pay their own taxes (as I do). I did not even know a client could pay for my worker's comp - which would be a great ins benefit to have. Although, if I required that, most in this area would not hire me-they'd fine someone else.
One has to consider all factors - the cost - the benefits of an elder staying in their own home - if 24/7 on call med staff is available in a facility. Depending on what kind of work is needed, some young people are excellent and reliable. It is a matter of finding a good fit and you screening thoroughly. I would always get references - and from the client's family, 'too' - not just the client/past history.