What Factors to Consider While Paying Your In-Home Caregivers?

How to hire a caregiver for the Elderly

Determining what others are paying in-home caregivers will help in making the most reliable and informed decisions to hire the best talent!

Maybe you’re planning on hiring a new caregiver and you’ve done most of the tasks, such as an interview, visited the home, and discussed all the responsibilities necessary for taking care of your or your parents. 

However, there is still one thing that you must be aware of for adopting in-home caregiving is – what and how to pay for caregivers.

Finding out what you should pay for your hiring services might seem a difficult task. Because the availability of some factors can vary the rate. Generally, the cost of caregiving services depends on several nuances, including where you live, your credentials, and what responsibilities you’re being asked to handle. Plus, don’t forget to include the other additional tasks – like transportation, housekeeping, and others. Taking care of all these things might increase the workload. Therefore, it adds extra costs to the total price. 

Being respectful of your hired caregivers’ budget will help and make them happy at a fair rate for the care.

So, what to consider while paying for in-home caregiving services Los Angeles or Orange County?

Let’s find out!

What In-Home Care Services Are Offered By Caregivers?

Usually, in-home care services are for seniors, parents, and individuals who have disability problems. The providers of caregiving services or caregivers for seniors and others with day-to-day activities to maintain their well-being and healthy lives.

Caregivers are also qualified for the physical care and emotional support of someone who can no longer care for themselves due to illness, injury, chronic diseases, or disability. 

Here are the following responsibilities of in-home caregivers for the elderly:

  • Taking care of household activities such as grocery shopping, preparing meals, cleaning, and managing finances.
  • Helping with activities of daily living such as bathing and dressing.
  • Managing medical care includes maintaining medical records and administering or monitoring medication.
  • Watching for signs and symptoms of chronic disease progression, side effects of medication, and generally monitoring your loved one’s health condition.
  • Scheduling appointments (healthcare provider, lab work, benefits enrollment)
  • Coordinating or providing transportation to appointments, shopping, or visits to family and friends.

The other in-home caregiving services are Companionship, Personal Care Services, Alzheimer’s or Dementia Care, Transitional Care Services, and Hospice Support.

A licensed and authorized home health care center doesn’t only provide personal care facilities, but also proper medical care. The cost of every service is different, depending on the included services. Often, in-home care services will range in cost according to location, services required, time of day, and many other factors.

What to Consider While Determining Pay?

When you’re under budget, paying in-home caregivers becomes quite a challenging process. At the same time, you also don’t want to compromise on the well-being of your seniors. 

Let’s elaborate on some factors through which you can pay your caregiver with dignity!

  • Location (Where You Live)

While determining the cost of caregivers, location or care play a significant role in knowing – how much an average caregiver can make in the specified area where he/she lives. Always remember that the costs of home health care will vary from city to city. The higher the costs of living in your area, the more you have to pay your hired caregiver to make a living.

  • Total Work Experience

A caregiver having many years of experience requests higher wages. Therefore, while hiring a caregiver, don’t forget to evaluate his/her total years of experience. Plus, make sure whether a hired caregiver’s wages lie under your budget constraints. For instance, a person holding 5 years of experience can generally make more money than a beginner.

  • High-Cost During the Shortage of Caregivers

The shortage of paid caregivers is growing and has become increasingly visible over the past several months. Thus, the ones still working in caregiving agencies are increasingly asking for higher wages. If there is a shortage of caregivers in your living area, you might experience higher rates for care services.

  • Take Into Account Certifications and Specializations

Several home health care agencies provide training and certification – how to take care of elders going through any chronic diseases or having any disability. On the basis of their certifications, training, and other skill sets, their hourly wages will likely go higher. If you want to hire caregivers with additional training, you might have to pay more for their expertise and services.

  • Consider “Level of Care”

The cost for in-home caregiving services also depends on the “level of care” you ask for from an agency. A home care agency assists you with several services and handles most of the household chores like running tasks, housekeeping, dressing, washing, and many others. Such services will more likely charge less as compared to nursing home care services. Depending on the level of care, you may be paying caregivers under the table as they help you with your daily needs. Every person has different requirements. Therefore, some caregivers might charge hourly rates based on the level of care they’re providing.

These above-mentioned factors can influence your decisions about how much to pay your caregiver. However, make sure you’re offering fair wages to your caregivers.

What are the Costs of Getting a Caregiver?

Hiring a caregiver for your seniors and parents is peace of mind. This will not only save time and effort but also handle most of the household duties, which gives tremendous support, especially when you are not with them. However, how much does it cost to hire a caregiver? 

As discussed above, the pay of caregivers depends on their skill set, certifications, experiences, working schedules, etc.

The average caregiver salary in Orange, CA is $29,500 as of October 29, 2021, but the range typically falls between $26,400 and $31,100. Cost ranges can vary widely depending on the city and many other important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession.

The average rate for hiring a caregiver in Orange, CA is $16.50 per hour. This cost may vary, depending on the type of support and services families require for their seniors or loved ones. Even the caregiver’s experience and certifications also matter a lot.

Average Cost of Caregivers

Most home healthcare providers charge hourly rates. Hiring the services of such professionals will not only handle all of the background checks, financial payments, taxes but also provide backups in case the normal caregiver needs time off.

According to Genworth’s Cost of Care survey in May 2021, the national average for home care is around $24 per hour, depending on the level of care provided and the type of aide providing the assistance.

The average cost of in-home caregiving services depends upon the beneficiary’s demographic location. As of May 2021, costs generally range from $17 to $32 per hour, which varies from state to state. 

Communicate Trusted Caregiver!

Under any circumstances, it’s a vital factor to have open communication about wages with your caregivers. Being honest, reliable, and upfront will help in hiring appropriate in-home caregiving services. 

 

The average home caregiver in California can make up to $47,619, but the limit typically hangs between $43,352 and $52,350. 

For gathering more information about hourly and monthly rates, feel free to contact us. We are always happy to serve you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Doha

Doha

Doha Isleta, L.V.N. has been the Client Care Manager at Justin Villa Care, LLC for over 10 years. She oversees each client case and makes sure that families are confident in the caregiver that they choose. She looks forward to helping you or your loved one live at home safely and independently.

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Justin Villa Care Implements Safety Measures to Protect Clients From COVID-19

Justin Villa Care is dedicated to implementing proactive measures during this difficult time to support our caregivers, clients and families. Here are some of the measures we are implementing to help your loved ones to stay home and stay safe.

Caregiver and Staff Education

Our caregivers and staff have received communication and training in:

  • Symptoms
  • Safety protocols
  • Travel reporting requirements
  • Proper handwashing techniques
  • Respiratory etiquette
  • Warning signs of illness
  • Infection control protocols, including effective cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and hands Following CDC and local health authority guidance

Caregiver and Staff Monitoring

We will not place any caregiver with a client for a minimum of 14 days or until cleared by a medical provider if the caregiver has:

  • Been exposed to a facility where COVID- 19 is being treated
  • Traveled to a location on the CDC advisory list in the past two months
  • Started showing symptoms of the illness
  • We will not place any caregiver who has symptoms of illness on assignment or accept new clients who demonstrate symptoms that are highly consistent with the COVID-19 diagnosis or who have traveled to Level 1-3 areas in the most recent 14 days.

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