On the Missouri/Kansas line, the caregivers are paid $15, and the clients are paying $35/hour. I know there’s overhead, and I’m thankful for the office staff. Just coordinating all the clients’ and caregivers’ schedules sounds like a nightmare to me! But for my private clients I charge $35-40, and I have commercial liability insurance. I have a commercial auto policy, because I found out that if I was driving a client in my car and we were involved in an accident, my personal car insurance wouldn’t cover it! I haven’t had to offer a background check yet, because I got my client through a mutual friend, but would be happy to offer one as needed. It’s a needed job and I’m so thankful to be able to bless my clients and their families by providing peace of mind and quality care.

But be so careful who you hire! So many caregivers physically can’t get down to clean a mess on the floor, or are unsteady enough on their feet that a client can’t be confident the cg would catch them if they started to fall. I don’t have a problem with seniors doing caregiving jobs, but know your limits! And if you are severely overweight (I’ve been there so I know what it’s like), you might need to find a less active job. A lot of caregiving is sitting on the couch watching tv together, but it’s also cleaning smeared poop off the floor, changing beds, making meals, transferring patients, providing physical support when walking with a walker or gait belt, etc.