A caregiver works inside your parent's house, around furniture, glassware, a rolling chair, and a laundry basket on the stairs. Something will break. The paper you sign should already say who handles it. Most families learn the answer at the moment of breakage, which is the worst time to read a contract for the first time.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Step 1: Find the Damage Language

Open the final draft and search for these words: damage, breakage, property, loss, repair, replace, reimbursement. If none of them appear, the paper is silent, and silence means the question is still open. Write down where you looked.

What it costs: The Missouri median for non-medical in-home care is $33 an hour, per the CareScout (Genworth) Cost of Care Survey 2025 state data tables, released March 2026. New Plan Care's standard rate is $34 an hour with a four-hour minimum, so a visit starts at $136 (newplancare.com/services).

Write here: Page ______ Section ______ Words found: ______________________

Step 2: Mark Who Holds the Claim

For each line you find, mark four things:

  1. Who must report the damage, and how soon after it happens.
  2. Who decides whether an item counts as damage.
  3. Whether there is a cap per item, per incident, or per year.
  4. Whether the family pays first and claims later, or whether the agency or caregiver pays directly.

Step 3: Ask Four Questions in Writing

  1. Who decides whether something counts as damage in our house?
  2. How soon after breakage must it be reported, and to whom?
  3. Is there a cap? What is the amount, and does it apply per item or per year?
  4. If the caregiver is at fault, who pays, and who keeps the paperwork for that payment?

Answers to listen for: a named role, a written time limit, a stated cap, and a process that starts with a report. Phrases like we take care of it are not an answer. Ask the person to point to the line that says so.

Signs to Walk Away

  • The contract says nothing, and the agency will only talk it over.
  • The family must cover all damage with no way to recover it under any term.
  • The caregiver is asked to sign a waiver of responsibility for household items without the waiver being shown to you in full.

Before You Sign

Write your answers on the final page, not on a summary. Keep a copy of that marked page with the quote and the signed contract together. If you cannot find a clear answer, the approach used on this desk for terms it could not confirm is explained on How We Write the Sheets.

Breakage rule in one sentence: ____________________________________________