A parent who splits the week between two houses needs a hire sized to two routines, the trip between them, and two sets of supplies. Size it on paper first, then decide who covers what.

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.

Build the week for each home

  1. Draw a seven-day grid for each home, with rows for night, morning, midday, and evening.
  2. Fill in what the parent does in each block at that home, using the family's own knowledge of the routine.
  3. Mark the transfer days, the times the parent moves between homes, and who drives.
  4. Count the set-up at each home: which supplies, which equipment, which keys, and which parts of the routine differ from the other house.

Write here: Home A ________ Home B ________ Transfer days ________ Who drives ________ Minutes each way ________

Choose the coverage shape

  1. One caregiver who covers both homes, with travel time written into the hours.
  2. One caregiver per home, with a shared task list that travels with the parent.
  3. A split schedule, where each caregiver covers one home on fixed days.

Compare the three in writing. For each one, count the travel minutes, the duplicate supplies, and who answers when the parent is at the other house.

Questions to ask

Ask how the candidate handles a transfer day and a late transfer. Listen for travel time written into the agreement, a copy of the task list at each home, and a plan for a missed handoff. Walk away if the candidate will cover both homes but will not write the travel minutes into the hours.

The medicine list and the bottles travel with the parent, and the family decides who carries them. Local resources for the St. Louis area are on Local Help for Hiring a Caregiver, and the public sources behind this guide are on Sources.