Doing the work yourself and hiring it out are not the only two choices. A third choice is splitting the coverage: family handles some missed shifts, and a hired hand or agency substitute handles the rest. The test below helps you decide which missed shifts family can cover before you post the job.

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: List the missed-shift cases

Write down the situations that will almost certainly happen in the first year of any arrangement. Typical cases include the caregiver being sick, running late, having a family emergency, or taking a planned day off. Add any case that is specific to your parent or your house.

Case: ____

Case: ____

Case: ____

Step 2: Assign a coverage owner to each case

For each case, pick one name from this list: a named family member, a hired substitute, the agency's replacement, or a scheduled check-in call with the parent. Only one name per case. Two names means no name.

Case: ____ Covered by: ____

Case: ____ Covered by: ____

Step 3: Test each family name

Ask the family member three questions in writing: Can you cover this day and time? Can you travel to the house within the time we need? Are you willing to do the exact tasks on the duties list, and nothing more? A yes to all three is a usable plan. A yes that depends on a later check is not.

If the family member will handle medication reminders or a prescription pickup, that is the most they can take on from the caregiver's list. Medicine itself stays with the family, the doctor, and the pharmacist. Write that line into the plan so no one has to guess later.

Step 4: Count the family hours in a notebook

After you have assigned the cases, add up what family will carry each month. Write the total on one line. If the total is more than the family can keep up with for several months in a row, the plan needs a hired substitute for those cases.

Family hours per month: ____

Signs to hire out the coverage instead

  1. The family backup says yes, then cancels twice in the first month.
  2. One family member is the only option for most of the cases.
  3. The stand-in would need training the family cannot provide.
  4. The stand-in's job list drifts beyond reminders and pickups.

If you need local options for substitute coverage, see Local Help for Hiring a Caregiver.