Most of a house is not one job. Some of it is indoor work a caregiver can do on a shift, some of it is outdoor work that needs a ladder or a truck, and some of it is repair work nobody on the schedule should touch. If you post the caregiver job without sorting those three piles, the first month goes to arguing about the gutters, the walk, and the broken light over the back step.

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 every outside and repair job the house has

  1. Walk the outside of the house and the yard once with a notepad. Write down every job you see, including the ones that only come up in certain seasons.
  2. Add the inside repairs you have been putting off: a sticking door, a running toilet, a flickering light, a loose stair rail.
  3. Add the weather jobs: snow on the walk, leaves in the gutters, a hose that freezes, a storm door that will not close.

Write here: ____________________________________________

Do not edit the list yet. Get every job on paper first, even the ones you think are too small to matter.

Step 2: Sort each job into one of three columns

Use these three columns and only these three.

  • Family: the job needs a decision, a free afternoon, or a skill someone in the family already has. Changing the filter is usually here.
  • In-home caregiver duty: a light indoor chore that the caregiver's written duty list already names, with no ladder, no power tool, and no step stool.
  • Contractor: the job needs a ladder, power tools, a trade license, or a repair that goes past what a household fix can safely hold.

When a job could fall in two columns, put it in the contractor column. You can always move it down later. You cannot easily undo a fall.

Step 3: Check the caregiver's written duties against the middle column

Before you post anything, pull the duty list from the caregiver or agency and ask these questions. Get the answers in writing.

  1. Does the duty list include any outdoor work, such as clearing a walk, raking, or taking cans to the curb? Listen for a clear yes or no with a limit on it. Walk away from a vague answer like we can work that out later.
  2. Does the duty list include climbing or standing on a stool or ladder for any reason? Listen for a no. If the answer is yes for a bulb or a shelf, ask who supplies the stool and who checks it.
  3. Who buys salt, trash bags, and replacement parts such as a bulb or a filter? Listen for a named person and a way to reimburse. Walk away from anyone who says they will just cover it and bill you later without a record.
  4. What happens when a job in the middle column turns out to need a ladder after all? Listen for the answer that moves the job to the contractor column the same day.

Write here: caregiver duties confirmed in writing (yes / no) ________

Step 4: Name a contractor before the first bad weather

Pick the contractor types you need now, not in the middle of a storm. Most homes need at least a yard or snow person and a repair person. Ask each one the same three questions.

  1. Will you give a written estimate that lists the exact scope of the work, what is included, and what is not?
  2. Can you show a current certificate of insurance before you start? Ask for it in writing and keep a copy in the same folder as the caregiver paper.
  3. Who is my contact when the job runs late, and how do I reach them without going through a voicemail tree?

Listen for a clear scope line, a named crew or a named lead, and a plan for who lets them in when the caregiver is on shift. Walk away from anyone who will not write the scope down, who wants full payment before any work starts, or who asks you to pay in cash only.

Write here: contractor one ________ contractor two ________ snow / yard ________

Step 5: Put the three columns into the job post

The job post should name the in-home duties that are on the list, and it should say plainly that outdoor work and repair work are not part of the caregiver's job unless the written list adds them. This keeps the caregiver from being pulled into a ladder job on a bad morning, and it keeps you from assuming a yes that was never written down.

Keep the three-column list on one page in the same folder as the caregiver paper. The page is the reference when a new job appears, and it is what you hand to a new caregiver on the first day.

Step 6: Check the split after the first two months

Two months into the job, open the list and mark what actually happened. Did any family job slide to the caregiver? Did any caregiver duty turn into a ladder job? Did a contractor job sit untouched because nobody called?

  • If a family job keeps getting skipped, the family column is too big for the time you have. Move it to a contractor or to a shared schedule.
  • If a caregiver is climbing or lifting for outdoor work more than once, the duty list is wrong. Fix the list in writing, then tell the caregiver the change the same day.
  • If a contractor has not been called for a job that clearly belongs there, name a person in the family who makes that call and write their name beside the job.

Write here: jobs moved this month ________________________________________

Where to go next

If you are still deciding between an agency and a direct hire, the main comparison page lays out the two paths side by side, and the Start Here: Five Steps to Hiring page gives the order to work in. For local referrals to contractors and service providers, the Local Help for Hiring a Caregiver page lists where to start in the St. Louis area.